Readings for today: Amos 1-5
“I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” - James Baldwin
I immediately thought of this quote as I read through the first few chapters of Amos this morning. James Baldwin was a civil rights writer and activist. He mainly gave voice to the oppressed through his brilliant novels and plays. Whereas some might call Martin Luther King Jr. the movement’s prophet, Baldwin was her poet. He described in often deeply personal terms the impact of injustice on his people. Though he lived abroad for a good portion of his life, he loved America enough to call her to live up to her high ideals and traveled extensively through the Deep South giving lectures and advocating alongside other civil rights leaders.
As we dive into the prophetic literature of the Bible, it is tempting to assume these men hated their nation. Their words are often harsh and judgmental. They offer little in the way of hope. They pull no punches and lay out the dire consequences should Israel or Judah refuse to repent. And yet, I’ve come to believe these prophets loved their people just as Baldwin loved America. They longed to see their people return to the Lord with all their hearts. Long to see their nation rise up and live according to the commandments of God. They longed for Israel and Judah to be a light to the nations, set apart as God’s chosen people on earth.
Amos was a simple shepherd when he first received God’s call. He lived at a time when both Israel and Judah seemed to be experiencing great prosperity and success. You might remember Uzziah enjoying great success as he expanded Judah’s borders, rebuilt cities, and amassed much wealth. Similarly, Jeroboam II also enjoyed great success, expanding Israel’s borders to her “former limits”, conquering Damascus, defeating the Arameans, and amassing great wealth through trade. Indeed, most biblical scholars would argue that Israel and Judah reached the zenith of their power and wealth during the reigns of these two kings. Tragically, however, the seeds of destruction for both nations were already sown. They rejected the law of the Lord. (Amos 2:4) They sold the righteous for silver. (Amos 2:6) They trampled the heads of the poor and did not care for the afflicted. They engaged in sexual immorality and profaned God’s holy name. (Amos 2:7-8) These actions brought them under God’s judgment and He sent Amos to warn them with the hope that they might repent and return to Him.
What would such a return look like? Seeking the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. Honoring Him by obeying His commands. Confessing their sin. Repenting of the way they treated the poor and powerless in their midst. Caring for those in need. Always seeking good rather than evil. Letting justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. This is what it means to return to the Lord and it remains God’s call to the nations of the earth to this day. America will only be great insofar as she seeks the Lord. Insofar as she clings to justice and righteousness and compassion and mercy. America will be judged, like all the nations of the earth, on how she cares for the poor, the afflicted, and the oppressed. She will be judged on how faithfully she follows God’s commands and lives up to the ideals embedded in her founding documents. Ideals birthed out of deep reflection on Scripture and the nature of God. May we take time this 4th of July to not only celebrate the birth of our nation but pray for her as well. May we rededicate ourselves to the task of “forming a more perfect union” in alignment with God’s will and God’s ways.
Readings for tomorrow: Amos 6-9