Amos 6 (3)
Pray Psalm 106.6, 48.
We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity,
We have done wickedly…
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the LORD!
Sing Psalm 106.6, 48.
(Trust in Jesus: ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus)
We have sinned, just like our fathers; we have done iniquity.
Just like them, our hearts have wandered; we have acted wickedly.
Refrain
Blessèd be our God and Savior, evermore His praise proclaim!
Let all those who know Your favor praise Your holy, glorious Name!
Read Amos 6.1-8; meditate on verse 8.
Preparation
1. What did God abhor?
2. To what did that lead?
Meditation
The “pride of Jacob” applies both to Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom. Both kingdoms were guilty of pride in that they received the excellencies (another way to translate the Hebrew word for “pride”) of God and acted as if they were a law unto themselves.
Sound familiar? “Yea, hath God said…?” The serpent invited Eve and Adam to act pridefully, discarding the plain teaching of God and resolving to make up their own minds concerning what was best for them. Satan promised they would be like God if they did, and that appealed mightily to them.
It’s what lies at the heart of all pride: A rejection of God’s Word, a despising of His gifts, a repudiation of His way, and a determination to be our own god. God swears on His own Name that He will not abide such insolence. He delivers us to the consequences of our own pride: “Think you’re a god, do you? Well, let’s see how you handle this.” Israel would be overwhelmed by the Assyrians. Judah would narrowly escape the Assyrians—thanks to a divine intervention—but the Babylonians would ultimately prove more than their pride could overcome.
Guard your soul against pride. Sooner or later pridefulness will be your downfall. Jesus was meek and lowly, and it behooves us to follow in His steps. As Paul reminds us, “And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor. 4.7) Every good and perfect gift we enjoy each day comes to us by the grace of God (Jms. 1.17). The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Ps. 24.1). When you feel pride rising—that need to vaunt yourself or claim credit for this, that, or something else, or in any way to think you can get along just fine without the Lord—then beat it back down with thanksgiving to God and a humble heart.
Pride will kill you. Kill it before it does.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Let’s start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with A-B-C
When you sing you begin with do-re-mi
(Rogers and Hammerstein, 1959)
And in the Christian life, to avoid the sin of pride, we admit straight up, “We cannot do this life ourselves!”
We are in dire need of the Holy Spirit to make all things new: “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment…when He the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (Jn. 16.8, 13, 14).
And so then I wonder, where are we supposed to start? Where are we to learn what the Holy Spirit has to say to us? Where should we look to find out what God requires of us? Where can we find what pleases the LORD? Where will we ever discover what displeases the LORD? Wouldn’t it be nice if He had written us a guidebook about all these things? The ABC’s and Do-Re-Mi’s of the Christian life? Hmm.
“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (Jn. 20.30, 31).
“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Lk. 24.44).
“The Scriptures…these are they which testify of Me” (Jn. 5.39).
The do’s and don’ts of the Christian life? Exodus 20.1-17 is a good place to start.
God’s plan for our eternality—now and then? John 14.1-7 is full of the real estate of our salvation.
God’s explanation of salvation and our call to get to work in His Kingdom? Ephesian 2.8-10 is a grand starting-place blueprint for understanding.
Pride is a terrible sin. Worthy of judgment. And the first step to being on the Pride Path? Just claim you can do your Christian life your way. All on your own. Not needing to meet with God daily about His plans. Not discussing anything with Him through prayer. Not bothering to confess your sins. Not relying on His strength to do anything and everything. Not working out your own salvation in fear and trembling.
“Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, since he has no heart for it?” (Prov. 17.16).
Why indeed. My guess is that everyone has access to the Word of God. Why do we not have a heart for it?
Let’s start at the very beginning, each morning, with Him in His Word, and talk to Him in prayer.
It’s a very good place to start.
Reflection
1. Are you finding your morning time with the Lord as rich and satisfying as it could be? How might you improve it?
2. How can you encourage your fellow believers in the “Do, Re, Mi’s” of the Christian life?
3. Whom will you encourage today?
Men should take warning not to harden their hearts, for those who walk in pride, God will destroy. Matthew Henry (1662-1714),Commentary on Amos 6.8
Pray Psalm 106.44-48.
Pray that God will humble His people, convict us of our pride and other sins, lead us to repentance, and bring revival, renewal, and awakening to our churches and the world.
Sing Psalm 106.44-48.
(Trust in Jesus: ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus)
Look upon us, LORD, with favor, see us in our sore distress!
Hear our cries, with love surround us; turn again to heal and bless!
Refrain
Blessèd be our God and Savior, evermore His praise proclaim!
Let all those who know Your favor praise Your holy, glorious Name!
Save us, LORD, from every nation; gather us from all our ways.
And we to Your Name will offer glorious thanks and endless praise!
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
