| |
| |
|
Religion Information |
|
|
|
Amos And Social Justice Part 2
Amos was summoned by God to warn the Northern Kingdom of Israel of its impending doom due to the collapse of justice and the moral and spiritual decline of the nation. It should be understood that Amos did not travel to Israel in the footprints of Elijah and Elisha; working miracles and wonders. He went by divine commission with a prophet message. He had no soothing or cushiony words to comfort the poor and those in adversity. Indeed, he had only threatening words of vengeance and punishment for those who defied God's will. Justice, not mercy, was what Amos insisted upon. In Amos' mind, social justice was a vital part of the covenant responsibility. He declared it so ferociously and defined it so sharply that the community of Israel must have thought he was crazy. Of course, people tend to think you are "crazy" when you speak candidly and truthfully. We are not too far removed from the response of the children of Israel. We live in a time when you are expected to sugar coat, sweeten, soften it down a bit. But pardon me, I digress. Amos was a realist who dealt with things as they were. Justice was what his God demanded, and it was the smug substitution of form and ritual for justice that aroused his righteous indignation. Amos spoke for God and God alone and the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Let's be clear; justice to Amos is not just conformity to a civil code, though it is involved to some degree. But for him, it was having the right dealings with and relationship toward others in the covenant tradition. It grieved Amos to the core of his being to see that justice and righteousness were so perverted that the very covenant with God was dishonored and defiled. Much of the practices of Israel were in direct violation to the covenant laws. So much so that it seemed as if Israel was in a conspiracy against its own poor. Amos insisted that true religion begins and ends in recognition of the holiness of God: a holiness which must find its expression in the personal and corporate life of Israel. He perceived with astonishing clearness that the physical and intellectual strength of a nation can be destroyed by immorality and overindulgence. However we may want to look at it, the prophecy of Amos went directly to the heart of matters. It stripped pretence from the judicial system, where nepotism and preferential treatment rather than justice prevailed; from industry and commerce, where the love of man had been replaced by the love of gain; from altars of religion, where officials were busy with their services and indifference to reality. Amos bluntly told Israel that they were a bunch of greedy, unjust, dirty and profane people who defended and excused themselves on the ground that they were God's elect and therefore, no real harm could befall them. Amos adamantly rejected this notion and vociferously declared that God had no favorites and that in actuality the opposite was true. The fact that Israel had been chosen above all the nations of the earth had placed greater moral obligations upon them. To the extent that they failed to meet these obligations would their punishment be greater than that of their enemies. Neither did Amos "bite his tongue" when admonishing the women of his day whom he called "cows of Bashan" because they only cared for luxury and worldly pleasures (4:11). He describes them as a group of heartless, ignorant women who used folks to gratify their own lustful appetites. It's troubling to the spirit when one thinks about what the people of Israel thought the "Day of the Lord" was going to be like. In their imagination, it would be a grand and glorious event when God would defeat all their opponents; give them the privilege of rule, and shower them with all the material advantages her patriots desired. Oh how much they were looking forward to the 'Great Day of the Lord.' Then enters the joy killer, Amos, with words of dread, judgment and doom. I wonder if there is any similarity between ancient Israel and modern America. Just wondering! Rev. Saundra L. Washington, is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow, Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances, Homilies that Teach.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Can Jewish Americans Still Have Devout Catholic Friends? America is dividing again. Jewish Americans are finding it hard to discuss issues with devout Catholics who go with the flow and support the new Pope, Benedict XVI a former Hitler Youth. Jesus is Lord: Lets Stop Usurping His Roles In five words Paul enunciates the basic principle of the Christian life: "You are not your own" (1 Cor. 6:19). Tongue of the Power The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out. Proverbs 20: 5. Thank Catholic Schools For Faith in Every Student Their high achievement comes as they spend half the money of Indiana's public schoolsWhile government schools scream about small cuts in their state funding, Catholic schools will celebrate the great work they do with half the per-student spending of their counterparts.This is Catholic Schools Week, when schools nationwide will showcase what they do for millions of children. The Greatest Love and Self-image The Greek language had three words for "Love" First there was "eros," from which we get "erotic.. The Coming War with Russia The Coming World War III [with Russia]In my book, "The Last Trumpet?" I write about prophecy, and World War III, which I wrote about five years ago; thus, I have not wrote much on it since, which I fear, I should have. Many things have happened in the past five years, besides me traveling around the world ten times, and writing book after book, World War III has been gearing up; how so? Let me explain. The Big Bang Theory - Evidence Start of Cosmos and Human Evolution What is The Big Bang Theory! What do we mean when we talk of The Big Bang Theory? In Concept The Big Bang Theory would mean something related to the start of the Cosmos.. Why Doesnt God Answer My Prayers? I heard a story about a girl who wrote to a missionary. She'd been told not to request a response from him because missionaries are very busy. A Common Sense Approach to Religious Freedom Down through the centuries and all over the world, the battle for religious freedom has been a bitter one. The United States has been no exception. Slaves Songs and Freedom It may seem trite and nave to suggest we can use the codes that slaves used in their Gospel songs to truly communicate. Unfortunately these black Americans now believe the Gospels they used to make their masters think they were happy and going along with the slave driver. The Gospel According to the Americans - Our Shame As a deist, Thomas Jefferson may have thought God was indifferent, but gospel twisting preachers and theologians of the day seem to think God is a clown. One preacher appears regularly on television pushing his book entitled?How to be Rich and Have Everything You Ever Wanted. Whose Land? It is interesting that everyone is so hung-up on the debate regarding who has official rights to The Land known historically as "The Land of Canaan."If we go back far enough, we discover the near Middle East was settled by descendants of Canaan, thus the region was referred to as "The Land of Canaan. Teamwork in Ministry: Pauls Sense of Partnership in the Gospel In the pursuit of his Christian ministry, the Apostle Paul had a keen sense of teamwork, teamwork with God and with his brothers and sisters. This awareness he expresses by using compound Greek words that begin with the prepositional prefix, sun-. Living Proof: We are Living in the Days of Noah A familiar phrase used in Bible prophecy is the term "Days of Noah." Jesus warned, "For as in the days of Noah before the flood, they were eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the very day Noah entered the ark. About The Spiritual World of Madonna Pop singer Madonna came this week to Tel Aviv to take part in a congress of Kabbala studies. According to press releases, she is going to stay in Israel until Sunday night and will have on the last day of her visit, the opportunity to visit the graves of Jewish Tzaddikim (righteous holy people) near Safed, a small town in northern Israel. What is God? Does Proof Exist? Apology:I don't for a minute profess to know what God is. Frankly, I think God is beyond the grasp of mind because God is beyond the senses and beyond limited words and images. Peaceful Religions? If you say that Christianity is a peaceful religion according to scripture then it can be said that Islam, according to scripture is peaceful. In reality, both the Koran and the Bible present a dichotomy, promoting peace and violence. Is Christianity Losing America? 2 Thessalonians 1:3-1:4Is Christianity Losing America? The apostasy of the professing church. (2Th 1:3); (Luke 18:8); (2Ti 3:1-8). White Sun - Tao of Heaven Tao exists before Heaven and Earth. It will still exist after the destruction of everything. The Exodus And the matter of who is doing the abusing is the most important thing we as a world full of equal people must ascertain. Who are the Benjaminites who were thrown out of Israel and later returned under Judas Maccabee? Who are these mercenaries who protected Egypt from the Elephantine stronghold?To be sure there are many perspectives on the history of Israel and the Jews.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
