🪧 Title: Mercy Before Judgment – When the Word is Removed

📖 Focus Scriptures:

“In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight. Then I said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.’ So the Lord relented from this plan. ‘I will not do it,’ he said.”
—Amos 7:2–3 (NLT)

“Then the Lord relented from this plan, too. ‘I will not do that either,’ said the Sovereign Lord.”
—Amos 7:6 (NLT)

“Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ I answered, ‘A plumb line.’ And the Lord replied, ‘I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins.’”
—Amos 7:7–8 (NLT)

“The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread or water
but of hearing the words of the Lord.”
—Amos 8:11 (NLT)

✍️ Devotional Message:
Amos was just a shepherd, a farmer tending fig trees. But when the Lord gave him a message, he obeyed. Even when the priest Amaziah tried to silence him, Amos said, “I cannot stop proclaiming what the Lord has told me.” His fear of God outweighed his fear of man.

“The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” — Proverbs 29:25

Amos stood before God with a tender heart. When he saw the vision of locusts devouring the land, he cried out,

“O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us… we will not survive, for Israel is so small.”
And God said, “I will not do it.”

Then came a vision of fire devouring the land. Again, Amos interceded.

“Please stop!”
And again, the Lord relented: “This will not happen either.”

What a glimpse of God’s mercy! He responds to intercession. He listens to the cries of those who stand in the gap. 
But then the third vision came. This time, no prayer followed.
God showed Amos a plumb line—a tool used to measure if a wall is straight. This time God said:

“I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins.”

The time for mercy had ended. Israel had been measured—and found crooked.
This vision speaks to us today. God has a standard. He is patient and kind, but He is also holy. There comes a point when, after repeated warnings, His judgment is no longer delayed.
In Amos 8, we see the devastating result of rejecting God’s Word:

“The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread or water
but of hearing the words of the Lord.”

The people had been going through the motions of religion. They observed the Sabbath and the festivals, but their hearts weren’t in it.

“You can’t wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end
so you can go back to cheating the helpless…”
—Amos 8:5

They didn’t want God—they just wanted to feel religious and get back to their lives. They dishonored His Word, and eventually, God removed it.
That’s the famine. Not physical hunger—but spiritual starvation. God goes quiet. His Word is no longer heard or felt. The people will want to hear from Him, but they won’t find Him. And that’s the most terrifying consequence of all.
This is a warning for us.

We must ask ourselves:
-Are we treating God’s Word with reverence?
-Are we going to church just to check a box—or to meet with the living God?
-Do we long to be changed? Or are we just going through the motions?

When we stop listening to God’s Word, we slowly lose our ability to hear Him. And if we stay in that state, we risk falling into the same famine Amos described—a famine of truth, guidance, and spiritual life.
But the good news is—we are not there yet. 
God’s Word is still here. The Holy Spirit still speaks. And we can return today.

🔥 Joel 2:12–13 (NLT)

“That is why the Lord says, ‘Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts.
Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.’
Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He is eager to relent and not punish.

🪞 Lesson for Me:

• I don’t want to play church—I want to meet with God.
• I don’t want to hear the Word and stay the same—I want to be changed.
• God is merciful and just. I want to take His Word seriously and love Him wholeheartedly.

❓ Application Questions:

1. Have I taken God’s Word for granted?
2. Do I see time with God as a chore or a treasure?
3. What needs to change in my life so I don’t just “go to church” but live in worship?
4. Is there a spiritual numbness in me that needs to be softened?
5. Am I aligning my life with God’s plumb line—or with the world’s standards?

🙏 Prayer:
Lord, forgive me if I’ve ever taken Your Word lightly. Thank You for showing me Your mercy again and again. Help me to love Your truth and long for Your voice. Soften my heart to respond quickly when You speak. May I never grow numb or indifferent. Align my life with Your plumb line, and let my worship be true and from the heart. I want to know You deeply, reflect You clearly, and glorify You completely. In Jesus’ name, amen.