Rejecting Rebuke (Amos 5:10, 13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/2/2015 12:04 AM

My Worship Time Focus: Rejecting Rebuke

Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Amos 5:10, 13

Message of the verses: "10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity. 13 Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time."

Now we first of all have to understand that the city gate is where the elders met and they transacted city business there. We have an example of this in the fourth chapter of Ruth. "1 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, "Turn aside, friend, sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down. 2 He took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down (Ruth 4:1-2)."

What was happening during the days when Amos was writing his book was that the dishonest tried to foist their lies on the people and they also tried to manipulate the court, and if someone would rebuke them then they turned on that person and tried to salience that person. Because of these tactics the righteous people would not say anything and the reason was that no one was listening to them anyway. Dr. Wiersbe writes: "Leaders with integrity will gladly listen to counsel and even to rebuke, but leaders bent on evil will seek to destroy those who stand in their way. ‘Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you’ (Proverbs 9:8 NKJV and see 1 Kings 22:5ff for an illustration of this principle)."

Perhaps a good definition of a leader is in order here and a while back I learned that a good leader is one who realizes that he is always second in command. I think that we know who the good leader realizes is in control and that is always the Lord.

10/2/2015 12:21 AM