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Sunday School Commentary Lesson
By
Dr. Jason Thrower
June 7
Judgement on Israel and Judah, Amos 2:4-8
I am uncomfortable with this text because it hits American Christianity squarely in the face. The
people described in this passage are like us. This is not a judgement; it is a fact. It is who we
have become. It is not about you; it is about you and me. The truth is, I've come to have more
than I ever dreamed I would or could. Most of you are like me. "A rising tide lifts all boats"
applies to nearly all of us.
To interpret this text correctly requires a study of the times, the people, their theology-religion,
and their religious leadership. When Amos spoke to those people, they thought he had lost his
mind. Events proved Amos right. That's why we've kept and treasured what he wrote (had he
been wrong, he would have been forgotten). A simple farmer from Tekoa (in Judah) came
north to Israel and spoke judgement.
Background
When Paul Harvey gave his famous speech, "So God Made a Farmer," at a 1978 convention of
the Future Farmers of America, he began: "God said, 'I need someone willing to get up before
the dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper, and go to town and
stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board.' So God made a farmer."
Well, I have a feeling Amos would have liked that speech. Amos was a farmer - a sheep breeder
and fruit grower - from the town of Tekoa in Judah. In the eighth century when God needed a
plain spoken man to deliver His message to Samaria, He chose a farmer - Amos. Amos traveled
north and preached during a period of prosperity. Worship was hollow and injustice filled the
land, with the rich trampling the rights of the poor. The book of Amos is a collection of sermons
condemning the nations - including Judah and Samaria - for the absence of true worship and
the presence of true injustice.
Loving and Punishing
The states that once threatened Israel and Judea (the Hebrews were divined into a northern
and southern kingdom) were weak. It was a time when Israel could flex her muscles and
expand her borders. So she did. In rapid succession, several things happened:
* Two strong kings ruled, and they lived a long time. Uzziah was king of Judah (southern
Kingdom, 783-742 BC). Jeroboam II was king of Israel (northern Kingdom, 786-746 BC). Both
recognized weakness in their neighbors and they took advantage of it.
* Tolls were extracted from caravans that had to cross Israel and Judah. These tolls became
real money; prosperity came to what had been an impoverished land.
* In Israel and Judah came a social change. An agricultural way of life shifted to a commercial
way of life. In the cities, a merchant class emerged; that rivaled royalty with their new wealth.
* Not everyone shared in the new prosperity; in fact, most people didn't. Most lived on the
crumbs of a society that had learned to create wealth.
Interestingly the new rich didn't abandon the church. The people of Amos' day were very
religious, especially the rich. Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba were religious centers; the royal
family maintained Bethel. Pilgrimages, festivals, and tithes made these worship centers
opulent. Popular theology interpreted good fortune as a sign of God's approval. Into this
contended, smug environment came Amos. His message was jarring and unwelcome. The King
told Amaziah, the priest at Bethel to send Amos out of Israel and back to Judah (Amos 7:10-17).
So even though they were religious, it was bad religion.
For Israel and for All People
Israel's prosperity was uneven. A few grew very rich; most didn't. Many people were living the
good life. But the "good life" came at a price, which was paid by nameless people, the poor.
Israel had changed. Israel had originally been a covenant community in which there was no
class distinction. Wealth, power, and affluence came to some in Israel. The social effects of
these changes were terrible for the poor. "You trample on the poor" (Amos 5:11a).
So, in a couple of generations, Israel changed. It was the injustice that offended Amos, but it
did not offend the priests and prophets at Bethel. They had no judgement on the system
because they were a part of it. Some commentators speculate that Amos spoke up because the
professionals in religion wouldn't. Their theology reasoned this way: the rich are rich because
God approves of them; the poor are poor because God finds fault in them. They misread the
nature of God.
Universal and Particular
Amos believed the rich people of Israel used wealth to create for themselves a lifestyle that
insulated them from the poor. "Alas, for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their
couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the
sound of the harp" (Amos 6:4-5a). Privilege creates obligation; they enjoyed privilege but were
blind to obligation.
As a people, we are rich and blessed. We often fail to notice the poor much; we give a little,
but frequently not as much as we could. Our theology raises a question about the poor. We
generally reason that they may be poor because they have turned away from opportunity or
are lazy. Our God holds us accountable for the way we spend our plenty. This lesson holds up a
mirror before us to reflect upon - Would Amos pronounce the same judgement upon us for our
failure to care for the poor?
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