Have you read the book of Amos recently?
I guessing you haven't; it's not exactly on the top of many people's reading lists. You can read it in about half an hour, and it has incredible Hebrew poetry with beautifully evocative language. But OMG, is it chilling!
The prophet Amos dates to the eighth century B.C. and his main ministry was probably about 760-750. He was from the southern kingdom of Judah, but he mostly had words of warning for the northern kingdom, Israel. (Imagine someone from rural America traveling to Ottawa, the capital of Canada, and haranguing them about their sinfulness!)
Amos begins on a high note, saying mean things about Israel's neighbors, including Judah. That probably got everyone nodding their heads and shouting agreement. But then he takes aim at Israel, enumerating their sins. Topping the list are the words, "They sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed." Somehow, I don't think those sins were exclusive to those ancient people; there's a lot of trampling on the heads of the poor that continues to this day.
Some years ago, I was teaching through Amos and came upon the passage: "Hear this, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, 'Bring us some drinks!'" A woman in the class had a bit of a problem with the white wine--and with browbeating her husband to make more money so she could maintain her lifestyle. I went through some serious hand-wringing as I prepared the lesson that seemed to be pointed directly at her. I can only imagine the courage it took Amos to stand up the the religious and civic leaders of his day.
When God says through Amos, "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies....Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps," shouldn't everyone involved in organized religious worship sit up and take notice? Especially since the next words are, "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream." (See what I mean about beautiful poetry?) In other words, social justice should be much more dear to the hearts of us church people than the details of worship practices.
There's much more, including the famous image of God's plumb line, presumably measuring how upright the people of Israel were: "Then the Lord said, 'Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.'"
Or how about, "You hate the one who reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth....You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil." And the remedy? "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you just as you say He is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy."
Sadly, Amos' words went largely unheeded, and in a couple of decades, Israel was conquered by Assyria and sent into exile. Judah was similarly conquered about 150 years later and exiled to Babylonia.
And even more sadly, I don't think there's any reason to believe that Amos' warnings were to be applied solely to Jews of the 8th century. I think they thunder across the ages to us today. "The days are coming, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I will send a famine through the land--not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD....In that day, the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst....they will fall, never to rise again."
I just think it's chilling stuff; warnings that should resonate with self-conviction among individuals and nations today.
But, please, don't be afraid to open up Amos and read it, even if it is grim and scary. It actually ends on a positive note! The LORD promises to restore His people--but not till after the disaster.
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