Scripture: Amos 4:6
I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities
and lack of bread in all your places;
yet you did not return to me,
says the Lord. (NRSVUE)
Observation:
God was trying to get the attention of the Israelites. They had not been faithful. What would it take for them to return to the Lord?
It’s a rather strange expression of prevenient grace—when God uses even judgment to call His people back to Himself. They had clean teeth! What in the world? It’s a rather tongue-in-cheek way of saying that they didn’t have any food. There was nothing to eat to get their teeth dirty—nothing stuck between them. There was a famine, and the people were suffering.
And yet, this suffering didn’t seem to get their attention. Who was the One who had provided manna in the wilderness? This was the God who had faithfully cared for His people, but they did not return to Him.
Application:
That phrase “cleanness of teeth” stopped me in my tracks today. What in the world did that mean? I could just imagine God’s provision for His people including good teeth—but then you have to stop and see what’s really being said. Clean teeth in this regard were not a good thing. There was nothing to eat, nothing to chew. Their teeth were not being used, so they were clean.
Teeth, unable to fulfill the purpose for which they had been created! The simple, ordinary aspects of life had become challenging because of the unfaithfulness of God’s people. Amos tells us that God was using these circumstances to call His people back to Himself. And the result was clean teeth!
Have you ever been caught doing something you shouldn’t have been doing and had to live with the consequences? Back when we lived in Moscow, one of our daughters came home alone from school one day. She was in high school. Her daddy called to check on her because the rest of us were out for a few hours. Something compelled him to ask, “Are you home alone?”
She rather sheepishly replied, “No.”
“And what’s his name?” replied my husband.
A pause. “Chad.”
“Now, I’m going to hang up and call you back in about five minutes. When I do, Chad won’t be there anymore. Okay?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
The Israelites had been caught doing something they weren’t supposed to do. The Father was trying to get their attention. But unlike our daughter, they didn’t respond.
Sometimes we wonder about what we are going through in our own lives, and maybe even in the world. Not every difficulty is a punishment from God, and we need to be careful about drawing those conclusions. But what if, in the midst of our circumstances, God is trying to get our attention? What if there are things in our lives that need to change, and we simply aren’t listening?
Just like a loving father, God wants to draw us back into a right relationship with Him. Even the difficult words of Amos remind us that God had not stopped calling His people to return.
Maybe we don’t need to wait until we have clean teeth to listen!
Prayer:
Lord, please help me to listen to You and to Your leading in my life. At the same time, I pray that Your kingdom would come, and that we as Your people would humble ourselves and give ourselves wholeheartedly to You. The idea of punishment to get our attention is unpleasant, so help us to pay attention to You and respond to Your grace. Amen.
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