In essence: God isn't pleased with these guys. The sins in the first few chapters range from adultery to drinking forbidden wine inside God's temple. Pretty extreme stuff right there, huh?
Well I got to thinking. "These nations had it so wrong! I'm so glad I'm not that far off God's path for me."
Well then I dug deeper. God doesn't determine (or tell us to determine) a better/worse sin schematic. The sins I've committed are still really horrid. Lusting after something? Yeah, that might seem like only a crush at the time. But it's more than that. It's right up there with sexual impurity. Reading through Amos really made me flinch, when I realize one of the reasons God gave us this book.
:'( that's me. It's hard to imagine God destroying Littlestown just because there's not a single faithful person in it. But then, I'm pretty sure to the people of that time, it was hard for them to imagine God destroying
- Gaza
- Tyre
- Edom
- Ammon
- Moab
- Judah
- But the worst is Israel
Amos wrote three chapters about Israel, full of God's condemnation.
The only hope I can derive from this, is that God always saves a remnant of his people, when there's a remnant to be saved. He did in fact curse the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah (to refresh your memory, they were brutally abolished by God, because of their sinful ways, and refusal to get a clue and follow God), but his remnant was Lot & his family. Except for his wife... y'know... the whole pillar of salt thing. But again, she wasn't totally obedient.
Whoa, so that text block was longer than I planned. :) Just something to ponder.
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