“Judgment”
Sermon Presented July 18, 2010
Amos 8:1-12
We don’t see signs today proclaiming “Judgment is Near” – unless it’s in the comics, but in the 60’s and 70’s, writers and preachers made millions of dollars prophesying the end of the world. Some Christian groups clustered together so they might be “raptured” to heaven and escape impending judgment. This is the premise for the Left Behind series of novels that became popular during the past decade.
Our text this morning, written by the prophet Amos is one of judgment! Amos is a messenger of doom and hopelessness! What minister wants to preach such a message! What congregation wants to hear such a message! Amos preached to a people who were becoming increasingly complacent – spiritually, economically and politically, and I’m sure they didn’t want to hear this message either. (New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VII, p.339)
Amos is the earliest of the prophetic books – dating before Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel. It was written during the reign of Uzziah – King of Judah, and Jeroboam II – King of Israel. This is a time of affluence and political stability – with each king reigning four decades. However, the society is divided into the haves and have-nots. The have-nots suffer greatly while the haves are prosperous. Amos, from Tekoa in the southern kingdom of Judah, is declaring judgment on Israel, the northern kingdom.
In the previous chapter, God prophesied that Israel would be exiled, lose its land, and its people would die in captivity. Now God says through the prophet: “Be silent! Listen to me! I want you to understand why this judgment will come!” I’m reading from Amos 8:1-12.
It is incredibly painful to be criticized publicly, but Amos lets the criticisms of Israel rip! He compounds the pain when he tells the leaders that their actions are responsible for the demise of this great nation. To add insult to injury, this message comes from a sheepherder, a commoner, who claims to be God’s spokesperson. Amos says that the injustice imposed upon the people by their political and religious leaders is responsible for God’s judgment. (John E. White, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 3, p. 245)
Today, catastrophes such as droughts, plagues and earthquakes are considered natural disasters, but within the biblical covenant tradition, such disasters were divine curses attributable to the moral failure of the people. Friday night I heard a minister from Louisiana proclaim that the oil disaster in the gulf is not an act of God. For Amos, the primary sin against God is social injustice. (Thomas W. Mann, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 3, p. 221)
Amos sees that this decline of morality is related to economics – especially with how the poor are treated. He singles out the merchants who can’t wait for the religious holidays to end so they can get back to fleecing the poor with high prices and dishonest measures. (William Willimon, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 3, p. 244, 246)
We are familiar with the saying: The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. During times of prosperity, not everyone benefits. When a recession hits, even the middle class is affected with decreased pension values and loss of jobs and health insurance. In 8th century BCE Israel, the rich were very rich at the expense of the poor.
Jesus said that “It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” This makes those of us who live comfortable lives in comfortable homes very uncomfortable. Jesus’ claim that those who exercise political, religious, and social power are responsible for the welfare of the poor, has its roots in these prophetic statements made by Amos almost 800 years earlier. (John E. White, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 3, p. 247)
Verse 4 of our text begins with a clear admonition: “Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land.” The implication is that the leaders of Amos’s time had clearly abused their power in order to benefit themselves, while ignoring the poor in the community. The greed of the powerful was so complete that they couldn’t wait until the Sabbath was over so they could resume the business of “ripping off” those with few choices and fewer resources. People were getting less than they paid for, and the unjust merchants were becoming more and more wealthy. Leaders served themselves rather than the people. And the beat goes on! (ibid)
The prophet Amos, called as God’s spokesperson, comes to Israel from Judah to sound the alarm. The deeds of the leaders won’t be forgotten. The destruction of their nation will be complete. All will suffer!
Then Amos goes on to say that the time is coming when the people will begin to hunger for the word of God, but God won’t be there for them. As the saying goes: “We never quite miss what we have until it is gone.” When we suffer, we recognize our need for God more fully. Judgment for the Israelites means they will wander in a strange land without God’s presence. And God’s absence will create a hunger for God.
Amos doesn’t call the people to repentance or grief for their sins. He calls them to silence. Perhaps when they stop to think, they will be able to understand their sin of trampling the needy and oppressing the poor. Because their sin is so pervasive, they can’t possibly imagine a world where God’s justice reigns. However, when they lose everything, they will see what a world built on injustice can become. (Willis Jenkins, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 3, p. 248)
The Israelites worshiped God on the Sabbath, but the rest of the week they acted as though God had no part in their lives. The leaders were only interested in increasing their wealth at the expense of the poor. Judgment was coming because of how they treated the poor, and judgment entailed exile, death in a foreign land, and the absence of God’s presence. Israel has been spared many times and given numerous opportunities to turn their lives around, but nothing changed. Now they’ve used up all of their chances.
We take our blessings for granted until we lose them. We experience no worry for food or for God’s presence when we have them. But when they disappear – then we panic – running to and fro seeking the word of God. God’s direction is no longer present, and we realize what we formerly had.
There are different kinds of poverty – lack of life’s necessities, physical and mental handicaps and significant health problems among them. But there’s also the poverty of the absence of God’s presence.
Religion said: “Be sure to observe the festival days, keep the sanctuaries in good order, and make the proper sacrifices, and you will be right with God.” And they did those things – even though they chomped at the bit waiting for Sabbath and festival days to end so they could resume fleecing the people. Today, Religion says: “Tithe and go to church every Sunday.” And many leave the sanctuary without a thought to care for the poor during the rest of the week.
God isn’t deceived! Our piety and ethics must be congruent – guided by the word of God. God must see concrete expressions of concern for the needy. We are called to show our love for God by caring for the less fortunate.
Amos tells the people of Israel that they are committing social evil, while practicing distorted religious practices and exploiting institutions that have over time cut off the possibility of hearing God’s word of justice. That’s a tough message to absorb.
No matter how long you have been in the church, my guess is that you have heard over and over again that worship isn’t limited to Sunday. It continues throughout the week. All week long, God wants us to show the world how a person lives who is called by and accountable to the living Lord. All week long, we are to be concerned about the poor.
We take for granted that we will hear the word of God for ourselves and for our congregation. We do know, however, there are times like the psalmist experienced when God is absent, and then we pray the 22nd Psalm: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We can’t bear for God’s absence to last!
I’m not here to tell you that judgment is coming on us. But I am here to tell you that in the 8th century BCE, God called down judgment on the people of Israel because they lacked concern for the poor. My invitation to you – as Amos invited Israel – is to be silent and hear the word God wants to speak to you! You might be surprised at what you hear.
07/19/2010
