Amos 6:11, 14
11 See, the Lord commands,
and the great house shall be shattered to bits,
and the little house to pieces.
14 Indeed, I am raising up against you a nation,
O house of Israel, says the Lord, the God of hosts,
and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath
to the Wadi Arabah.
The prophecy of the Lord that Amos spoke was not one of comfort or great consolation. There is great death and calamity foretold, particularly for those who oppress the poor and are not concerned with justice. I find myself sort of agreeing with his message – after all, I feel convicted by the mandate to care for the least among us. But I also find myself thinking, “Ok, Amos… but do you have to be so … harsh?”
I came across a list of quotes from my Hebrew and Old Testament professor Dr. Ralph Klein recently. Top among them was this gem: “Did people say about Amos…cut him a little slack, he’s going to be in the Bible?” Regardless of how we feel about the strength of Amos’ message, the Lord’s message to care for the poor should not be taken lightly. Seems that we can cut Amos a little slack, but not the Lord.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
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