Amos 9:1

 Amos 9:1 says, I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.  Amos said he saw the Lord, or God, standing on the altar.  We should not be surprised to find God at the altar, but we should also hope that we find Him there because we are meeting Him in sincere worship.  Matthew Henry said this was to show the people that His controversy with them was their idolatry.  God told Amos to smite the lintel so that it would cut the people who came in to the altar on the head, and then God was going to destroy the place and all that went in and out.  Verse two adds, Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:  God told Amos that there was no place between hell and heaven that they could escape.  In hell, we cannot escape God, nor can we escape His judgment by attempting to get to heaven by our own power.  Verse three continues, And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:  God also told Amos that there was no place on earth, from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the sea where they could escape His punishment.  There is still no place to escape God's judgment today except by faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We may call ourselves God's people, but if we do not have that personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then there will be no place to hide from God when His judgment comes.  Verse four states, And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.  God said that even if the people of Israel were captured by the enemy that they would still face His judgment.  They might have thought that God would rescue them from captivity, but He said that He would still send His judgment on them.  The people of Israel were to be punished for their idolatry, and so will everyone who puts their faith in idols today, even if they proclaim to be Christians.  Verse five adds, And the Lord GOD of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.  God told Amos to let the people know that it was God Who was behind their punishment.  As followers of Christ, we may suffer at the hands of the world today, but we should never be in a position where God has to send His punishment on us.  If we allow the things of this world to come between God and us, then we should not expect Him to protect us from the world.  Verse six declares,  It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name.  God left no doubt about Who He is.  He is the Creator of it all.  If we begin to place too much importance on the things of this world, then we need to remember Whom they belong to.  It is all God's and always will be.  Verse seven asks, Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?  God asked if the people of Israel thought they were more valuable to God than people of other nations simply because of where they were born.  We may sometimes act as though we as Christians are better than other people and feel that because we profess to be God's people that this makes God love us more and have to protect us, but we are all just sinners saved by grace.  We are not followers of Christ because we are special, but we are special because we are followers of Christ.  Verse eight declares, Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.  God said that His eye was on them and He saw that they were a sinful kingdom.  He then said that He was going to destroy them, except for that remnant that was still faithful to Him.  God will always distinguish between those who are truly His by faith and those who are His by word alone.  If we are truly followers of Christ, then no matter what happens in this world, we are safe in the arms of God.