Sunday: Hate Evil, Love Good
Things had become very bad in Israel;
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the corruption, the oppression, the sin. The point was reached where the very survival of the nation was at stake. For this reason, Amos composed a lament to mourn the coming death of Israel (Amos 5:1-15). Often in the prophetic books, no distinction is made between the word of the prophet and the word of the Lord. Thus, Amos’ lament is also God’s lament over Israel.
The purpose of the funeral song in Amos 5:1-15 was to shock the people into facing reality. If they persisted in their sins, they surely would die. If, on the other hand, they rejected evil and returned to God, they would live. The Lord’s character is such that He expects conformity to the divine will.
Read Amos 5:14-15. How does one learn to “hate the evil and love the good?” See also Heb. 5:14, Rom. 12:9, Prov. 8:36.
Amos invites the people not just to stop seeking evil but also to hate evil and love good. The commands in this section are progressive. The verbs to love (Heb. ‘ahav) and to hate (‘sane’) in the Bible often refer to decisions and actions, not simply to feelings and attitudes. In other words, the change in the people’s attitudes will lead to change in their actions.
In this context, what warning is found in Isaiah 5:20?
“All who in that evil day would fearlessly serve God according to the dictates of conscience, will need courage, firmness, and a knowledge of God and His word; for those who are true to God will be persecuted, their motives will be impugned, their best efforts misinterpreted, and their names cast out as evil. Satan will work with all his deceptive power to influence the heart and becloud the understanding, to make evil appear good, and good evil.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 431.
How can we learn to love the good and hate the evil if we can be deceived into calling evil good and good evil? What is our only protection against this deception?
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How can I avoid thinking of something sinful even if I intended not to?
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You must always listen to the word in songs and this will help you to keep your mind conscious of God when you are in the car. Listen to tapes or CD's and avoid movies with bad language. Where there is a will there is a way to keep your mind stayed on Jesus
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Start singing a hym and the thoughts will go away.
or, say out loud "LORD, I have nothing to do with that evil thought. Take it away, and cleanse the stain it left on my soul, with the precious blood of Jesus"
Don't matter who we are sinful thoughts will creep into our minds sometime at the time we least expect them (in church). Whenever it present itself lets be careful not to dwell or entertain them,just ask the Lord for the strength to dismissed these bad thoughts and beg His forgiveness.
Amen. Sometime I'm in church and the though comes especially things God has set me free from. I just pray and ask God to help my mind.. I pray for my brothers and sisters because I know it's not easy.. But we all know with God we will prevail..
We are to bring our minds into captivity, you choose what thoughts you entertain, God will judge us by our thoughts and deeds, when a thought comes into your mind, you can do one of 2 things, stop it and recognised its not of God, or continue to think on it, the word says think on those things which are the things of God,...if its not Godly thoughts then it's of the evil one...
We look around the world we really live in the last days, prophet Amos lament for Israel to come back to God, is applied to us and we can feel to our bones. That the same God is calling for us all nations, kindred and tongues to worship Him and trust Him in all situations.
Learn to do good is not to focus on I but to be willing to serve. We are born in sin and its an illusion to think of self to be right. We strive for good like that one criminal on cross by Jesus.
The more we look to God and His love, the more we are drawn to Him and the easier it is to desire to think about the good things and despise thinking about negative and evil things. Still, I pray for the Holy Spirit to give me dissernment, because I want a clear mind to know good from evil. I know that I am grateful for my family and friends, I have so many things for which to be thankful. I want to take up my responsibility to serve as I have been graciously served, and I need a clear mind to know and do good in order to fulfill my responsibilities.
Hello to everyone. I must say sin is every where. But you have to make up your mind in putting Christ first in your life.
its a tough question and onerstly pliz pray for me to love doing good and you know talk is very cheap but living upon the word of GoD is so difficult in our lives some of us today but gett me rite i really want to do GOOD all the time but i just find my self on my knees confession my sins.pliz help me
we are living in a world full of sin, you can see sin everywhere, and we are always battling sin and evil every day. inorder to overcome sin and evil we must rely on the good holyspirits voice, i believe there is always a small voice in the head which tells us the rigth decision when we are encountered in an evil situation
Our God is so loving and gracious, He always wants to save His people thus He uses things that we know and will aid our understanding. In the previous lesson He(God) is potrayed by prohet amos as a roarer we all I believe understand the power inhibited and the fear felt when a lion roars. This week the same prophet is using a feneral song to bring attention to the people of israel that their death is at nigh if they donot turn from their sins and seek the lord as their only formular to life (Amos 5:4)
The children of Israel are not only called to make a decision to seek God and Live but go an extra mile of involving their emotions to love good and hate evil. In most instances, decisions are easier than Emotional involvement.
When we make a decision to seek good then we seek a life lived in the power of the Holy spirit and this power will transform us to love good and in turn hate evil which will be reflected in our daily lives and our relationship with not only God but all people we interact with.
Get involved in a Bible discussion with Bible friends,pray and evil thoughts will go away.
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After reading this lesson, I realized that what we need is the grace of God. Only this can enable us to hate the evil as God promised to Adam " Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel".
Our natural tendency is to choose evil, but by God's Grace we can hate evil.
Father fulfill the promise and put this enmity in us.
Dany, I agree with you completely. That is what the new covenant is all about, Christ in us the hope of glory. If we are not connected to the vine we can do nothing.
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As a young adult it can be difficult to stay focused and to keep our eyes on Jesus but Jesus says in Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
To desire the good thoughts, to wish for a purposed mind focused on God always goes beyond the longing. Our carnal minds are engraved with evil suggestions that we have allowed avenues to our mind/hearts to deposit such cancerous ideas such that its as if sinning is more natural with us and in our DNA.
Avenues to the heart must be protected to safe guard our mind. How? Read the Word of God always, let the SOP be our relaxing means, yes music tuned to heaven frequency and whatsoever is true pure let your mind dwell on that. Right food for our minds right thinking. If we put dirty ideas, regard iniquity, smile at sinful acts and say its not me, wishing will not help us to think good. His Grace makes it possible if we lift our first step into the red-sea of our thoughts untamed.