As we look around the world today, when we listen to the nightly news or read in the daily newspapers or online news websites, we see so much injustice being done. The poor and the vulnerable are being taken advantage of by the rich and powerful, and nobody seems to care. Those who might care are powerless to do anything. We wonder, does God see, and if He does, will He do anything? As we read in today’s Scripture passage from the Old Testament Prophet Amos, we see that, yes, God does see, and He will not sit idly by.
The prophet Amos did not set out in life to be a preacher and prophet of God. He was originally a farmer of sycamore figs and a sheep rancher. Then the Lord called him from that line of work, at least temporarily, to bring His message to the people, sometime between 765 - 755 BC. Amos was from the Southern Kingdom of Judah, but his message was to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
As our passage today from Amos opens, he addressed his message to those who were oppressing and trampling over the poor and needy in the country (vs. 4). The Northern Kingdom of Israel was rather prosperous, and many of the people lived in relative wealth. However, just like in any nation, there were the poor and needy. As descendants of Abraham, and a people who had God’s Law, they should have been showing love and care for the poor. However, they didn’t show any compassion, and even took the opportunity to oppress the poor and needy even more.
Their disregard for God’s Law was so strong, they longed for the holy days, such as the monthly New Moon feast and the weekly Sabbath when no work was to be done, to pass so that they could get back to their business and accrue more money (vs. 5). Do we look at worship as a burden we must endure, rather than a privilege to look forward to and enjoy? When I was a child I remember that most places were closed on Sunday, honoring the Lord’s Day. Only very necessary places were open, such as maybe a pharmacy for emergency prescriptions or medical supplies, and perhaps a few gas stations. That started changing by the time I was in high school, and by the time I was out of college just about everything was staying open seven days a week. Today places don’t even close for Christmas!
The rich businessmen and elite of Israel even tried to become more wealthy through exploiting and cheating others by using false weights and measures, decreasing the amount the customer received, but increasing the cost. They would sell their grain with chaff and other “fillers” mixed in to cheat the buyer (vs. 6). How often do we see the same thing today? Just look at the slick advertising to get you to buy something you don’t need just so you’ll fit in and be popular. Today with online shopping it is even easier to cheat the buyer as you can’t inspect the merchandise first. These people become unbelievably wealthy at the expense of the poor and the downtrodden workers.
Amos brought God’s message to these people, telling them that God saw what they were doing, and that He would not forget (vs. 7). God pities the oppressed, and He has eternal anger against those that abuse and mistreat them. Just as the Nile River would annually overflow the banks, so the judgment of God would overflow the land (vs. 8).
The people that Amos preached to had no appetite for God or His Word when he and other true prophets and preachers brought it. They had rejected the Word of God and His messengers, so God said He would take away even the opportunity for them to hear His Word (vs. 11-12). From the time of the prophet Malachi to the time of John the Baptist, almost 500 years, there were no prophets or preachers of God’s Word.
Many people today are “running to and fro”, trying to seek peace for their souls, and some type of spiritual enlightenment, but they do not look to the Lord Jesus, the only real source of enlightenment and peace. Today there is a proliferation of spiritual gurus spouting their feel-good nonsense, and a scarcity of real sound Bible-based preaching. Just as Amos prophesied, we see a time when God’s true Word is becoming scarce, rare, and not readily available, and instead the oppression of others is commonplace, along with an abundance of “spiritual” messages that only make one feel good. God warned the people then, and He warns us today, as well.
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