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Amos
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[July 21, 2010]
--"Hear this, you that
trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
saying, ‘When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make
the ephah small and the shekel great, and practise deceit with false
balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of
sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.’ The Lord has sworn
by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their
deeds."- Amos 8: 4-7
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Amos is an angry prophet, and his anger is captured in these words
from chapter 8, which reflect the overall tone of the oldest book of
prophecy in the canon. Amos is fed up with the way the people of God
are handling the poor and needy amongst them. The wealthy are
exploiting the needs of the majority of the people for their own
wealth and comfort. Sound familiar? Anyway, the issues here are the
high cost of grain, the unfair exchange rates of different
currencies, and the poor quality of what is being sold. Amos
promises those who are exploiting the poor and needy that God, "will
never forget any of their deeds."
Ugh.
As we prepare to serve around 800 of our fellow Lincoln-ites this
evening at the annual Pork BBQ, I find this passage to be very
relevant.
All the proceeds tonight will go back to the poor and needy of our
community, and for this we should feel good, and remember our work
is for the glory of God. But, we should also be aware that our work
tonight, while important, is not enough. As God's people, Amos would
have us live with constant vigilance; reminding us that we who have
received God's generosity are obliged to reflect that generosity in
all that we do. There is no area of our lives where it is okay to
exploit the poor and needy. Today we will do good work on behalf of
Lincoln's poor and needy, but we should remember, tomorrow is
another day, and the expectations upon God's people are timeless.
The world is not kind to those who have little. We must be.
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Prayer: Holy God, help me to serve you by serving others.
I want to show compassion and care for those who are in need. Help
me to do this work in your name. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
[text from file received from Phillip Blackburn,
First Presbyterian Church]
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