Amos, Pt. 7

Read chapter 8:1-9:10. The camel’s back is broken but the straw keeps coming. This time justice is judgment of a society that has lost all sense of responsibility for each other and is filled with greed. They have become comfortable and have stopped trusting in God. Oh, they still are trusting in religion, but God has no part in it anymore. In fact the only thing they think about on the Sabbath is when it will be over so they can sell more and make more money. They have an empty religion. Amos, after not buying Amaziah’s threat, gets more aggressive in His preaching. The oracles against the nations is long forgotten. Who knows if anyone was listening at this point, and if so they were mad. Amos is messing with their money. It didn’t change much in the New Testament. When Jesus talked about money, people got mad. Paul had no threats from Gentiles, until he went to Ephesus and Demetrius realized that Paul’s preaching was bad for his business. Then Demetrius incited a riot. (Acts 19:23-34). It seems that we will talk all day against certain types of immorality, but greed gets a free ride, even though it was the sin that Jesus spoke against the most. Amos is reminding people that the Lord is going to take back the land, because it is His anyway, and the people have not been good stewards of it. The Lord has had enough.

Amos knows his Scripture well. Throughout chapter 8 he uses imagery from the exodus from Egypt, only now they are going back into captivity. Now instead of being led by a sun and pillar of fire, darkness will overcome. People will mourn like they are mourning for a son that has died. In the desert, all the food and drink were provided. Now no one will be able to find any. Instead of being led in the desert, they will now wonder aimlessly. The covenant they accepted they no longer follow. They are no longer the Lord’s people, they are money’s people.

In chapter 9 Amos evokes the imagery of Psalm 139. In the Psalm the Lord is the Protector who never leaves. Whether in the heavens or in Sheol, He is there. Now the Lord is telling Israel that they cannot get away from His wrath. They cannot flee to the heavens or down to Sheol because He will be there. Amos uses what was a Psalm of comfort and changes it to a Psalm of distress. The Lord has searched their hearts, and He has found wicked ways. Now the plight of Israel is wrapped up in Psalm 139:19-22 “If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.” Israel has become the enemy.

Yet in all His anger at the way that justice has been perverted, the Lord sends Amos to give warning. The Lord is waiting to relent. He is wanting to forgive. He wants everything to be made right. Exile is the Lord’s last resort. And even though the Lord promises awful things to those who have accepted His covenant and perverted it, He still has a heart of restoration. If He cared nothing for His people, He would not have sent the prophets, He would not be taking up the case of the widow and the orphan and those who cannot fend for themselves, and He would never have sent Himself through Jesus. The Lord’s desire is not to punish—it is justice. He will make things right.