Calling of Prophets
Amos's Call
Amos 5:10-15 The Message
10-12 People hate this kind of talk.Raw truth is never popular.
But here it is, bluntly spoken:
Because you run roughshod over the poor
and take the bread right out of their mouths,
You’re never going to move into
the luxury homes you have built.
You’re never going to drink wine
from the expensive vineyards you’ve planted.
I know precisely the extent of your violations,
the enormity of your sins. Appalling!
You bully right-living people,
taking bribes right and left and kicking the poor when they’re down.
13 Justice is a lost cause. Evil is epidemic.
Decent people throw up their hands.
Protest and rebuke are useless,
a waste of breath.
14 Seek good and not evil—
and live!
You talk about God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
being your best friend.
Well, live like it,
and maybe it will happen.
15 Hate evil and love good,
then work it out in the public square.
Maybe God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
will notice your remnant and be gracious.
For Reflection
Yes, the truth is hard for some. The truth can violate your vision of who you are and what you are doing is of value. No one wants to see himself or herself as a no-account. Some will respond to the criticism and repent, but more will become defensive and reject the message that their folly is doomed to failure.
Amos recommends that we love God, trust God and respond to God's love for us by letting the Holy Spirit fill us with the capacity to do good. If we find cultural facets that we find abhorrent, rather than whine and criticize and wish things were different, create a new culture by helping people find a way to live a life that is less unfair, less painful and filled with the common good. Be Creative, not Destructive. Build up, not Teardown! Do the righteous thing.
Pray
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