There is much we can learn from studying the prophets of the Old Testament. One that we need to focus on in times such as ours is Amos. The Prophet Amos belongs to a period about a century after the Prophet Elijah and nearly a century before the Prophet Isaiah, and about two centuries before the Prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Amos declared himself to have been of humble birth. He was the non-prophet prophet.
His parents were not illustrious; and he was not educated among the sons of the prophets. Like David he was a sheep tender, a farmer, upon whom the Lord poured His Spirit with mighty power, sending him to proclaim the disasters sure to come upon Israel unless a change of course should turn aside the deserved punishment for transgressions against God's commands.
The brunt of the Prophet's message fell against what is called the Northern Kingdom after the split following Solomon, what we know as the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel. The Divine method of presenting the matter is noteworthy. The Prophet's message began with the adjoining nations: (1) Damascus, the capital of Syria, on the north, is mentioned as being in line with the Divine retributions; (2) the Philistines, on the west; (3) Tyre, to the northwest; (4) the Edomites, to the south; (5) the Ammonites, nearly on the east; (6) the Moabites, also to the south; (7) Judah, to the south; and lastly, the center of the Prophet's message, Israel--the ten-tribe kingdom.
This denunciation of Israel occurs chiefly in chapters 3-6 and in chapter 7:9-17. When the Prophet had gone so far as to tell openly of the fall of the reigning dynasty, Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, interfered, bidding Amos to return to his own country. But under the special power of the Holy Spirit, using him to deliver a particular message, the Prophet Amos refused to return home until he had accomplished what God had given him to do.
Amos pleads with the Israelites that they return to harmony with God and thus avert the calamities which must otherwise be expected. The history of that time shows that it was a very prosperous period, not only for Judah, but also for the ten-tribe kingdom. The prosperity was of the earthly kind. Riches were accumulated. But these were in the hands of the great few; and the Prophet proceeds to warn the rich that the poor were being unjustly dealt with.
Amos speaks of a \pronounced need for social justice. Justice was not rendered in the Israel courts. Instead of the sweets of Justice, those who appealed to their courts, if they were poor, got wormwood--that is, bitterness, disappointment. The Prophet declares that righteousness was cast down to the earth; that equity was not a matter of primary consideration. He proceeds to point out that bribery was rife; that wealth, power and influence could accomplish almost anything. He proclaims boldly that there must be a turning from this condition; and relief could come only from turning back to the Lord and doing good and right deeds to honor God.
What did Amos find when he came north? He found pride (6:13-14), plenty and splendor in the land, elegance in the cities and might in the palaces. The wealthy adorned their summer and winter residences with costly ivory (3:15) and their couches with damask pillows (3:12) on which they lolled to enjoy sumptuous feasts. They planted pleasant vineyards and anointed themselves with precious, fragrant oils (6:4-6; 5:11). Their women, whom Amos called "fat cows of Bashan," drank wine from bowls (4:1).
Due to the sharp contrast between poor and rich and the fact that the wealthy seemed unconcerned for their less fortunate contemporaries, Amos was sent by God to decry the injustice of it all; "you do not even know how to do right" (3-10), he accused. Because of this, he said, the poor are afflicted, exploited and even sold into slavery (2:6-8; 5:11), and corrupt judges (5:12) do nothing to correct the situation.
When Amos saw the cruel gaps between "the haves" and the "have nots" , the way the poor were treated, the idolatry and the shallowness of their worship services, he became very angry. He said:
"I hate and despise your feasts,
I take no pleasure in your solemn festivals.
I reject your sacrifices
Let me hear no more of your chanting
But rather let justice flow like water
And integrity like an unfailing stream." 5:24
The Prophet Amos was especially commissioned of the Lord to give this message of repentance and of the need for fairness. Hence he could not keep silence because of prudence or for any other consideration, but must speak his message with boldness. And that he did!
In our day we are still called upon to help the poor and stand up for the powerless, to speak for those without a voice. We can help the poor by active participation in charitable organizations, through our financial support of charitable organizations like food pantries and the Salvation Army. But we also need to be working to change unjust structures and laws that help to keep the poor poor.
Certainly we must work to help with the immediate needs of the poor for food, medicine, clothing and shelter. I am very grateful for the support of my local churches for the area food pantries and care teams.. Through Christian stewardship of time and talent, hundreds of people are helped. Charitable organizations and those who financially support them live the message of Matthew 25:30-46, I was hungry and you gave me to eat . ..
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Works of Justice Are Also Needed
Works of justice seek to bring about systemic change institutions. Advocates in this area seek to change laws and business practices that create great injustice and inequity in society. In our country over 50 million people do not have health insurance and many folks are living below poverty levels.
In recent times the great prophets of social justice, followers of Amos and others, have been Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Archbishop Romero, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela and Susan B. Anthony (who fought for voting rights for women in our country). Many other men and women have been killed or jailed for speaking out against injustices. But, as a result of their advocacy millions of men, women and children have better lives today. In real ways social justice is more demanding than works of charity in that advocates often meet a lot of strong resistance and even violence as they seek to bring about systemic change.
But both are needed. Without the work of charitable organizations the poor would die as social advocates lobbied to remove the causes of poverty and injustice. Without the work of social justice advocates women would still not have received their right to vote and black people would still be treated like second class citizens.
We need to follow in the footsteps of Amos and Jesus and speak God's truth to power. We need to be prophets of God in our own day.
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