Amos 3-5: Israel prepares for a smack down

When we pick up the Israel saga in Chapter 3 of Amos we find God speaking through Amos to warn Israel of the forthcoming wrath that He's about to release upon them. Most interesting to me here is the the very adamant statement that God will remove the "great houses". The great temples that have been place of sacrifice over the years have irked God consistently and finally He prepares himself to deal with this issue. 

In Chapter 4 we pick up with God detailing their sins of oppression and of false worship. Then he lays all of the many different ways he has attempted to reach out to the Israelites and grab their attention. Consistently with every instance Israel rejects his help. They turn their backs on their Lord and seal their own course to destruction. They now must face up to the power of their Creator. 

Finally in Chapter 5 God lays out one last appeal to His people to please return back to him. God finally lays out three things of "Woe" that will cause Israels destruction. These include the continued theme of pagan worship, the sin of complacency, and finally self-indulgence.  The one that jumps out to me most is seeing the complacency of Israel just reflected so much in my own life. It's certainly a wake up call for both Israel and us as individuals today!