God Is Awesome: Amos 5:8-9
Can there be any doubt God is disappointed when we treat each other so poorly? The God who loves us so much He sent His son to die can only tolerate it so much when we take advantage of other people. How can our selfish dreams compare to His dream for us?
In this interlude, Amos turns away from talking about the people and reminds the people about God. God created the stars in the sky. God is the one who turns darkness into light – or in the modern world we would say God is the one who put the earth on its axis, so we have both day and night. God is the one who turns day back into night. God takes the water upon the earth, puts it into the sky, and calls down rain. In the modern world we would say God put the natural laws of physics into action so evaporation happens and life can be sustained.
Amos reminds the people about God and His character. The elite grew rich off the poor. The system was schemed so the poor had no recourse. The elite thought they were untouchable, so Amos reminded them who God is.
God hung stars in the sky. He is powerful enough to bring immense clouds of gas together, forming such massive and dense objects that nuclear fusion is the natural consequence. If that’s impressive enough, we estimate at least 10 sextillion (that’s a one with twenty-six zeros following it) stars in the sky. For comparison, that number is larger than all the grains of sand on planet earth. There are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on the planet, and God set them all into the sky.
God gave our planet its spin, giving us day and night. If our earth didn’t spin – what we call being tidally locked – the earth would have a hot side and a cold side. The side facing the sun would be blistering hot and unable to support life as we know it. The opposite side would be perpetually frozen. The spin of our planet allows the distribution of solar energy so life can exist.
The list of God’s knowledge and blessing continues. Without evaporation, life could only exist at the edge of the oceans since there would way to bring water inland. God made our planet with a molten core, giving the earth a magnetosphere and protecting us from solar winds. God created plants and animals as a balance; plants convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and animals convert the oxygen back to the carbon dioxide. The plants also help create an ozone layer to protect us from ultraviolent light.
God’s wisdom and power is impressive. How badly do our own selfish ambitions pale in contrast to God’s creation? We strive to fill our life with luxury; God strives to fill our life with meaning. Can there be any doubt God is disappointed when we treat each other so poorly?
