Amos 7:10-17
Amaziah, priest at the shrine of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel.
What kind of priest reports to the king?
One who is close to the king. One who shares the same interests as the king.
What does Amaziah report?
Amos is plotting to get rid of you; and he's doing it as an insider, working from within Israel. His talk will destroy the country. He's got to be silenced.
And then there are these two phrases that follow a little further in the passage:
king's chapel and royal shrine
Evidently, royalty is in bed with religion. Hmmm. Have you ever heard of priests lobbying for a president? Have you ever heard of religion mixing with politics? Have you ever heard of a group of religious zealots getting paid off by politicians?
It's in this context that the author writes about Amos's prophecy to Israel. Amos is merely reading the writing on the wall. The king's in bed with the priest, and all of Israel is about to go into exile because of it.
Not only are the government forces taking advantage of its people and the surrounding nations, but the religious leaders are just as involved and are sharing the same corrupt interests.
What happens when religious leaders and kings start joining forces?
Sacred places become wrapped in luxury. The poor get forgotten. The rich get richer. The poor get poorer. The places that were intended to provide platforms for humility and sacrifice, become full of arrogance and power.
And just what is Amos saying about the king and the high priest?
Jeroboam will be killed. Amaziah's wife will become a prostitute. Amaziah's sons and daughters will be killed. Amaziah will die in a far off land. Israel will become captive to the same countries it has been pillaging for generations.
For Amos, the writing on the wall is clear: when the kings and priests start scheming, and strategizing, and lobbying, and building shrines, and getting powerful together, and ignoring the poor, and turning sacred places of worship into luxurious clubs of inclusiveness, people get pissed.
It's only a matter of time before the people who are getting fed up start to revolt. And what then? They conquer. They take prisoners. They take wives and turn them into prostitutes. They kill families. They take sons and daughters. And all of these are the products of war.
The writer is letting the audience know that there is a God who doesn't want these things. This God wants people to stop worrying about luxury, and power, and royalty, and sacrifice, and offerings.
Because, when religious leaders get wrapped up in politics and royal shrines and luxury, the poor and helpless and widows and orphans and homeless and the oppressed get ignored by the people who have the ability to influence the world in a uniquely powerful way.
What kind of priest reports to the king?
One who is close to the king. One who shares the same interests as the king.
What does Amaziah report?
Amos is plotting to get rid of you; and he's doing it as an insider, working from within Israel. His talk will destroy the country. He's got to be silenced.
And then there are these two phrases that follow a little further in the passage:
king's chapel and royal shrine
Evidently, royalty is in bed with religion. Hmmm. Have you ever heard of priests lobbying for a president? Have you ever heard of religion mixing with politics? Have you ever heard of a group of religious zealots getting paid off by politicians?
It's in this context that the author writes about Amos's prophecy to Israel. Amos is merely reading the writing on the wall. The king's in bed with the priest, and all of Israel is about to go into exile because of it.
Not only are the government forces taking advantage of its people and the surrounding nations, but the religious leaders are just as involved and are sharing the same corrupt interests.
What happens when religious leaders and kings start joining forces?
Sacred places become wrapped in luxury. The poor get forgotten. The rich get richer. The poor get poorer. The places that were intended to provide platforms for humility and sacrifice, become full of arrogance and power.
And just what is Amos saying about the king and the high priest?
Jeroboam will be killed. Amaziah's wife will become a prostitute. Amaziah's sons and daughters will be killed. Amaziah will die in a far off land. Israel will become captive to the same countries it has been pillaging for generations.
It's only a matter of time before the people who are getting fed up start to revolt. And what then? They conquer. They take prisoners. They take wives and turn them into prostitutes. They kill families. They take sons and daughters. And all of these are the products of war.
The writer is letting the audience know that there is a God who doesn't want these things. This God wants people to stop worrying about luxury, and power, and royalty, and sacrifice, and offerings.
Because, when religious leaders get wrapped up in politics and royal shrines and luxury, the poor and helpless and widows and orphans and homeless and the oppressed get ignored by the people who have the ability to influence the world in a uniquely powerful way.
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