Amos Rails against Injustice
God Will Never Forget
Hosea 8:7-14 The Message
4-10 “They crown kings, but without asking me.
They set up princes but don’t let me in on it.
Instead, they make idols, using silver and gold,
idols that will be their ruin.
Throw that gold calf-god on the trash heap, Samaria!
I’m seething with anger against that rubbish!
How long before they shape up?
And they’re Israelites!
A sculptor made that thing—
it’s not God.
That Samaritan calf
will be broken to bits.
Look at them! Planting wind-seeds,
they’ll harvest tornadoes.
Wheat with no head
produces no flour.
And even if it did,
strangers would gulp it down.
Israel is swallowed up and spit out.
Among the pagans they’re a piece of junk.
They trotted off to Assyria:
Why, even wild donkeys stick to their own kind,
but donkey-Ephraim goes out and pays to get lovers.
Now, because of their whoring life among the pagans,
I’m going to gather them together and confront them.
They’re going to reap the consequences soon,
feel what it’s like to be oppressed by the big king.
They set up princes but don’t let me in on it.
Instead, they make idols, using silver and gold,
idols that will be their ruin.
Throw that gold calf-god on the trash heap, Samaria!
I’m seething with anger against that rubbish!
How long before they shape up?
And they’re Israelites!
A sculptor made that thing—
it’s not God.
That Samaritan calf
will be broken to bits.
Look at them! Planting wind-seeds,
they’ll harvest tornadoes.
Wheat with no head
produces no flour.
And even if it did,
strangers would gulp it down.
Israel is swallowed up and spit out.
Among the pagans they’re a piece of junk.
They trotted off to Assyria:
Why, even wild donkeys stick to their own kind,
but donkey-Ephraim goes out and pays to get lovers.
Now, because of their whoring life among the pagans,
I’m going to gather them together and confront them.
They’re going to reap the consequences soon,
feel what it’s like to be oppressed by the big king.
11-14 “Ephraim has built a lot of altars,
and then uses them for sinning.
Can you believe it? Altars for sinning!
I write out my revelation for them in detail
and they pretend they can’t read it.
They offer sacrifices to me
and then they feast on the meat.
God is not pleased!
I’m fed up—I’ll keep remembering their guilt.
I’ll punish their sins
and send them back to Egypt.
Israel has forgotten his Maker
and gotten busy making palaces.
Judah has gone in for a lot of fortress cities.
I’m sending fire on their cities
to burn down their fortifications.”
and then uses them for sinning.
Can you believe it? Altars for sinning!
I write out my revelation for them in detail
and they pretend they can’t read it.
They offer sacrifices to me
and then they feast on the meat.
God is not pleased!
I’m fed up—I’ll keep remembering their guilt.
I’ll punish their sins
and send them back to Egypt.
Israel has forgotten his Maker
and gotten busy making palaces.
Judah has gone in for a lot of fortress cities.
I’m sending fire on their cities
to burn down their fortifications.”
For Reflection
Today
I read an opinion written by a ranking member of The Secular Society.
He explained that of the two core tenants of secularism (separation of
church and state and tolerance for religious pluralism) tolerance
suggests that all religious beliefs are equally valid and must be
treated with respect. Following that philosophy, the type of religious
fervor steeped in hate as expressed by the radical perversion of Islam
is equally valid as mainstream Islam. What of the Christian movement
that resulted in the murder of those associated with abortion clinics a
few years ago? Is that really to be treated as equally valid as
mainstream Christians whose faith is based on love, compassion and
forgiveness?
I suppose, if I had a choice, I would prefer those who would be indifferent to or reject or exclude religion and religious considerations to those who pervert the truth of God in God's many forms. When we begin to accept the validity of hate, rename it a religion, and treat it as a valid life philosophy, we have erected an alter of sin. In our efforts to be fair-minded and impartial we have opened the door to chaos. Have we, in our efforts to offend no one, unwittingly built palaces to the individual's right to hate and seek selfish ends at expense of anyone that stands in their way?
Pray
I suppose, if I had a choice, I would prefer those who would be indifferent to or reject or exclude religion and religious considerations to those who pervert the truth of God in God's many forms. When we begin to accept the validity of hate, rename it a religion, and treat it as a valid life philosophy, we have erected an alter of sin. In our efforts to be fair-minded and impartial we have opened the door to chaos. Have we, in our efforts to offend no one, unwittingly built palaces to the individual's right to hate and seek selfish ends at expense of anyone that stands in their way?
Pray
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