Hate Evil. Do Good.

 

 

Scripture

 Amos 5:10-15

¹⁰ They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
    and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
¹¹ Therefore because you trample on the poor
    and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
    but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
    but you shall not drink their wine.
¹² For I know how many are your transgressions,
    and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
    and push aside the needy in the gate.
¹³ Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
    for it is an evil time.

¹⁴ Seek good and not evil,
    that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
    just as you have said.
¹⁵ 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.    (NRSV)

 

Devotion

Today's scripture passage is not for the faint of heart.  It comes from a time when Israel as a nation was experiencing great economic prosperity...but the common people were suffering more than ever.  The wealthy and those with political power were engaged in unethical and unjust activities like taking bribes, unfairly taxing the poor, etc.  On top of these sins, they were ignoring the poor and oppressed people that God had told them to protect. 

God appointed the prophet Amos to call the nation's leaders to task for their morally and spiritually bankrupt actions.  Amos reminds the, that the Israelites' covenant with God states that they may live in the land if they love God and one another as Torah demands.  And despite how well they think they may be covering up their actions, God knows just how unjust and unethical those in power have become.  If the wealthy and powerful continue in the direction that they are headed in--if they keep breaking their covenant with God by doing evil and turning their backs on what is good--then God will make sure that they do not get to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.  What's more, God will deem the people as a whole no longer fit to inhabit the land.  

Amos's warning to the people should resonate for any society in which the wealthy and powerful live at the expense of the poor and the oppressed--including our own.  God sees our sinfulness, and there will be consequences for allowing corruption and injustice to flourish.  Those consequences may not come in the form of an invading army as it would for the Israelites, but they will still be painful.  And the longer we allow such injustice to continue, the worse the situation becomes.

Just because people have been behaving unjustly does not mean that they have to keep doing so.  After all, the whole point of Amos's warning is to give the people in his society the chance to turn things around.  They can make those changes if they want to do so.  And we can as well.  We can make changes to our society so that the poor and the oppressed are treated justice and mercy...just as God intends.  

Let us commit to not only acknowledging the injustice that is part of "the way things work" but also doing our part to turn things around.  Let us seek to make positive changes at all levels of our society--from our local systems to state and national governments, to worldwide corporations and organizations.  As we, like Amos, seek to build more just and merciful world, let us always remember to seek good and not evil. For when we establish justice in the world around us, then God will be gracious to his people.

Prayer

God of Righteousness, you have taught us what is good, just, and merciful. We admit that we have turned from your ways.    Help us repent from doing and accepting what is evil.  May we seek what is good and establish justice in our land so that we may truly live.  Amen.