One of the strongest, grounding beliefs in the Christian faith is centered on God grace. It is taught that everything we have, everything we enjoy is from God. God gives us life, joy and blessing even though we don't deserve it. Even all of creation, as constantly held together and maintained through God's will, is a constant act of God's grace in our lives. And of course forgiveness is an act of grace as well. We enjoy relationship with God, new life in his family, simply because God has made it possible and for no other reason.
What Christians often miss, is that this is the story of the Old Testament as well. We don't often see the grace that the Hebrews gave credit to for their special election by God. It was by grace that they were freed from slavery in Egypt. It was by grace that they were given their land. It was by grace that the land was returned to them. The theme of grace, of God creating a relationship through his own personal activity and person-hood, is consistent throughout scripture.
So here's the big question. Is relationship with God one-sided?
In Amos 3 the prophet speaks to a group of people who believe strongly in their own blessedness by God. How could they not? They come from a long line of the chosen people. They are experiencing of time of unprecedented security and prosperity. How could God suddenly turn on them now?
Chapters 1-2 links the nation of Israel to the same sins of violence as the other nations around them. This evil is essential to the ongoing discussion. Amos makes it clear that simply being the chosen people of God does not automatically mean that they will escape the same judgement as any other nation would naturally experience.
The following verses give clear examples of cause and affect. Natural and simply understood examples of how one thing naturally leads to the other. Amos seems to be making the argument that God's justice seems to work on a basic cause-effect system. Does this clash with your understanding of God, or justice?
All together I quickly see several principles that arise from this passage. One being the often-declared truth that being chosen by God does not often mean being chosen for blessing, but being chose for responsibility. If anything, it is those who have experienced God's grace who will be judged more harshly for their actions. Also, it's interesting to note that Amos saw qualities of God directly from observing the natural world around him. This is called 'general revelation.' Amos saw that cause-effect rule, one thing precedes another, and linked this truth to the spiritual reality as well.
Amos starts off his book with many high-flung concepts. Ideas of the nature of justice, and the future of nations, and nothing less is worthy of discussion. It can be difficult to take such large concepts and understand why they matter to us as individuals. But we must remember that nations are made up of individuals, and our part still matters. It is also important to note that every single conviction we have, and every action we take on behalf of those convictions, must not be judged on behalf f how they influence nations and worlds. Our actions are always our own, and our influence may be only on ourselves. This does not mean that the truth of God is any less relevant in our lives, or that any issue is to big, or too small for our attention.
Discussion:
1. What is the nature of a two-sided relationship with God? Does the nature of grace make the relationship too lopsided to be viable?
2. Are blessing and prosperity signs of God's blessing? Why or why not?
3. How do you feel about the cause-effect rule that Amos is declaring in this passage? At what level do you accept or reject it? What are your reasons?
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