The swift of foot will not escape

 This week's verses are Amos 2:11-16:

“Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets
And some of your young men to be Nazirites.
Is this not so, O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
And you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’
“Behold, I am weighted down beneath you
As a wagon is weighted down when filled with sheaves.
“Flight will perish from the swift,
And the stalwart will not strengthen his power,
Nor the mighty man save his life.
“He who grasps the bow will not stand his ground,
The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will he who rides the horse save his life.
“Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day,” declares the Lord.

 These verses are God speaking through the prophet Amos to the nation of Israel about their wickedness. God had helped them, and then they ignored his wishes and acted as though they had defeated their enemies by their own strength. He had tried sending messengers to set them back on the correct path, but they corrupted or thwarted them all. 

God is no longer able to tolerate the weight of their rebellion. So now instead of being useless people who had been carried to victory by the grace of God, even the strongest and most exceptional people would be made helpless before the disaster God had planned for them. He would show them the futility of their power.

We can sometimes be like those powerful people in Israel who felt comfortable defying God because of their power and wealth. Maybe we have money in the bank, or take good care of ourselves, or are well-sought-after in our career, and we say to ourselves, "what bad fortune could befall me? And even if something did happen, I have it covered. I can relax a bit because there's some room for mistakes." And yet, all of that strength and fortune is there because of God's grace, and he could just as easily take it away if it makes us comfortable enough not to fear his judgment.

Reading the verses, I could almost put myself in the shoes of the people God is talking to. If I was a warlord and there was a threat of invasion, I probably would also have told myself "yeah but I have snipers on the wall of my compound who could keep people away and plenty of food and drink stored away, and even if they did break through I could escape in the night." And yet none of it would matter.

I would much rather be like the people were before they went astray, when even though they were weak and had reason to fear, God's hand protected them. It is a much better place to be than relying on your own strength where even the strongest cannot save themselves.