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Judgment on Judah
4The Lord said:
I will punish Judah
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They have rejected my teachings
and refused to obey me.
They were led astray
by the same false gods
their ancestors worshiped.
5Now I will send fire on Judah
and destroy the fortresses
of Jerusalem.
Judgment on Israel
6The Lord said:
I will punish Israel
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They sell honest people for money,
and the needy are sold
for the price of sandals.
7They smear the poor in the dirt
and push aside
those who are helpless.
My holy name is dishonored,
because fathers and sons sleep
with the same young women.
8They lie down beside altars
on clothes taken
as security for loans.
And they drink wine in my temple,
wine bought with the money
they received from fines.
9 Israel, the Amorites were there
when you entered Canaan.
They were tall as cedars
and strong as oaks.
But I wiped them out—
I destroyed their branches
and their roots.
10I had rescued you from Egypt,
and for forty years I had led you
through the desert.
Then I gave you the land
of the Amorites.
11 I chose some of you
to be prophets
and others to be Nazirites.
People of Israel,
you know this is true.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
12But you commanded the prophets
not to speak their message,
and you pressured the Nazirites
into drinking wine.
13And so I will crush you,
just as a wagon full of grain
crushes the ground.
14No matter how fast you run,
you won't escape.
No matter how strong you are,
you will lose your strength
and your life.
15Even if you are an expert
with a bow and arrow,
you will retreat.
And you won't get away alive,
not even if you run fast
or ride a horse.
16You may be brave and strong,
but you will run away,
stripped naked.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
1People of Israel,
I rescued you from Egypt.
Now listen to my judgment
against you.
2Of all nations on earth,
you are the only one
I have chosen.
That's why I will punish you
because of your sins.
Reflect
Not all that glitters is gold. We may have noble origins, steeped faith, renown and reputation. We may have a name, but does it mean anything?
Ignorance is no excuse in law. Yet greater knowledge demands greater responsibility, higher standards. “They should know better.” Judah was the largest tribe, home to the Temple and guardian of the Law of Moses. But it rejected its heritage. It became like the peoples God had displaced, every bit as wicked.
Judah is Israel’s first cousin. No doubt Amos’ audience enjoyed the roasting he gave them. We enjoy a take down of a “frenemy.” Then Amos pauses. He has toured the border country. Called out the criminals, over there. Stood up for their victims: many in his audience. You can hear the applause. He has the crowd in the palm of his hands. Then he turns. Turns on them.
“I will punish Israel for their countless crimes.” God is still counting. They sell their neighbours into slavery, for a new pair of Pradas. Sons let their fathers bed their girlfriends. Taxmen drink their takings: tithes paid with payday loans. God saved them from slavery in Egypt and now they enslave others.
God punished the violent merciless occupants of the Promised Land, would he not punish those he had given it to, his chosen ones. Would he spare them the same outcome? Would that be just? Peter will say it again hundreds of years later: judgment begins “with God’s household” (1 Peter 4:17). How often does the conduct of Christians and their leaders fail to exceed the ethical standards of their “enemies”? How often are ministry workers paid substance wages; and ministry funders tithing on credit cards?
Is it better in here, than out there? Are we more honest, more hardworking, more generous, more diligent, more mindful of others, or less? God is still counting.
Respond
Forgive us. Our daily bread we ask, but only crumbs we share. We love our neighbour if we like them. We talk of His kingdom and build our own. Turn on us; teach us. Crush our strength and confound our expertise. Catch our arrows and brake our bows. Strip us, until all that is left is You.
Alexander Best
Alexander cultivated a network of Christian leaders, OneMission, to promote collaboration, including service to the 15,000 new students arriving at University of Toronto each fall, under the umbrella, ServeToronto. He helped foster the same at the PanAm Games in Toronto and is the former Canadian Director of the Lausanne Movement Canada. He publishes THisToronto, a social media platform promoting & connecting the activities of over 300 ministries and churches in the city."