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Bitter and Poisonous Amos 6:12 "Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:" When God pronounced His judgment upon Zion, He gave His reasoning for why He judged them. God said that Zion "...turned judgment into gall,..." Gall is anything that is extremely bitter. In other words, these people disliked God's judgments. These people were not interested in justice prevailing, they were only interested in having their own way. Furthermore, God said the reason He would judge Zion was because they turned "...the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:" Hemlock is a poisonous plant. It is a plant from which you would avoid any fruit, for it could cause you to get very sick or even die. However, God said that the people of Zion made righteousness like the fruit of hemlock, very poisonous. In other words, they avoided righteousness like you would avoid poison. They had no desire for righteousness to prevail for they simply wanted to live life their own way. One of the dangerous things every Christian must be wary of is getting to the point in their life where they only want to have things their way, whether or not it is right or wrong. Many Christians have gotten so wrapped up in themselves that they are not interested in justice prevailing, they are only interested in what they want. There are many Christians who are more interested in getting their way then they are about whether their way is right or wrong. The only thing about which they are concerned is getting their way. Christian, when your way is the only thing about which you are interested, then you are at the point where you will soon face the judgment of God. When you are not interested in righteousness prevailing over your own desires, then you are in a dangerous position. You must always realize that justice and righteousness should always take precedence over your desires. One area where you must be very careful that you don't let justice and righteousness become bitter and poisonous is with your family. I have watched many good people get to the point in their lives where their family can do no wrong. Their desire for their family to do well on a job or in acquiring position causes them to be blinded to their sin. These families will literally set aside what they know is just and right for the sake of preserving the family name. You cannot let sin go unpunished in your family, even if it may bring shame to the family name. Justice and righteousness must always prevail when dealing with your family. Likewise, a church must be careful about getting to the point where it doesn't care what it must give up to get big. Setting aside justice and righteousness for the sake of getting big is never right. A church that is willing to set justice and righteousness aside for the sake of numbers is a church that will compromise and eventually face the judgment of God. Finally, be careful about becoming the type of Christian who only wants your own way. Always keep in mind that life is not about your way. It is about justice and righteousness. When justice and righteousness are practiced, then God's way will be followed. Don't ever allow yourself to look at justice and righteousness as bitter and poisonous because you didn't get your way. Always be willing to let justice and righteousness change what you do, even if it means that you won't get your way. |