Bible Reading

Amos Chapter 9 - The God Who Sees Us

Our Almighty God sees us wherever we are, whatever we do.

Written by

Tumbling loaf of bread

05 Feb 2025

3 min read

"“Though they dig into hell, From there My hand shall take them; Though they climb up to heaven, From there I will bring them down; And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, From there I will search and take them; Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea, From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them; Though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I will command the sword, And it shall slay them. I will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good.”"
Amos 9:2-4 NKJV

The message from the first few verses of today's chapter is clear: When God's final punishment comes, there is no escape. No matter how high up we go, or how deep we hide, God will find us there and punish us. His eyes are set on us for our sins (Amos 9:8), for harm and not for good (Amos 9:4).

"“Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord."
Jeremiah 23:23-24 NKJV

This is echoed by prophet Jeremiah. God condemns the false prophets who thought they could get away with their hypocrisy. But God is omnipresent, filling heaven and earth. He is at hand and not afar off. No evil that we do can be hidden from Him.

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me."
Psalms 139:7-10 NKJV

However, Amos 9:1-4 remind us of Psalm 139:7-10. Psalm 139 paints the omnipresence of God in a much more positive light: No matter where we are at, God is present and His hand still leads us. His right hand still holds us.

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”"
1 Peter 3:12 NKJV

Just like how the eyes of the Lord are set on those who do evil, His eyes are also on the righteous. What does this mean for us today? This means that He watches over us, making sure that we are okay. He listens to our every prayer, comforting and consoling us.

The key is for us to be righteous, striving to lead a life in accordance to the standard of God as made known to us in the Bible. If we despise or down-play the importance of the teachings that we read in the Scriptures or hear in sermons, then just like the Israelites in the Old Testament, God's eyes will be set on us for evil and not for good.

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good."
Proverbs 15:3 NKJV

May we always remember that our Almighty God is an omnipresent God. This serves as a warning that we cannot hide and escape from His judgment, but at the same time an encouragement that He will continue to guide us.

"Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”"
Genesis 16:13 NKJV

Hosea Chapter 12 - Our LORD God Remembers All

Let us also remember Him.

John Chapter 5 - The Life-Giving Scriptures

Do you search the Scriptures? Did you find Christ in them?

Daniel Chapter 4 - Let the Most High God Reign in Your Life

The story in Daniel Chapter 4 is perhaps not unfamiliar to many of us. King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the great Babylonian empire, the king of kings, being turned into a beast, how spectacular is that? It's not until we read through this chapter for ourselves that we realise something even more spectacular: this whole chapter is told by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Daniel Chapter 4 is King Nebuchadnezzar's own personal testimony! Isn't King Nebuchadnezzar the infamous evil king? How is it that in this chapter he gives praise to the almighty God? 1) Most High Rules Over the Kingdom of Man Perhaps the first thing that should catch our attention from today's chapter is the repeated phrase in verses 17 and 32. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wills. This phrase can even be said to be the theme of the whole Book of Daniel. This book is mostly set in the time of exile, when there seemingly was no longer any king over the people of God. Yet, in the Book of Daniel we see that though there was no earthly king ruling over Israel, God made it clear to these foreign kings that He is the almighty God. He was still the one who was truly the King. The outcome of this is that the evil king Nebuchadnezzar, probably the greatest and most powerful man during his time, writes this testimony for all peoples, nations, and languages to hear (Daniel 4:1-3). Imagine being a subject in the Babylonian empire, and receiving this declaration from king Nebuchadnezzar praising and glorifying the God of Israel. Though God's people sin against Him and are punished by being taken into exile, the name of God is still magnified. God is not put to shame. Today through baptism we have entered into the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is key for us to consider whether God truly is the King of our lives. It's natural to make many plans for our future, out of a desire to lead our dream lives. But for us Christians, the sovereignty and authority of God is something that we must be well-aware of and fully willing to submit to. If God doesn't let me get that job, are we able to accept it? If God closes the path towards our dreams, are we will to say "Let Thy will be done"? If God takes away all that we have, are we able to be like Job and say "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? If all this is causing us to struggle, remember this: God loves us. He knows what's best for us, He knows what we need. He has already given His life for us, and given us His precious Spirit to dwell within us. Having faith in God's love towards us gives us strength to submit to our King with full assurance that this is the best path for us, this is the way to blessing and to eternal life. 2) Praising God Since our God is the highest and rules over the kingdom of man, what then should our response ought to be? Nebuchadnezzar begins and ends his testimony by praising and glorifying God. Giving praises to God is something that we have been often taught but perhaps we have not given enough thought to or taken seriously enough. Yet, throughout the Bible, it's clear that praises are a key part of our worship to God (just read the Book of Psalms). What might we praise God for? Like Nebuchadnezzar, we can praise God for His greatness and His almightiness. Just consider the stars, or the intricacies of the human body. We can praise God for His love and wisdom as seen in His creation as well as in His word. The more we study into the holy scriptures, the more we are filled with awe at how complete, connected, and wonderful these life-giving words are. We can also glorify God for His salvation which He has so freely given to us. Imagine how different our lives might be today if not for His grace and mercy! It's when we decide to finally take the importance of praising God seriously and intentionally set aside some time in our daily prayers to praise God, that we truly experience the blessing that comes along with it. We go through life being filled with joy and gratitude, knowing that we have such a great and powerful Heavenly Father who loves us. In fact, it was when Nebuchadnezzar took the glory for Himself rather than giving all glory to God, that the infamous transformation into a beast took place. 3) Pride This brings us nicely to the final point of reflection for this devotional. Pride - when we take glory for ourselves rather than giving glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar's testimony serves as a stark warning for us. Even just a sentence or thought of pride can greatly displease God. How often have we unknowingly taken credit for ourselves for any achievements we have, or for any divine work that we do? Being puffed up with pride and not keeping to one's proper domain is precisely the sin of satan (1 Tim 3:6, Jude 6-7). If we are filled with pride, what difference is there between us and satan? In fact, while satan exalted himself, God on the contrary lowered Himself, coming in the likeness of man and humbling Himself even to the point of death (Phil 2:5-8). Whose example do we want to follow, that of God or of satan? Let us take warning from the story of Nebuchadnezzar and carefully consider who's example we want to follow. Indeed, God opposes the proud while giving grace to the humble. He blesses the meek, that they might inherit the earth.

Is Footwashing necessary for salvation?

Although Footwashing isn't commonly practised for salvation in many Christian churches, we believe that the Bible points us to its necessity.

Ezekiel Chapter 39

What thoughts spring into mind as we read this chapter? As we read of the utter destruction of Gog, that though they are great in numbers, they cannot stand against the might of God (v11 – 12). As we read of the shocking and shameful treatment of the slain. As we imagine the grotesque picture of every bird and every beast of the field feasting upon the corpses of the fallen. Do we decry and cringe at the carnage, at the horrid indignity on a fellow human. Wondering why our loving God can be so harsh and heavy handed. Are we gleeful and smug that justice is served to the enemies for they must be punished for going against the house of Israel. Or do we rightfully see God’s purpose and intent. “Then they shall know that I am the Lord. So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, And I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.” V6 – 9 As Paul and Peter described the nature of God in Rom 9:22 and 2 Peter 3:15 respectively. God desires for man’s salvation. For that He has put off the destruction that man rightfully deserves. But once the period of grace is over for it is only right not to expect an indefinite period of grace), God will take action to protect His name and sovereignty. We should see the awesome power of our Lord and know that nothing can stand in His way. If we stand on the side of God and the love of God abides in us, we shall be victors, regardless of how strong and mighty our enemies are. (Rom 8:31 – 39). Hence in all wisdom, to whom should we pledge our allegiance and trust? And how shall we direct our lives? As the author of Hebrews exhorts us (Heb 10:26 – 31), we must see things in the right perspective. Our God is an awesome God, one that we must fear, honour, submit and obey.

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