The biblical book of Amos is believed to be the first book of the written prophets. Tucked in our Bibles between some of the more well-known prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah on one side and the New Testament on the other, this small book is a forerunner to what Jesus Christ had similarly preached in His day: warnings against hypocrisy and making sure that those who believe in God not simply act like it “during the worship services” but also in daily life, for the transformation the Holy Spirit does in the life of a Christian affects every part of our lives.
From my personal Bible, “Amos’ central message is that the Lord is the righteous and just Creator who upholds right order (righteousness and justice) in creation. This is God’s love in action. His creatures are charged with imitating His love by acting with these same two motivations. As prophets and priests rehearsed the story of how God redeemed Israel, this poor, oppressed, alien people from Egyptian slavery and gave them a land, the Israelites were instilled with the knowledge of the loving works of God. This was celebrated in the major worship festivals, when the people had an opportunity to express gratitude for God’s redemption by sharing sacrificial meals with the less fortunate (Deut. 14:22-29; 15:7-11). Instead, prosperous worshipers indulged themselves and excluded the needy. In their daily business they mistreated and enslaved the poor and weak, behaving like the Egyptian oppressors of old. In Amos’ day God heard the groans of the oppressed (as with Israel in Egypt, Exodus 2:23-24), and the Lord promised to vindicate such people (Ex. 22:21-24; Deut 24:14-15).
There is much in Amos for which we as Christians can profit by reading (and it isn’t even that long of a book!) One of the most ironic moments in Amos is when he begins by pronouncing judgement on Israel’s neighbors for their wicked ways. I can only picture the listening crowd giving their cheers and approval of God judging others, but then Amos delivers the unexpected combo: God’s judgment is also coming upon them! Simply because Israel was God’s covenant nation did not make them exempt from divine judgment for sin (if anything it made them more accountable for they ought to have known better). This is a sobering message for believers today. It is so much easier and more convenient to point out the sins in others, and sometimes we do this to make ourselves feel better. Rather, the approach should be the exact opposite: We should approach God humbly, and ask Him to shape us and mold us (which is not always easy), while at the same time being gentle and patient with others, praying for them and constantly witnessing to them by our words and our very lives.
Additionally, when it comes to our celebrations at church, we may often ask, “Why do we continue to do this?” The answer is the same one found above for Amos and his people: it reminds us of God’s gracious actions towards us when we did not deserve such kindness, it forms our identity as believers by reminding us that we are surrounded with a “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) as a church, and it is a process of growing in our individual faith. For some, the words “church” and “celebration” do not fit in the same sentence, and yet, for the Christian who has experienced God’s love, every day can be a celebration of it! To celebrate the Lord’s goodness not only gives us a sense of joy, but encourages us to match our actions with our words, to leave church each week carrying the presence of Jesus with us into our everyday lives. When we gather, He is with us in our midst (Matt. 18:20). When we depart, each of us take Him with us by the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, and this is why the Bible calls Christians “temples of God”. Be both encouraged and challenged by this thought: many people have walked away from God or never given Him a chance simply because they never met a Christian who “practiced what they preached”. One does not need to be a good speaker or a perfect person to show God’s love to others. All it takes is someone drawing near to Him through Jesus Christ and then showing that transformed life to others. This year, let us all commit afresh to doing just that!
Your Brother,
Craig