Readings for today: Amos 1-5
God sits in judgment on the nations. He will judge them just as surely as He will judge every person who walks the face of the earth. It is clear from the Book of Amos that sin is not just personal and individual but also corporate and collective. And God is no respecter of persons. Meaning He shows no favorites. He judges all the nations of the earth. Socialists and capitalists. Communists and democracies. Monarchies and parliamentary systems. It doesn’t matter the form of government. It doesn’t matter what economic system a nation employs. All that matters is does the nation do righteousness? Do they seek the Lord? Do they honor and submit to God’s Word?
Damascus. Gaza. Tyre. Edom. The Ammonites. Moab. Judah. Israel. All of them are judged. All of them are tried before the judgment seat of the Lord. Their crimes are legion. Violence. Conquest. Murder. Rage. Attacking the most vulnerable. Rejection of God’s Law. Mistreatment of the poor and powerless in their midst. Sexual immorality. Worshipping false gods. It’s a comprehensive indictment. Especially against the people of God. They should know better. They should be better. They are the ones God set apart originally to be a light to the other nations. They are the ones God expects to set the example. To show the world a different way. But Israel and Judah failed to fulfill their call. Instead of remaining faithful to God, they became just like the pagan nations.
God is faithful. He will not let a nation persist in her sin. He will judge them. He will punish them. He will force them to face the consequences of their unrighteousness. So God plucks a man named Amos from among the shepherds of Tekoa. Amos is sent from Judah to Israel to proclaim the Word of the Lord. He is called to speak truth to power and to call Israel to return in faithfulness to God. He confronts Israel on her sin. Particularly the sin of injustice. They enslave their fellow Israelites, selling them for silver. They mistreat the poor. They do not care for the afflicted. Though they are still engaging in all the prescribed feasts and festivals, the Lord rejects their worship. Rejects their offerings. Rejects their sacrifices. Because their actions do not match up with their words.
So where can Israel find hope? Only as she seeks the Lord. “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” (Amos 5:14-15) God is merciful. God is gracious. He forgives those who repent and humble themselves before Him and that includes the nations of the earth.
These are convicting words for us this morning. Coming off a weekend where we celebrate the great blessings God has given America, we also recognize there is still much work to do if we are to fulfill our calling to be the great “city on a hill.” Our nation has largely abandoned God. Largely abandoned His Word and His ways. We have perpetuated injustice for far too long. Whether it is the injustice of abortion or the injustice of racism. The injustice of attacking the family or the injustice of mass incarceration. The injustice of our welfare system or the injustice of runaway capitalism. Where can we find hope? Only in Christ. Only as we turn to the Lord in humble repentance and turn from our wicked ways. Only as we recapture the best of America which is enshrined on our Statue of Liberty…
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Readings for tomorrow: Amos 6-9