Milo

Obadiah

JUNE 30

Reading 181

JUDAH’S ENEMIES PERISH Obadiah

“Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever” (Obad. 10).Those hostile to God’s people take a great risk when they act against them.

Background

Names in Obadiah.

The prophet used a number of different racial and geographic terms in this short book. The majority are synonyms used to identify either Edom or Judah. These names reflect the Hebrew custom of identifying peoples by their ancestors (thus “Esau” is another name for Edom and “Jacob” for Judah) or by place names (thus “Teman” also refers to Edom, and “Mount Zion” to Judah). If this is kept in mind the message of Obadiah will be much clearer.

Overview

Edom would be pillaged and her people slaughtered (vv. 1–9) as punishment for violence she directed against Judah (vv. 10–14). In the coming Day of the Lord all nations will judged and their lands occupied by God’s own (vv. 15–21).

Understanding the Text

“The vision of Obadiah” Obad. 1. Nothing is known of Obadiah as a person. His name, however, means “servant of Yahweh.” Obadiah did not think it was important even to identify himself, as most Hebrews did, by stating their father’s or family name. Obadiah saw himself simply as God’s servant. What was important was the message he had to deliver. You and I want to adopt Obadiah’s perspective. Oh, yes, we are important—important to a God who loves us for ourselves rather than for what we do for Him. But when we’re given the mission of speaking for God, we must exalt the message. Obadiah would do nothing to detract from his message by drawing attention to himself. “You who live in the clefts of the rocks” Obad. 2–4. Edomite population centers were built on a great ridge of mountainous land opposite the Dead Sea. These heights, ranging from 4,000 to 5,700 feet, made the land easily defensible, and it was in fact protected by a series of stone fortresses built to command the roads that wound up precipitous cliffs and traced the edges of terrifyingly deep gorges. These natural defenses contributed to the pride of Edom, reflected in their rhetorical question, “Who can bring me down to the ground?” How dangerous a sense of security is! The Edomites felt untouchable. Arrogant, they struck out at Judah from behind the barriers they thought protected them. Undoubtedly if they had felt vulnerable they would never have risked trying to harm their neighbor. God said to Edom, “I will bring you down.” In this saying Obadiah reminded all of us that no one is ever beyond the reach of God. Every person is responsible for his actions, and every person is within reach of the disciplining hand of the Lord. “Because of the violence against your brother Jacob” Obad. 10. The ancient covenant that God made with Abraham guaranteed that God would bless those who blessed him and his descendants, and curse those who cursed him and his progeny. God recalled His promise, and announced through Obadiah that Edom would be “destroyed forever” because of just such an offense. What a revelation of the nature of God’s commitment to His word. If Obadiah did prophesy just after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, as many believe, the generation of Jews that were Edom’s victims was an apostate generation. They willfully abandoned God to serve idols, and consciously rejected His word. They were themselves under the ban: themselves doomed to judgment. Even so God intended to keep His ancient promise. Those who cursed His people must be cursed. Edom must fall. Remember this verse and its historical context next time you fail yourself and God and, burdened by a sense of shame, wonder if God can forgive you. God remains fully committed to every promise He has made to you in Christ, even as He remained fully committed to Judah despite far worse sins. God keeps His word. You can trust Him to keep on loving you, keep on working with you, until at last you do reflect the very character of Christ. “Look down on them in their calamity” Obad. 11–14. The text shows a fascinating progression in the behavior of Edom toward Judah. At first, as the invasion developed, the Edomites stood off, to watch and enjoy the discomfort of Judah (vv. 11–12). When it became clear that the people of Judah were losing, the Edomites became more brave. They marched through the gates of the ruined city to gather all the loot that might be left. They then became bolder still, and positioned troops along escape routes to “cut down their fugitives” and “hand over their survivors.” It was a classic case of waiting till the fight was over, and then hurrying in to kick the loser. Kicking a person who’s down has always been popular, because it carries little risk. At least, little risk of the victim kicking back. What people need to remember, however, is that God takes the side of the oppressed. So, if in your home, office, or your community, you’re ever tempted to join the crowd that kicks one of life’s underdogs, remember Edom. A victim may seem defenseless. But he or she has God on his side. “For all nations” Obad. 15–21. Obadiah announced that the principles seen in his oracle against Edom have universal application. They do. One day God will openly act on behalf of the victims of every oppressive power. Even nations will answer to Him. When that happens every Esau will be destroyed, and Judah, the “loser,” will occupy their territory. There is no “ill-gotten gain.” There is only “ill-gotten loss.”

DEVOTIONAL

Like One of Them(Obad. 11–12)

I confess! I do like to read the comics when I get up in the morning. At least, I like to read three of them—Calvin and Hobbes, Sally Forth, and For Better or For Worse. Last week—the first week of school—the little girl in Better threw her teddy bear on the school bus. She was assigned the painful task of writing a note of apology. In a later set of panels she aimed the bear carefully, and bopped her big brother squarely in the back of the head! Why? Because he was the one who encouraged her to toss the bear on the bus in the first place, and then laughed when she got caught and was punished. I don’t suppose cartoonist Lynn Johnston had been reading Obadiah. But she might have been. Obadiah 11 and 12 reads, “On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction.” In comic strip terms, “I didn’t throw any bear!” And again in comic strip terms, “Na Naa Naaa! That bus driver got you good. Ha ha ha!” I suspect everyone suppressed a smile of satisfaction when the bear plopped on the brother’s head. He sure deserved it! That’s what God said to Edom through Obadiah. And what He says to us. You can’t stand around when you see your brother a victim, egg on the perpetrators, and be guiltless. If you don’t step in with help, you are “like one of them.” Biblical faith doesn’t let us stand on the sidelines when others are victimized. Even if the “others” aren’t particular friends of ours. Even if they are our enemies.

Personal Application

Don’t stand by when you see others in need. Help.

Quotable

“When a man does love his enemies, he knows that God has done a tremendous work in him, and everyone else knows it too.”—Oswald Chambers

Obadiah

INTRODUCTION

Obadiah is a prophecy of destruction, directed against Edom, a land across the Jordan River from Judah that was populated by descendants of Jacob’s brother, Esau (Gen. 25). Obadiah said the Edomites collaborated with foreign invaders of Judah and mistreated Jerusalem’s survivors; a charge which fits six different occasions in Judah’s history! It is most likely that Obadiah predicted Edom’s overthrow just after the Babylonian invasion of Judah in 586 B.C. Edom disappeared as an independent kingdom the latter half of the sixth century B.C., and its ruin is referred to in Malachi 1:3–4.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	The Demise of Edom	Obad. 1–9
II.	The Charge against Edom	Obad. 10–14
III.	The Day of the Lord	Obad. 15–21

JUNE 29

Reading 180

VISIONS OF JUDGMENT Amos 7–9

“Then the Lord said, ’Look, I am setting a plumb line among My people Israel: I will spare them no longer’ “ (Amos 7:8).Amos looked ahead, and he foresaw the certain judgment of a people who had refused for decades to heed God’s call to repent.

Overview

Three visions of certain judgment (7:1–9) are interrupted by an account of Israel’s reaction to Amos’ preaching (vv. 10–17). The sinful kingdom, ripe for judgment (8:1–14) would surely be destroyed (9:1–10), yet one day Israel’s prosperity will be restored (vv. 11–15).

Understanding the Text

“I will spare them no longer” Amos 7:1–9.

In a vision Amos saw destructive judgments God was preparing to unleash on Israel. He successfully diverted the first two. But finally God refused to delay any longer. The plumb line is a tool used by carpenters. It is simply a weight attached to a line, that is held against a wall or other construction to measure uprightness. Old Testament prophets frequently used the plumb line metaphorically as a tool used by God to measure the moral uprightness of a generation. God’s plumb line indicated that the judgment of Israel could no longer be delayed. The New Testament helps us understand the principle of delayed judgment. It is an expression of God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience. Yet the person or nation that persists in showing contempt for God’s forebearance stores up wrath against “the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed” (Rom. 2:4–6). Israel was not “getting away with” the wickedness entrenched in her society. Each failure to seize a new opportunity God gave His people to repent simply made the coming judgment more certain. “The priest of Bethel” Amos 7:10–17. The attitude of the people of Israel toward Amos is illustrated in the reaction of Amaziah, who apparently functioned as high priest at the Bethel worship center. Amos was clearly challenging the social order. So the priest informed the king that Amos was “raising a conspiracy against you.” Amaziah then expelled Amos, commanding him not to prophesy because, “This is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom” (v. 13). What a revealing statement! The sanctuary did not belong to God, but the king, for religion in Israel was dedicated to maintaining the social status quo, not to challenging social evils! Biblical faith is never a truly comfortable faith, for it calls us to constantly examine our lives and our society. Biblical faith is radical, in that it is never to be identified with a political theory, political party, or national ideology. Scripture calls us to stand outside our culture, and to judge it when it is wrong. This the high priest of Israel’s religion was unwilling to do. He willingly subordinated religion to politics, and when Amos stood up and announced God’s judgment on Israel’s sinful society, the high priest angrily demanded he leave town! But it was not the radical Amos who was judged by this priest. The priest judged himself by his actions. And God announced that he would live to see the consequences of conformity (vv. 16–17). As for unrepentant Israel, the people “will certainly go into exile, away from their native land.” “The time is ripe for My people Israel” Amos 8:1–14. My wife watches bananas set out on the kitchen counter carefully. She wants them just right—not too green, not too soft. God through Amos announced that Israel had the “just right” stage: just right for judgment (see DEVOTIONAL). Israel had rejected justice. God will “never forget anything they have done” (v. 7). All will mourn in bitterness, and even if they should seek the world over for a word from God, “They will not find it” (v. 12). “I saw the Lord standing by the altar” Amos 9:1–10. The altar and coals from the altar symbolize judgment in the Old Testament. A priest might take his stand at the altar to appease God by offering a sacrifice. But in this vision Amos saw God Himself at the altar. He stood there not to receive a sacrifice but to execute judgment. The text makes this abundantly clear. God would kill the wicked with the sword. “Not one will get away, none will escape” (v. 1). God was committed to “hunt them down and seize them,” for the Lord has fixed “His eyes upon them for evil and not for good” (v. 4). This awesome picture of a God committed to execute judgment is an appropriate corrective to an overemphasis on the love of God. Yes, God is love. God eagerly desires to extend the benefits of salvation to all. But those who refuse to respond to a God of love must and will face Scripture’s God of judgment and justice. Those who live in a sinful kingdom may be completely sure that God “will destroy it” and that “all the sinners among My people will die by the sword” (v. 10). “In that day I will restore” Amos 9:11–15. In a few brief verses Amos, as the other Old Testament prophets, added a word of hope. This unjust generation of God’s people must fall. But God will restore the chosen race. Amos specifically links that restoration to the appearance of a Ruler to come from David’s family line. This is the meaning of “I will restore David’s fallen tent” (v. 11). When He appears, the Jews will be regathered to their land, and know an age of unparalleled prosperity. And how graphically Amos portrayed that time: “The reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes” as “new wine” drips “from the mountains.” Israel rejected God, but God had not abandoned them. Calling Himself “the Lord your God,” God promised, “I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them” (v. 15).

DEVOTIONAL

Ripe for Judgment(Amos 8)

One of the best marketing gimmicks I’ve heard about was thought up by the fellow whose crop of Yellow Delicious apples was ruined by hail. Every place a hailstone struck, a brown mark developed, making the apples almost worthless. But the clever orchard owner found a way to turn his disaster around. He launched an advertising campaign warning customers to buy only apples with those brown spots that show they were tree-ripened! Israel too bore distinctive spots. But there was no way the nature of those spots could be disguised. Such spots on any society mark it off as truly ripe, but ripe for judgment. There is trampling on the poor. There is indifference to true religion. There is dishonesty in business. There is exploitation of the weak and socially powerless. Perhaps these marks are not yet visible on the surface of our society. But should you observe them, don’t let yourself be fooled. They’re not evidence of “tree-ripened” quality. They are signs that our society too has become ripe for judgment.

Personal Application

Spots appearing in any society tell Christians it’s time to repent, and pray.

Quotable

“Making an open stand against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness which overspreads our land as a flood is one of the noblest ways of confessing Christ in the face of His enemies.”—John Wesley

JUNE 28

Reading 179

A JUST, MORAL SOCIETY Amos 3–6

“You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine” (Amos 5:11).The Old Testament’s vision of a just, moral society was warped and twisted in Amos’ day. Now as then, an immoral society must and will fall.

Overview

Israel’s sins required punishment (3:1–15). Amos cried out against the pampered wives of the wealthy (4:1–3), corrupt worship (vv. 4–5), and indifference to God (vv. 6–13). The nation had to seek the Lord and do justice (5:1–15), or face the dark “Day of the Lord” (vv. l8–20). God hated Israel’s corrupt religion (vv. 21–27), and would judge her for her complacency and pride (6:1–14).

Understanding the Text

“You only have I chosen” Amos 3:1–2. God would deal strictly with “the whole family I brought up out of Egypt,” for He had established an intimate relationship with them alone. It is far worse for a people who know God to give themselves over to evil than for those who have had no personal contact with the Lord. Today too relationship with God has responsibilities as well as privileges. “Plunder and loot in their fortresses” Amos 3:3–14. In this passage Amos developed a simple theme: causes are related to effects. Thus people walk together because they have agreed to do so (v. 3), no bird falls into a trap unless one has been set (v. 5), and the sounding of a watchman’s warning trumpet causes a city’s citizens to tremble (v. 6). What cause then did God send His prophet to link with what effect? Hostile nations were called to witness a strange thing. Normally a nation loots its enemy’s fortresses. But Israel, which did “not know how to do right” plundered and looted “in their [own] fortresses” (v. 10). Because the society was corrupt and the rich unjustly looted the poor of their own land, “an enemy will overrun the land” (v. 11). The cause of the coming disaster was the injustice that was deeply entrenched in Israel’s society. Exercising his prophetic gift, Amos foresaw a day when Israel would be punished for her sins, when her worship centers would be razed, and the mansions of the rich would be left smoldering ruins (vv. 14–15). Cause and effect operate in the moral as well as physical realm. This is the impact of Amos’ teaching, and we need to take it to heart today. Any individual or nation that abandons justice as a guide to personal and social action in effect loots his or its own fortresses. One’s only sure defense against disaster crumbles, and ruin will surely follow. “You cows of Bashan” Amos 4:1–3. With pointed sarcasm Amos compared the sleek wives kept in luxury by their wealthy husbands with the fat cattle of a district famous for its cows. The charge that they “oppress the poor and crush the needy” implied that the wives’ hunger for luxuries motivated their husbands to use any means to get the money needed to satisfy their demands. It’s much like the modern fable of the young accountant driven to embezzle to keep the “love” of his girlfriend. Yet Amos established an important principle here. The person who profits from an injustice is as guilty as the person who perpetrates it. One who benefits in any way from injustice is rightly subject to judgment. Thus Amos pronounced God’s judgment. The sleek wives of the wealthy would be dragged away into captivity, every luxury lost. “Go to Bethel and sin” Amos 4:4–5. Amos pictured the wealthy of Israel, dressed in their Sabbath best, standing outside the sanctuary after a service, boasting to each other about their donations. What a modern scene! Oh, yes, you meet so many of “our kind” of people at services. And make such important business contacts. And of course it helps to be seen as an active supporter of the community by the “best people.” This is part of the reason Amos struck out at Israel’s worship. The well-to-do of Israel did “love to” (v. 5) boast about their offerings, using religion as a form of polite social competition. But the other reason for Amos’ condemnation was that God never ordained worship centers at Bethel or Gilgal. In fact, Old Testament Law required He be worshiped only at the Jerusalem temple, and that sacrifices were to be made only on its altar. If you and I truly want to worship God, our motives must be pure. And our worship must be in accord with God’s revelation of His will. “I gave you empty stomachs in every city” Amos 4:6–13. At first it seems a strange “gift.” Especially as God went on to remind Israel through Amos that He withheld rain (v. 7), struck gardens with blight and mildew (v. 9), sent plagues (v. 10), and ordained defeats in battle (vv. 10–11). We see the reason that these are a “gift” when we see their purpose. God sent these disasters in hopes that Israel would awaken to its sinful condition, and return to the Lord. The old story tells about the city fella’ who tried to drive an old mule. He shouted “Git up” and “Go.” He ranted and raved. But the old mule never moved a muscle. Finally a farmer came over, picked up a two-by-four, and hit the mule on the head as hard as he could. The farmer then told the mule, “Git up,” and sure enough, it got! Drawling, the farmer explained. “That mule will go, all right. But first you got to git his attention.” That’s what Amos 4 is saying. God hit Israel with two-by-fours. But even then, the Lord couldn’t get His people’s attention. They were too intent on doing evil to pay any attention to His voice. What a reminder for us. We can give God our full attention, and be responsive to His voice. Or God, in love, may hit us with some two-by-four to get our attention! “Seek Me and live” Amos 5:1–16. The Bible makes a distinction between God hitting His own on the head with two-by-fours in order to get their attention and divine judgment. Sometimes when we think we are being punished, all God really is doing is shouting to us in a loud voice in an effort to help us hear what He has to say. Amos now warned the people of Israel that God was about to actually judge them. Unless there was a radical change in their values and behavior (vv. 4–15, see DEVOTIONAL), the nation would be decimated (vv. 1–3) and every family would wail in mourning over the death of loved ones and of the nation itself (v. 16). We need to learn to welcome any suffering that draws us closer to the Lord. Such pain is insignificant in comparison with its benefits—and in comparison with the judgment we might suffer if we stubbornly refused to turn to Him. “Beds inlaid with ivory” Amos 6:1–7. Amos now returned to the lifestyle of Israel’s complacent rich. They lounged on expensive couches and feasted daily on meat, entertaining each other with musical instruments and drinking wine by the bowlful. Yet it was not luxury itself that was wrong. What was wrong was that they “do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.” There was absolutely no concern for the poor; no sense of any obligation to use their wealth to aid those less fortunate. Genesis 4 reports that after being confronted by God, Cain who had murdered his brother Abel, muttered, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” God’s Law had answered that question with a decisive yes! We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to display that love in practical ways. The complacent rich of Israel denied this fundamental principle by not only being indifferent to their poor neighbors, but also by exploiting them. The angry prophet announced God’s verdict. “You will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and your lounging will end.” Archeologists have found pieces of ivory inlay in Samaria, the capital of Israel, from couches like those mentioned by Amos. While the poor of Israel starved, their rich exploiters continued to meet for daily banquets, indifferent to the suffering of their fellow citizens. “I abhor the pride of Jacob” Amos 6:8–11. It’s not wrong to feel good about our accomplishments. This is not the pride that Amos condemned. Rather Amos spoke against the arrogance of men and women who have prospered at the expense of the poor, and now gazed smugly about themselves at their lands, mansions, and luxuries. Individuals who live in any society marked by institutionalized injustice should weep and repent, not look with pride at what they might possess. “Do horses run on rocky crags?” Amos 6:12–14 The Hebrews, like other ancient peoples, loved riddles. So when concluding his indictment, Amos used such a saying. Do horses run on rocky crags, or do cattle plow there? The answer of course is, never. Horses would fall, and no crop could grow in such soil. Israel, in turning justice into poison, had guaranteed her own downfall, and planted a crop destined to produce bitterness. There was no explaining such a choice. And there was no avoiding its tragic consequences. The Lord would “stir up a nation against you, O house of Israel,” and that nation, Assyria, will “oppress you all the way.” Like Israel you and I are free to choose our own course. But we are not free to avoid the consequences of any choices we make. How important that we choose wisely, then, and willingly go God’s way.

DEVOTIONAL

Seek Me, and Live(Amos 5:1–17)

Amos 5 describes a people whose values are turned upside down. The chapter is a powerful call to God’s people to establish the just, moral society the Lord yearned to see. It’s a chapter relevant to us today, because like ancient Israel, prosperous America is confused about basic values. What is necessary for any people or society to be truly just? We are to seek God, and live (vv. 4–6). Note that the text emphasizes seek “Me.” It’s not religion that produces a just society, but personal relationship with the living God. We are to lift up righteousness (vv. 7–10). The text pictures a people who “cast righteousness to the ground” rather than lift it up. Yet God, who established the natural laws that maintain the physical universe, is the source of just as sure moral standards. Israel’s values were a reverse of the divine: the people “hate the one who reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth” (v. 10). No society that abandons biblical standards of righteousness or shows antagonism to them can build a just society. We are to care for the poor. In Israel the poor were oppressed by such institutions as the courts, and by individuals, who extorted money from them. The slumlord is guilty, but so is any social system which denies the poor the rights accorded under law to the well-to-do. No society that exploits the economically deprived can be just or moral. But what can you or I do about “society”? How can an individual have an impact on his or her world? Perhaps there is little we can do. But Amos showed us that we can do something. Amos said, “Seek good” (v. 14). The verb is active, and you and I are to actively search for any good that we can do, and do it. Amos said, “Hate evil, love good” (v. 15). Again the verbs are active. We are to be aware of what is warped in our society, and to really care. We are to hate evil and love so passionately that we act on our convictions, and take a stand. Amos said, “Maintain justice in the courts” (v. 15). Again the verb is active, and the call is clear. There may be little we can do, but we are to do the little we can! It’s fascinating that Amos gave us no blueprint for social revolution. What he did do is to call on us to care. To care so deeply, so passionately, that we do whatever we can to hold up justice as a shining ideal.

Personal Application

Though there may be little you can do, do the little you can.

Quotable

“If you add little to little and do this often, soon the little will become great.”—Hesiod

Amos

JUNE 27

Reading 178

FOR THREE SINS Amos 1–2

“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).This prophet, who spoke out against the corruption that festered in ancient Israel during an age of unparalleled prosperity, reminds us that justice, not wealth, is a measure of national health.

Background

The era of Jeroboam II in the eighth century B.C was a time of unparalleled prosperity in both Israel and Judah. Together the two kingdoms recovered most of the territory held in the time of David’s and Solomon’s United Kingdom. Jeroboam not only extended his nation’s territory, but also took control of ancient trade routes to the East, pouring vast wealth into Israel. This wealth was not distributed equally, a fact which caused great social dislocation. Many were forced to leave family farms and move to the cities, where they struggled to exist. The newly rich used their wealth to create great estates, in violation of the biblical statute calling for families to hold their land in perpetuity. The wealthy controlled the court system, and within years the majority was figuratively ground into the dust, disdained by the rich who exploited them without compassion or concern. At the same time, religion was popular, and many fine homes were constructed at Israel’s major worship centers, Bethel and Dan. There a religion that mixed biblical and pagan rites was enthusiastically practiced—and strongly condemned by Amos and other prophets of the era. It is against the background of a prosperous and complacent society, riddled with injustice and indifference to God, that Amos is to be understood. Was Amos welcomed in Israel? Not at all. His brief months of ministry stirred up opposition and the prophet, his mission complete, apparently returned to Judah and his sheep. Yet Amos’ written words remain an unmatched legacy: a call for justice that is as important for us to heed today as it was for indifferent Israel to heed so long ago.

Word Study

Justice.

The biblical concept of justice finds one of its most powerful expressions in Amos. The prophet cried out urgently against those who “turn justice into bitterness” (5:7), and begged the people of Israel to “maintain justice in the courts” (v. 15). In sharp detail the prophet defined the injustice that marred Israel’s society: “You hate the one who reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth. You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. 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” (vv. 10–13). But what is justice? The Hebrew words are mishpat, usually used when the text speaks of doing what is just, and shapat, which indicates the various functions of government. To do justice is to act in accord with one’s rights and duties under law, and implies an objective code against which a person’s acts can be measured. In Israel, as for Christians today, that objective code was found in the Scriptures. God’s revelation through Moses defined the Israelites’ duty to God and to neighbor. This standard was more than a list of rules and regulations. It was a call to love God and others, with statutes that illustrated the practical implications of love in the social sphere. Even more significantly, the code was an expression of the loving nature of God Himself, who is committed to doing right by all in His creation. This law was an expression of God’s own character; a model for all who yearned to be like the Lord. Unredeemed human beings can never be completely just, as justice is ultimately a quality of God alone. Yet the concern we express for others is to demonstrate, in every social relationship and in every social institution, the spirit of love that infused the Hebrew Scriptures. Justice, then, is showing love by doing what is right, as right is defined in God’s revelation of Himself and of His will for mankind. It is just this that Israel in the age of Jeroboam II failed to do. There was no love, only selfishness. There was no concern for others, only a passion for personal comfort. There was no commitment to God’s standards, only social conventions that openly favored the poor. God still calls His people to do justice. We are to show concern for the well-being of our fellow human beings, and to apply God’s standards in our personal and national lives. Only by a commitment to justice can we hope to avoid the wrath that Amos announced must soon fall on Israel.

Overview

Amos of Judah traveled to Israel to announce an imminent outbreak of God’s wrath on Israel’s hostile neighbors (1:1–2:5), and on Israel herself (vv. 6–16).

Understanding the Text

“The words of Amos” Amos 1:1.

Little is known of Amos beyond what is said in this verse. He was a resident of Tekoa, in the land of Judah. He identified himself as a noqed, a shepherd, who was given a vision and called by God to a prophet’s ministry. This is not, however, a common word for shepherd. It suggests a wealthy rancher, even though Amos pictured himself actively caring for his flocks (cf. 7:15). How appropriate that God should send Amos. Someone had to be sent to the prosperous of Israel, to charge them with injustice and selfishness. The fact that Amos himself was wealthy added weight to his words—and showed that a rich man can be truly righteous. It’s one thing for the poor to rail against the rich. It’s something else again for a wealthy man to stand up and speak out against his own class. The man in rags who shouts on street corners is easily dismissed by the proper of society. But the man in a Brooks Brothers suit, the member of the club who stands up and confronts other members with the sinfulness of their behavior, can’t be as easily dismissed. Each of us, like Amos, belongs to a social class. While God may call us to condemn the sins of those in a different stratum of society, we are most likely to be heard—and to be right!-if we take a stand against the sins that characterize our own class. “For three sins . . . even for four” Amos 1:3–2:5. The phrase, found in each oracle that Amos launched against one of Israel’s hostile neighbors, means simply “for repeated sins.” We can imagine Amos, climbing up on some prominent place, speaking to Israel’s “beautiful people.” He began his sermon by pointing to the northeast, toward Syria and Damascus. Loudly he proclaimed his news: for the repeated sins of this nation, so hostile to God’s people, the Lord “will not turn back My wrath” (1:3). Then, rotating slowly, Amos continued to denounce other nations in their turn. He spoke against Gaza and the land of the Philistines, against Tyre, against the Edomites and Ammonites, against Moab. How his listeners must have nodded and smiled! This was the kind of preaching they liked! And then, when Amos had turned full circle, he pointed south and cried out, “For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back My wrath” (v. 4). And at this, the crowd of Israelites must have broken out in loud cheering! At last their alienated brethren were going to get what they deserved. I imagine the Israelites who first heard this sermon never suspected what Amos was leading up to. They never noticed that in drawing a circle around them, Amos had made Israel the bull’s-eye! Every time you and I rejoice over the troubles of someone who “deserves whatever he gets,” we follow the example of those Israelites. We never stop to think that we too are guilty of faults and failings! In applauding the judgment of others, we condemn ourselves, for we agree that sins and failures should be judged. “I will send fire upon Judah” Amos 2:4–5. Amos was from Judah, but he had no illusions about his fellow countrymen. He knew the mass of the people had “rejected the Law of the Lord and have not kept His decrees.” He knew that many had “been led astray by false gods.” Before we condemn the sins of others, we need to be ready to confess our own. We cannot pronounce judgment, as if we were judges. All we can do is to confess the righteousness of God in condemning our sins, and thus take our place with those we warn. Amos did not come from a just society to criticize an unjust society. Amos came from a society he knew was sick with sin, to urge a nation terminally ill to face the fact that it was dying, and to turn to God for healing. This is the attitude we need to adopt when sharing Christ with others. Not the “holier than thou” attitude of some. But the humble urgency of one who knows how desperately he himself needed the healing he received at Jesus’ touch. “Now, then, I will crush you” Amos 2:6–16. Amos then turned to Israel and held up a mirror so that the people could see themselves as God saw them. He began with a brief catalog of sins that revealed the injustice which marked Israelite society. God is never indifferent to sin, wherever it may be found. Yet the sin that disturbs Him most is the sin found in those who claim to be His own.

DEVOTIONAL

Where Cash Counts(Amos 2)

Prosperity tends to drain the vitality of any people. It happened to ancient Israel. It happened to Rome. It happened to the British Empire. And it’s happening to America too. Why? Because with prosperity comes a subtle change in the values held by citizens of a nation. This was the message of Amos to his contemporaries. Your values are turned upside down. Those distorted values doom you to judgment. Amos identified the critical values which doom a people in his first charge against Israel. Materialism replaces humanitarianism. Selfishness shoves morality aside. And secular religion replaces the revealed faith. Note how each of these is described. The people of Israel “sell the righteous for silver” (v. 6). Old Testament Law called on Israelites with money to spend it to redeem fellow countrymen who had become slaves (Lev. 25:39–52). In Amos’ Israel cash counted with the rich, while poor people did not! This is the nature of materialism. A love for things replaces a love for people as the motivating drive in a person’s life. “Father and son use the same girl” (v. 7). Men selfishly “use” women rather than value them as persons. The drive to experience selfish pleasures stretches beyond the loosest bounds of morality. Traditional moral standards become objects of ridicule and are arrogantly shoved aside. They “lie down beside every altar” (v. 8). They are religious, but practice a religion of ritual without reality. Old Testament Law commanded that garments taken as a pledge to guarantee repayment of a loan be returned at night, for such garments often served as the only blanket of the poor. Yet the people of Israel saw no conflict in being religious, and at the same time being disobedient to God and indifferent to the poor. Secular religion is a tool to oppress or a sop to conscience, while biblical faith is a call to commitment. The point of Amos’ first sermon, and this devotional, is really simple. We need to check our relationship by checking our values. Is profit more important to us than people? Are the standards we live by those of our society, or of our God? Is our faith a matter of Sunday attendance, or that plus week-long commitment to doing God’s will? The way we answer those questions, and the way our nation answers them, may well determine the future of our land.

Personal Application

The difference between God’s people and the world’s isn’t just in what we believe, it’s in what we value and in what we do.

Quotable

“If we have to choose between making men Christian and making the social order more Christian, we must choose the former. But there is no such antithesis. . . . There is no hope of establishing a more Christian social order except through the labor and sacrifice of those in whom the Spirit of Christ is active, and the first necessity for progress is more and better Christians taking full responsibility as citizens for the political, social and economic system under which they and their fellows live.”—William Temple