So maybe I think I’m doing pretty well when it comes to responding to the reflection I see in God’s Word (see my last post). That may have been what the people of Israel may have thought as they heard Amos’ words directed at Judah. “Whew, I’m glad he wasn’t talking to us!”, they may have thought.
But then, Amos moved on to Israel. It’s almost like he knew what they would be thinking.
This is what the Lord says: “The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sell honorable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals. They trample helpless people in the dust and shove the oppressed out of the way. Both father and son sleep with the same woman, corrupting my holy name. At their religious festivals, they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security. In the house of their god, they drink wine bought with unjust fines. Amos 2:6-8 (NLT)
While Judah was called out for sinning against God via ignoring His Word, Israel was called out for mistreating others…also a sin against God. How did they mistreat them?
- They sold them.
- They trampled and shoved them out of the way.
- They used sex in ways that were damaging to women and explicitly prohibited by God.
- They showed up at festivals meant to remember God’s provision in clothing they took from their debtors.
- They drank wine at “church” that was purchased via extortion.
In essence, they pretended to be God’s people without loving God’s people. They dishonored Him by dishonoring them.
How often do we do that? How often do we change the four-word commandment to “Love God, Love Others” into “Love God, Trample and Shove Others”? How often do we get ahead at someone else’s expense? How often do we sell-out a friend to win the approval of others? How often do we treat others as tools rather than people? How often do we focus on our rights to the exclusion of others’ needs? How often do we focus on ourselves more than everyone else?
How often do we dishonor God by dishonoring others? Should we be surprised at God’s indignation?
