Amos 4:13 “For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name.”

This statement of who God is follows the well know verse, “…prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” The prophets have called for repentance but the people of Israel have refused and turned to false gods. As in days of old they have ignored warning after warning. God sent one punishment after another and yet the people would not return to Him. Keep in mind that God never left them but they left Him. Their continuous refusal to change and return to the true God has brought them to a point of no return.

God will continue to remind them of who they are dealing with. Idols do nothing but God is constantly active. The true God controls the elements as the prophet described earlier in the chapter. Most notable is the statement that God is the God of hosts. No other worshiped god has a hosts. The idols they had been worshiping were alone in their realm and God wants Israel to know that those idols were powerless. Later on, Amos will point out who the true God is again. The people were deaf and blind to the call of the prophets.

Task for Today: Today is a good time to take stock of who God is. He reveals Himself over and over to us in His word and in His actions. Finding out who God is the best cure for idolatry. Measure God against money or power. Measure God against sex or greed. Measure God against your call to idolatry.