Saturday, March 13, 2021
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Second Woe
Sakkuth and Kaiwan are ancient names for the planet Saturn and scholars believe that this pagan worship was a custom taken from the Assyrians. Israel turns away from the God who created her and turns toward little gods who have no power to save. Israel enters into cultic practices and leaves God’s love behind. Israel forfeits all that makes her special and chooses immediate and fleeting gratification.
God says: Even when you forget me for long years I will never forget who or where you are. Even when you put obstacles in my way I still accompany you. I continue to call you, I persist in waiting for you. You speak of disappointment and woe but I will turn these into dancing. You believe that you are alone and abandoned but I will never leave you. Despite of, or even because of, all that plagues and gnaws at you, turn and return to me.
The prophet Amos warns us today of the subtle ways in which we begin our journey away from all that converts our sorrow into joy.
O LORD, you brought me up from the grave you spared me from going down into the pit . . . weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sack cloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever. (Psalm 30)
Tomorrow, the third woe of Amos.
For more on Sakkuth and Kaiwan, go to: http://www.bombaxo.com/blog/?p=15 or https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/sakkuth-and-kaiwan
See TURN MY MOURNING INTO DANCING by Henri Nouwen as an excellent resource. Published in Nashville, TN by Thomas Nelson, Inc. in 2001.
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