A Clarion Call
There is virtually universal agreement among biblical scholars that Amos is the earliest of the writing prophets. He lived during a time of national resurgence in Israel when other powers in the Middle East—Babylon and Assyria—had been weakened by continuous wars and internal strife or had not yet reached their ascendancy. When Amos was called to deliver his prophetic messages to Israel, peace and prosperity among the upper classes had created the illusion that all was well. Archeologists have unearthed ivory artifacts and costly building materials from this time period that substantiate the wealth of the noble-born.
The prophet Amos draws a completely different economic picture, however, when it comes to the working class. The life of the everyday citizen was incredibly difficult, made even harsher by the egregious injustices that took place daily in the market place, where dishonesty and greed hopelessly burdened the powerless poor. The pursuit of selfish gain by the rich and powerful exposed an ever-widening gap between the extreme wealthy and the humble poor, fracturing Israel’s society.
Amos, outraged by the economic disparities, launched a devastating attack on the complacent and apathetic well-to-do. He proclaimed that God would no longer tolerate the mistreatment of the people on the margins. The heartless attitude of the rich, who ignored or even contributed to the impoverishment of the less fortunate, would result in the collapse of the nation.
Now, God was not condemning the wealthy for having material possessions. After all, material blessings that enhanced the quality of life were gifts from God. But when people greedily indulged and gloated in their excessive prosperity, while others were barely making ends meet, or in many cases failing to even survive, God took offense. For God to have taken umbrage could only mean that Israel’s upper class had wantonly turned their backs on the economically disadvantaged.
The economic similarities between ancient Israel and modern day America could not be more striking. While America is home to billionaires and an elite upper class, countless people struggle to pay their bills, let alone dare to dream of a better life. Thousands upon thousands are homeless and live in abject poverty. To people living in America today, a street beggar, or a family stuck in generational poverty, or a person who has lost his home because of a devastating fire in a faraway state is somebody else’s problem, merely acceptable collateral damage in a competitive economic system, not a national tragedy.
To Amos, on the other hand, it was a calamity of gigantic proportions, an unmitigated disaster, and a deathblow to existence. Amos was called by God to be an advocate for those who suffered in silent agony at life’s injustices, for those who were taken advantage of by the rich and powerful, and for all those who didn’t have the strength to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Even minor acts of injustice that are inflicted upon people in the lower strata of the economic or social scale—that is, the chronically poor, the hungry and frightened immigrant, the forgotten and despised—are so reprehensible to God that he would allow the destruction of an entire nation rather than see the injustices continue.
Amos’ mission was to arouse a people who had grown calloused toward their ethical and moral responsibilities. His prophetic word was like a scream in the night to a spiritually deaf nation. While much of Israel went through the motions of attending worship services, presenting offerings, and singing sacred songs of faith, God was not impressed. In fact, according to Amos, God “hates” all their religious activity—worship, sacrifices, all their spiritual activity sickens God (Amos 8: 21-23). Consequently, God has decided to send his people into “exile” (Amos 8:27).
What has Israel done to deserve God’s cold shoulder? Listen to just one of the prophet’s grievances:
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.
(Amos 2:6-7)
The “righteous” in this passage were the innocent, who, through no fault of their own, have fallen on hard times. These poverty-stricken people were deemed inferior by the rich. The unfortunate poor were sold into slavery or deprived of a life of dignity. In other words, people on the lower rungs of the economic ladder were considered expendable. Therefore, the prophet Amos sounds a clarion call, “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” (Amos 5: 24). Justice, in Scripture, implies the benevolent and caring treatment of the poor, the sick, and all those who find themselves on the outside looking in. Righteousness has a similar connotation in that the righteous person assists the poor and the orphan, helps the blind along the way, supports the weak, defends the stranger or immigrant, and is a father to the downtrodden (Job 29:12-15).
King Soloman of Israel
Amos insisted that Israel change its ways, reach out to those who suffer, abandon its selfish ways, and follow God’s path. If the nation refused to repent, the people would forfeit their right to be a nation—by God’s own hand no less. Treatment of the weaker members or misfits of society is a divine concern. And the concerns of God must be shared by those who are called by his name.
You can imagine that Amos’ message was not well received by the comfortable and affluent. After all, they had worked hard for what they had and deserved their station in life, or so they convinced themselves. They certainly weren’t going to let this redneck from the backwoods tell them what to do.
Amos knew exactly what they were thinking, even before they showed their resentment. He correctly understood their self-centered hearts when he wrote, “They abhor him [Amos] who speaks the truth” (Amos 5:10). The guilty always do.
One thing I learned in ministry: it’s a lot easier to comfort the afflicted than to afflict the comfortable. People who rise to the top sometimes have a hard time remembering that they were the beneficiaries of good health, a quality education, citizenship in the right country, people who supported them during their critical formative years, and numerous other advantages. And because of their failed memories, their hearts are often hardened to those who need a helping hand. Go figure!
Prophets are seldom honored in their own time. Usually, only decades or even generations later, when their unheeded warnings have resulted in pain and ruin, do people reflect back on the prophet’s words and recognize their spiritual value. But then it is too late, the die having been cast. Only generations after Amos preached his prophetic message, when the nation had been led into slavery, did the people of Israel finally acknowledge Amos as a true prophet. His words were incorporated into the canon of Hebrew Scripture (The Old Testament) as a reminder that nations ignore the Word of God at their peril.
Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde
I listened last week as the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, an Episcopal bishop, spoke a prophetic word that has been either ignored or criticized by our nation’s leaders and large swaths of the American population. Her intent was not political, but rather spiritual, ethical, and moral. She prophetically called attention to the neglected, scorned, and misunderstood of our society. She spoke to those who have immense power and she humbly pleaded, “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy.”
Will we who heard her warnings, listen?
