AMOS 3:1-8 CAUSE AND EFFECT

1 Hear this word the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: 2 “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”
3 Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? 4 Does a lion roar in the thicket when he has no prey? Does he growl in his den when he has caught nothing? 5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground where no snare has been set? Does a trap spring up from the earth when there is nothing to catch? 6 When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?
7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken—who can but prophesy?

God is the God of order, and thus his creation has a certain logic to it. If it were not so, if there were no predictability in this world, there would be no possibility of scientific investigation and discovery. Even beyond science, much of our learning in daily life comes through experience. As a child we learn that if we drop a glass it shatters, if we stick our finger in a flame it gets burned, if we eat too much we get sick or if we throw a rock in a pond it will sink. With maturity, we develop the capacity to learn from the experience of others, but even there experience is still the best teacher. All this is possible only because of the gift of God’s order, his natural laws written into his creation. Can you imagine living in a world where one day you could grab the roasting pan from the oven bare-handed and the next day the same action would result in burning the skin off your hand?

What is true for the physical creation also holds for the spiritual. God has created us in a certain way and for a specific purpose. In addition, God has revealed himself to us as a steadfast and reliable God who not only has requirements and expectations for us but has also published them. What the history of God’s people demonstrates is that certain behaviors have certain effects, the only variable being God’s mercy-driven timing. Being created in God’s image or being chosen by God cannot save us from the consequences of our choices. If the Lord has spoken it, it is true. Regardless of the immediate evidence, when we choose to disobey God we will suffer the consequences. As in the physical life, the mature are those who learn from the experience of others. Belonging to the Church, being baptized, and taking communion will not save us. Our only ticket to salvation is choosing to be in a loving relationship with God through a life of obedience to his will.

You, O Lord, have not left me to guess about how you would have me live. Thank you for the witness of your Word, your Son and your Spirit through which I might be guided along the path of your will. Give me the wisdom to learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before me, so that I will not make them again. May I live in the assurance of your great love and mercy as they have been revealed in this world throughout history. Amen.