Israel’s privileged status did not exempt them from accountability before God. Instead, it heightens the need for Israel’s repentance and realignment with His will. Amos 3:2 highlights that Israel was a privileged nation, chosen and beloved by God. Yet, their repeated sins stirred God's righteous anger. Their privileged status did not shield them from accountability; rather, it heightened their responsibility to live according to God’s commands. Ultimately, it is their evil and disobedient behavior that triggers their discipline. Amos used rhetorical questions to announce judgment on the disobedient Israelites. In verse 6, he shifted from animal imagery (Amos 3:3-5) to the imagery of fear and the terror of battle. He asked, However, the punishments given to Israel did not signify that God stopped loving them. On the contrary, God’s discipline is rooted in His love. God raised His prophet to warn the people about His judgment, calling them to repentance. As echoed in Amos 1 and 2, we must remember that our God is faithful and just, and as long as we confess our sins, He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness ( Another important consideration for us to reflect on is how our daily lives align with God’s will. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3) This verse calls not only for harmony in marriages and relationships but also for alignment with God. In Amos' message, Israel was urged to align with God’s will and purpose, for they could not expect His favor while walking contrary to Him. Yet, do we fully understand what it means to walk with God? A life of unbroken worship is only possible when we walk in agreement with Him. To walk with God, we have to align our will to His, to release distractions, and to seek to please Him. Just as Israel was warned through the prophets, we ought to be attentive to our behaviors and recognize that with privilege comes accountability. Perhaps this is a timely reminder for us to reflect on areas in our lives where we may be out of step with God's will. And if such discrepancies exist, let us pray for the courage to repent and seek to align our actions and decisions with His will.

接续第一章的内容，神继续藉阿摩司的口宣告对列国的审判。不光是外邦，连神的子民—以色列人也是三番四次地犯罪。这对今天的我们有什么警示意义呢？ 圣经中“三番四次”一共出现了八次，全部在阿摩司书中。神的心意是要给人回转的机会。“主所应许的尚未成就 ，有人以为他是耽延，其实不是耽延，乃是宽容你们，不愿有一人沉沦，乃愿人人都悔改。” (彼得后书 3:9) 列国与以色列一直犯罪，没有悔改之心。当他们三番四次地犯罪，直到恶贯满盈超越神的容忍界限后，神就开始了他公义的审判。 虽然摩押看起来只是犯了一个小罪，把以东王的骸骨焚烧成灰，但这正是他们各种残暴、凶杀、忌恨的缩影。它的结局就是宫殿被烧毁。 宫殿是君王所住的地方，象征国家的存亡兴衰。宫殿被烧灭也就是王国的败亡。也正是因着在位君王首领的败坏，才导致了国家亡国的惨痛结局。 作为被神拣选的民，以色列本应该是与神最亲密、遵行他律法的。但阿摩司把以色列国放在了最后警告的对象。他们所犯下的罪与列国相比早已超过了“三番四次”。 他们在灵性道德上已完全地败坏。不但自己堕落，甚至还想把神的先知拉下水。 他们三番四次犯罪的后果就是：不光国家要被毁灭，神也要追讨他们每一个人的罪。这是何等大的悲哀！ 作为基督徒，我们就是属灵的以色列人，每天沐浴在神的话语和恩典下。那我们今天又是怎么样过我们的生活呢？ 如果我们继续顺从情欲行事，如同阿摩司时代的以色列人一样，正如加拉太书5章19-21节所说，行这样事的人必不能承受神的国。 救恩不单是一把保护伞，它更是一种使命和责任。我们有义务过圣洁、蒙神喜悦的生活。因为我们知道 “审判要从神的家起首” (彼得前书 4:17)。让我们从以色列人身上吸取教训，勤于反躬自省，立志活出神的旨意。

God's fierce judgment and intolerance for evil teaches us something important about His love.

We often face with ups and downs in our journey of faith. May we often rely on God to walk through the valleys, and strive to climb up the mountain.

God’s punishment might feel harsh. Brutal, even. But it’s not the end of the story. As we reflected in Why? Because punishment isn’t the point. Because God loves even the messiest of sinners. In Joel 2, this divine love continues to unfold. It begins with a warning: there will come a terrifying day of celestial chaos and enemies wielding intense destructive power, here to utterly wipe out everything in their way (Joel 2:2-3). Then comes a plot twist. God does not cut the sinners loose. Instead, He offers them a way to change this destiny: It’s a fantastic deal for anyone who takes this up and sincerely comes before God. Not only does punishment disappear, but God will restore the repentant sinner’s labour, joy, and even years spent under God’s punishment (Joel 2:19-25). More importantly, this. God opens His arms wide, promising all of humanity a restored relationship with Him when they return: In other words: Every single one of you The moral of the story? This is a love so massive we can hardly imagine all of it. God waits. When the sinner awakes from spiritual slumber, when the weight of his mistakes hits him squarely in the gut, when he returns to God, that’s when he shall see God’s great kindness (Joel 2:13). God will reach into the deepest abyss of shame. He will pull even the worst sinner into a hug. That destiny of dreadful judgment becomes a glorious welcome into God’s kingdom. The sinner’s heart becomes God’s home (John 14:23). What does God ask for? That our acts of repentance are genuine and from the heart. It’s easy to fool others into believing that we have changed. Deceit is easy. Theatrics are moving. We might even fool ourselves! But God cannot be fooled. There is no That’s the turning point in the sinner’s story.

Even when things seem bleak, God has a will for us.

Our Saviour’s love provides and restores.

V2 interesting how the Bible uses “the other disciple, whom Jesus loved’, without mentioning that disciple’s name. Why? It matters that he is loved by Jesus, as can be seen through the emphasis by using that term. Just like all of us believers who are also loved by Jesus, we are also the disciples whom Jesus loved. With Jesus’ love comes everything - God’s creation, all our blessings, our existence, eternal life. God has love for us, is love and is the source of love. 1 John 4:8 - He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. V13 Mary uses the term “my Lord”, not ‘the Lord’, but “my Lord”. Jesus is the Lord. However, Jesus is also our Lord and should also be ‘my Lord’ to each of us. This shows us that a personal relationship with God is important. We must build our relationship with God through spending time with God in prayer, reading His Word, and trusting in Him. V29 “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” We are blessed, because we have not seen Jesus, yet we still believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Through Jesus, we will have eternal life. V29-31 reading these verses shows us how true and real this faith is. V31 these records are written for us to believe in Jesus and this verse shows us to believe what we read in the Bible. Finally, these two verses tie together Jesus’ love for us and how believing we may have life in His name. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.