If you’ve ever known anyone who says, “I tell it like it is”, you know someone like the Amos, the prophet we are hearing from this week. Amos didn’t mince any words in describing the sins of the Israelite’s leaders or the destruction that God had planned for them if they didn’t reform their lives.
So, who was Amos? He lived in the southern kingdom of Judah and worked as a shepherd, fig grower, and tree trimmer. God called him to go to the northern kingdom, however, and be brutally honest in delivering God’s message. Amos wasn’t, as you can imagine, very popular. In fact, among all the Old Testament prophecies, his were the least hopeful.
When he told them ‘like it is’, he accused the king, the righteous priests, and the greedy wealthy class, that they were hypocrites who weren’t faithful to the Covenant, and who were leading the people astray while pretending to be faithful themselves.
- Were they caring for the poor and lowly, like the Covenant demanded? No, they were cheating the poor and treating them unjustly.
- Were they worshipping God with proper rituals? No, with the money they cheated from the poor, they held lavish ceremonies modeled on prayers to foreign gods.
Amos warned them that their phony worship and neglect of the poor would be punished by God. Because he passionately addressed their idolatry, extravagant indulgences, and corrupt actions against the poor, Amos is known as the prophet of God’s justice.[1]
The life and message of Amos is certainly relevant for us.
- As God chose a simple shepherd to carry God’s message to others, so we can believe that God chooses us, and blesses us with grace and guidance, to share the good and challenging news of the gospel with those around us, even the difficult messages of advocating justice for all.
- Worshipping God is good, but worshipping God with a renewed heart is God’s desire.
- God watches what we do with the gifts and talents we’ve been given, especially how we treat the poor, defend the vulnerable, work for justice, and respect the dignity of all people.
May the message of Amos inflame our hearts with honesty and justice for all and enable us to ‘tell it like it is’ when we witness to God’s love and mercy.
