Truth Without Dare

“Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end [is] it for you? the day of the LORD [is] darkness, and not light.” (Am 5:18 AV)

This passage confused me somewhat.  Who wouldn’t want the day of the LORD?  And if they were looking for it, why would it be a day of darkness for them?  I would assume that the nation that was heading down the wrong road for compromise would want to wish for the day of the LORD lest they be totally lost in their sin.  One would think once they were in captivity, they would want the day of the LORD and it would be a day of light rather than darkness.  Then, I tried to make a comparison to the church today.  I don’t know of a single professing believer who wouldn’t want the day of the LORD and to whom that day would be a day of light. 

It appears in the day of Amos, there were backsliding Jews (in fact, most of them were) who desired the day of the LORD for the purpose of proving it wrong.  It was, in fact, a dare.  They were happily going down the road of compromise, not seeing the coming captivity as a reality, and desired the day of the LORD to prove God wrong.  However, they made a fatal assumption.  The assumption was that if the day of the LORD would come, then they would suffer some, but the bulk of God’s wrath would be on the Gentiles with whom they compromised.  The attitude of, “Oh, ok, I guess you were right so we will now get right with God.”  Thus, turning the day of the LORD to a day of light for them.  The sad reality was, the day of the LORD for them was a day of judgment.  They didn’t get to have their cake and eat it, too.  They would suffer captivity.  They would suffer judgment.  The dare would backfire.

There is a difference in proving the LORD as challenged in Malachi chapter three and daring the LORD like Satan tempted Jesus to do in Matthew chapter four.  In the first case, proving the LORD is in humility.  In the second, it is presumption.  In the first, subjection to authority is active.  In the second, it is a challenge to authority.  So, how does this apply to our current age?  If all are looking for the day of the LORD, how does this apply?

Any time we dare the LORD to verify His word, we do the same.  If we know what the word of God says, yet we walk contrary to it, daring the LORD to do something about it, we are acting in the same spirit.  When we know what the word of God says a play out the clock thinking God will not honor His word, we mock just the same.  It may not be about the day of the LORD.  It may be about the assembling of ourselves together, separation, personal devotion, etc.  God’s word is absolute.  It may not come to pass in our time or our way, but it is still true none the same!