Amos 6:1-14
In this passage, the author uses the phrase "Woe to you!" repeatedly. This is a phrase that was commonly used to warn the audience.
Kind of like a tornado siren, or a breaking news flash, or one of those long annoying beeps you might hear in the middle of your favorite show.
Who is the warning directed to?
The people in Israel who think they live on easy street. Those who live in luxury and expect everyone else to serve them. Those who live only for today, indifferent to the fate of others. The playboys and playgirls who think life is a party held just for them. Those addicted to feeling good. Those obsessed with looking good. Those who've made shambles of justice. Those who've made a bloated corpse of righteousness. Those who've beat up on the weak.
The Samarians aren't the only ones who are guilty of the above. The author tells them to look around at their neighbors who were once living in the same luxury.
Where are they now? Do you still think you're any different than them? You're rushing headlong into disaster!
There's a force mounting just outside the borders of Jerusalem. It's a force of all the nations that are sick and tired of being manipulated, pillaged, and extorted by the city of Jerusalem.
The nation that was set apart, called to be a city on a hill, has now turned into an oppressive, dominant, and greedy power that is taking advantage of the poor and weak every chance it gets.
When this happens, other nations get pissed.
Not only that, but the religious elite in Jerusalem think this is all God's plan. There's this underlying belief that the gods have blessed them with this luxury - the mansions, the fine delicacies, the musical talent, the power.
But, the author thinks differently. The author is letting the audience know that the God he/she believes in doesn't turn it's back on the weak, the poor, the oppressed, and the neglected. This God doesn't turn a blind eye to corruption and injustice.
And this brings us back to the question: Is wealth and easy living always a blessing from the gods?
In this case, no.
Why?
Turning back a few chapters, it's not what the Israelites have attained, but how they've attained it.
The author is pounding the fact that Israel sits on a pedestal that was constructed on the backs of the weak and the poor. The rise of the rich is directly related to the downfall of the poor.
There's this phrase that I've held onto for a few years now. It says, "With a higher standard of living comes a higher standard of giving." I don't know where I heard it from, but I've held on to it tightly.
The leaders of Israel are growing in power, prestige, and wealth, but aren't using their resources as they once did. They aren't sharing as they once did. They aren't noticing the weak as they once did. They aren't remembering where they came from.
This God doesn't care about what we have.
He cares about how we get it and how we give it away.
Kind of like a tornado siren, or a breaking news flash, or one of those long annoying beeps you might hear in the middle of your favorite show.
Who is the warning directed to?
The people in Israel who think they live on easy street. Those who live in luxury and expect everyone else to serve them. Those who live only for today, indifferent to the fate of others. The playboys and playgirls who think life is a party held just for them. Those addicted to feeling good. Those obsessed with looking good. Those who've made shambles of justice. Those who've made a bloated corpse of righteousness. Those who've beat up on the weak.
The Samarians aren't the only ones who are guilty of the above. The author tells them to look around at their neighbors who were once living in the same luxury.
Where are they now? Do you still think you're any different than them? You're rushing headlong into disaster!
There's a force mounting just outside the borders of Jerusalem. It's a force of all the nations that are sick and tired of being manipulated, pillaged, and extorted by the city of Jerusalem.
The nation that was set apart, called to be a city on a hill, has now turned into an oppressive, dominant, and greedy power that is taking advantage of the poor and weak every chance it gets.
When this happens, other nations get pissed.
Not only that, but the religious elite in Jerusalem think this is all God's plan. There's this underlying belief that the gods have blessed them with this luxury - the mansions, the fine delicacies, the musical talent, the power.
But, the author thinks differently. The author is letting the audience know that the God he/she believes in doesn't turn it's back on the weak, the poor, the oppressed, and the neglected. This God doesn't turn a blind eye to corruption and injustice.
And this brings us back to the question: Is wealth and easy living always a blessing from the gods?
In this case, no.
Why?
Turning back a few chapters, it's not what the Israelites have attained, but how they've attained it.
The author is pounding the fact that Israel sits on a pedestal that was constructed on the backs of the weak and the poor. The rise of the rich is directly related to the downfall of the poor.
There's this phrase that I've held onto for a few years now. It says, "With a higher standard of living comes a higher standard of giving." I don't know where I heard it from, but I've held on to it tightly.
The leaders of Israel are growing in power, prestige, and wealth, but aren't using their resources as they once did. They aren't sharing as they once did. They aren't noticing the weak as they once did. They aren't remembering where they came from.
This God doesn't care about what we have.
He cares about how we get it and how we give it away.
No comments:
Post a Comment