Prepare to Meet Thy God

Introduction

Amos is known for proclaiming, “Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.” Here are the rest of his words: “I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning. Yet have you not returned unto me, said the Lord. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto you, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.” (Amos 4:11-12.) This was said in the context of preparing for the judgement of God against Israel because they had not repented.

There is much in the Bible about the need for spiritual preparation and to prepare for God’s coming judgment. The sense of Amos 4 is that Israel should get ready to be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. One cannot really get ready for such a thing. Sinners usually do not believe that such a judgment is coming anyway. Note that it is God’s people, Israel, who are commanded to prepare for the coming judgment of God against them. Amos is writing in approx. 755 BC; the coming judgment is the Assyrian captivity, 721-722 BC. In about 30 years it would come to pass.

In like manner, the apostle Peter wrote that the judgment begins at the house of God.

“For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" (1 Peter 4:17-18.)

In order to make it easier to remember the warning from Amos to prepare to meet thy God, I have selected 7 words from the 7 letters of

P-R-E-P-A-R-E.

P—for the Past Deeds of God

In verses 6-11, Amos reminded Israel of five chastisements that God sent to them.

Verse 6 (famine): He gave them cleanness of teeth and lack of bread. There was no need for them to brush their teeth because they had not eaten bread. God had sent a famine to them, yet they repented not.

Verses 7-8 (drought): He withheld the rain three months before the harvest when rain was most needed. God sent rain on one city or field, but not on others. People wandered from city to city trying to find water.

Verse 9 (blight and mildew): Their vineyards and gardens died from blight. Locusts came and ate what was left. Locusts often destroyed crops and were seen by the prophets as plagues sent from God. Joel vividly described an invasion of locusts (Joel 1:2-10).

Verse 10 (pestilence): Like the plagues sent against Egypt, God sent a pestilence against Israel. The young soldiers and horses died.

Verse 11 (overthrew cities): Some were overthrow like Sodom and Gomorrah, but some were snatched out of the fire like a firebrand. Jude, in the New Testament, used this language. “Save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” (Jude 23.)

The prophet is reminding Israel of God’s past dealings with them and other nations and cities that disobeyed God. Based upon the previous actions of God, Israel should know that God will act again. So should we know that truth. Often people make the mistake of comparing God to man. We think that such severe judgments, like destroying entire cities or countries, is against the nature of God. Men think reason that way especially when it comes to eternal punishment. Yet, remember the words of Isaiah. He said concerning God, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9.) The past actions of God in history teach us that God will act against sin regardless of the nation, city or individuals committing it.

R—Repent

The statement repeated after each of the five examples of chastisements is: “Yet, you did not return to me.” Israel could have avoided the coming disaster and destruction. Man today could likewise avoid both temporal and eternal judgment if he would return to God in repentance.

What Israel did that was displeasing to God is named earlier in the chapter. They oppressed the poor and needy (verse 1). They lived sinfully. (verse 2) Israel offered sacrifices to idols at Bethel and Gilgal. (verses 4 & 5)

It is interesting that in John’s Revelation there are seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven thunders, and seven bowls of wrath. But when the beast and false prophet would not repent, the seven thunders or warnings were sealed. John was told not to write them. (Rev. 10:3-4.)

The universal command of God to all men everywhere is to repent.

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31.)

“Repent or you shall all likewise perish,” said Jesus. (Luke 13:3, 5.)

E—Expectation

“Therefore, thus will I do unto thee,” and “Because I will do this to you” are the words of warning. God did not specify what he would do, but they knew that it would be greater than the chastisements named above. This would be very severe.

I believe that there is within the conscience of every person an expectation that punishment will follow when we do wrong. An innocent person suffers differently than a guilty one.

P—Plucked Out of the Fire

“I overthrew some of you as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. And you were as a brand plucked out of the burning.” (4:11.) God had rescued them before, but not this time. Now they would stay until they repented. In fact, by the grace of God only a remnant would return so that they promised Messiah would come.

When a new Pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph, God raised up Moses to deliver them from his oppressive hand. They were plucked out of the fire just in time. The Philistines often challenged Israel. In the days of Goliath, young David rescued the army of Israel from defeat and embarrassment.

Throughout the history of the Church, God snatched it out of the fire just in time before it was completely destroyed. He did so in the early days of the first three centuries of its existence. The Church suffered from persecution without and false gospels within. God raised up leaders to teach and defeated the Roman persecutors. When the Church was so far away from the truth of redemption in Christ, God raised up men like Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and others to challenge the detrimental doctrines of the Church of the Middle Ages. Restorers and reformers will always be needed to bring men back to God.

A—Announced

God has always announced judgments that he has planned against mankind. Did He not do so through Noah who preached for over 120 years? (Genesis 6.) The prophets, minor and major ones, wrote and preached for years prior to both the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. Isaiah and Amos foretold what was going to happen from 30-50 years prior to the actual event. Jesus foretold the coming destruction of Jerusalem 40 years before it occurred. We have been fully informed about the coming resurrection of all the dead from the inspired word of apostles and prophets who lived in the first century. Who can say that they did not know and have not heard what God will do? God has announced it!

R—Righteousness or Holiness of God

“The Lord has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks.” (4:2.)

Man is so deceived in sin that he generally thinks that one who disciplines or punishes sinful behavior is doing something wrong! Yet, just the opposite is true. If we do nothing against evil, if we support it and encourage it, we become a partaker of their evil deeds. See Romans 1:32. Note Paul’s words to the church at Thessalonica:

“Since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” (2 Thess. 1:6-9.)

E—Exile

Let the final “E” remind us that what God has planned for Israel was exile in Assyria. The nation of Israel would serve a Gentile, uncircumcised nation. It is difficult perhaps for us to understand how severe this would be for Israel. They prided themselves upon being the chosen people of God. A bold line of distinction was drawn between them and all others. The word, Gentile, or other nations, was used to make that distinction. Few things could compare with defeat at the hands of Gentiles and captivity in their land. Many Jews could not bear to contemplate such a fate.

In the first century, Jews boasted that they had never been under bondage to anyone! (John 8:33.) Yet their history is replete with bondages and at the present time they paying taxes to Rome.

Conclusions

Written on every page of Scripture are the words, Prepare, prepare. John the Baptist called Israel to repentance in his day. The day of the promised Messiah had arrived. John the Immerser proclaimed, “Prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight.” (Matt. 3:3.) We need not suffer exile, like Israel of old, or destruction, as in the days of Noah, or Sodom and Gomorrah. We can prepare to meet the Lord, so that we might be accepted of Him.

If you have not obeyed the Gospel, you are not prepared to meet the coming judgment of the Lord. (1 Peter 4:17-18.) If you are living a life of sin, you certainly are not prepared. Flee sin of every kind and turn to the Lord! This is the message of the prophets of old, the apostles of our Lord, John the Baptist and of every preacher sent forth by the Lord. Hear it!