In business today, managers are sometimes taught to give helpful criticism as part of a “compliment sandwich”. The idea is to lead off with something positive for an employee, then point out what he or she needs to improve, and finish with a good thing about them. This sort of softens the blow.
On the other hand, I have also heard different advice that suggests being more direct, and skipping the niceties to emphasize what behavior needs to be changed. I think that the idea is that positive feedback might dilute the importance of the core message of correction. (I’m not sure what the right answer is, but I am certainly glad to have gotten out of management myself, after nearly 20 years in those roles.)
Now, I’m sure that God doesn’t need to read any books on management to understand the right thing to do. He understands us even better than human authors, and – in His love – offers us hope even along with prophecies of impending discipline or punishment. So, maybe His correction is like an “open-faced compliment sandwich”, with the challenging part of the message followed by one of hope?
Let’s read a couple more verses from Amos 9.
“In that day
“I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins—
and will rebuild it as it used to be,
so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that bear my name,”
declares the LORD, who will do these things.Amos 9:11-12 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/amo.9.11-12.NIV
Remember that Amos prophesied before the conquest of the two kingdoms, but with the advantage of history, we know that God did what He promised here, bringing His people back to their land, and helping them rebuild. From studies in Ezra and Nehemiah – and elsewhere – we learn that the people of Judah (perhaps with some of the former people of the Northern Kingdom) were allowed to return and rebuild the temple and walls in Jerusalem.
Then, from the remnant of His people came Jesus Christ, fulfilling what is – at least in my mind – God’s greatest promise. And, I like how the Lookout goes even further, suggesting that it’s even better that God blesses His people – both Jew and Gentile – in the church, which goes beyond a physical Promised Land here on earth.
So, where are you, today? Are you feeling God’s discipline, whether for your own actions, or just the general trouble that comes with living in a fallen world? Do you feel like God has some well-deserved harsh words for you, your community, your church, or your country? If not, I hope that you can rejoiced in the blessings that come from walking with God.
If you are looking ahead and seeing that God’s anger is not yet spent, don’t just stop there, though. Yes, God is holy and exacts justice, but that is not the end of the story. In a brilliant plan, He made a way for the ultimate punishment that we deserve – being separated from Himself – to be taken on by Jesus Christ (God the Son), so that we can be restored to Him.
Even as we walk through trials on this earth, we can find joy in a healthy relationship with our Creator God, and in knowing that all of the problems caused by sin on this earth will eventually be replaced with an eternity in the presence of God. So, don’t get stuck in the middle of the “sandwich”, so to speak; instead, keep going until you find the good things that God has promised. There might be a lot to get through, but something better is waiting for those who follow Him!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for March 19, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, March 19, 2023, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Minor Prophets Volume 1 – Hosea-Micah, by Harold Shank. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 