Daily Lesson for July 8, 2020

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Amos chapter 3 verses 1 through 3:

Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

2

You only have I known

    of all the families of the earth;

therefore I will punish you

    for all your iniquities.

3

Do two walk together

    unless they have made an appointment?

William Sloane Coffin said:

"There are three kinds of patriots, two bad, one good. The bad are the uncritical lovers and the loveless critics.  Good patriots carry on a lover's quarrel with their country."

As we are reading the Bible this year, we enter earnestly now into the Hebrew Prophets, with all their critique and criticism of Israel. But their words are not to be mistaken -- and neither is their patriotism, or seeming lack of it.

The Prophets love their nation and their people and their God.  And they love them all enough to be honest about their nation and their people before their God.

Amos believed in Israel's covenant and friendship with God.  Enough so, that he could not bear to see his people fall short of their promises.  They had made an appointment to walk together; and to leave no neighbor or brother or sister or mother behind.  And so, Amos took up his quarrel with his people when they fell short.

Friends, I see a debate going on now about the history of our own nation and how it is taught.  Some say patriotism is being lost and our children are being taught to hate their country.  Do not be fooled!  They are not being taught to hate their country.  They are being taught to look honestly at it, see where it has gotten us, and -- again in the words of Coffin -- "love their country enough to address her flaws".

It's true patriotism, not propaganda.  And if we want to see how its done all we have to do is read the Bible.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible this year, in fact.  And tomorrow we continue with Amos chapters 6-9.