Amos accused the Israelites of rejoicing in Lodebar. Lodebar, an Ammonite city, in Hebrew means “nothing.” The irony is that though Israel bragged of her military victory in Lodebar, in God's eyes it was no reason to rejoice at all. How foolishly absurd it is for man to boast in what only God can do. Human beings are the only creation who rejoice in themselves – and as such rejoice in nothing. People boast and glory in their bigger houses, high-paying jobs, finer ethnic background, advanced education, or extraordinary spiritual experience. Such behavior is evident even in children who brag about their bicycle, their report card, or their physical accomplishments. Pride then fuels a complacency which ignores the needs of others who are deemed as less important. Pride causes a man to think of himself as better than he truly is, so he becomes smug, and easily forgets about others.
Paul calls all Christians to a sober judgment of ourselves (Rom 12:3, Phil 2:1-11). The sin of pride entails taking credit for an accomplishment which should be attributed to the grace of God. In 1 Cor. 4:7 Paul asks, “and what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” James reminds us (1:17) that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above … not the least of which is the gift of salvation (James 1:18). Yet we find men boast how he has “accepted Christ,” while the Word of God teaches that the natural man is unable to accept anything spiritual (1 Cor 2:14). Foolish man, you did not accept Christ – He accepted you! Oh how man loves to rejoice in nothing!
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Pastor Joseph LoSardo
LoDebar Amos (The Oracles) Bread of Life Fellowship
A native of New York, Pastor LoSardo was saved by the grace of God in 1986 after hearing the Gospel from his brother, while pursuing a career in scientific research. He was ordained into the ministry in 1995 and served as the Associate Pastor of a large Messianic Congregation...
