December 3, 2009
Psalm 18:1-20; Amos 4:6-13; 2 Pet. 3:11-18; Matt. 21:33-46

The nation fails to recognize and respond to the Lord’s discipline. He is trying to get their attention and remind them that He is the God of all. This piece of the prophecy reveals the sovereignty of God over creation as well as all other nations. They suffer from lack and drought, blight, mildew, locust plagues, and ultimately from the death of their soldiers at the hands of an enemy. When all of creation is working against you, surely you turn to the God of all creation, but they have not.

Can you imagine being in the temple and hearing Jesus tell this parable and give the interpretation? “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” They are the chosen people of God, their real distinction on earth is that they are the people of the God of all. They don’t have multiple gods, they have one God, and He has rejected His children. The prophets have never warned about a final solution of losing it all, they have always been able to come back, He has never threatened to embrace another people. Jesus has just separated himself from everything they believed about their relationship with the Lord. His words aren’t very different though from the words spoken to the churches in Revelation, churches that don’t bear fruit will have their lampstands taken away.

Peter writes that all of creation is ultimately under the curse and all things will be done away with in order for the new creation to appear. We are to be the harbingers of that new creation. The work has begun in the lives of those who have accepted the truth about Jesus and have new life. It isn’t simply the hope of eternal life that we have received. We have also received His Spirit to enable us to live as we were meant to live, lives characterized by peace, holiness and godliness. Are the expectations of God actually higher for those upon whose hearts He has written His laws? Do we not have greater responsibility than the Jews to whom Amos and Jesus spoke?