17 Nov 2014 Faith Comment

Woe to the Complacent

      The book of Amos is one prophetical book in the Bible that most modern readers (including myself) sometimes just skim over. Some call the prophetical books the “sticky pages” in the bible that we never turn to because we think they are just referring to the nation of Israel in history and do not still have applicable points to teach us today. Unless you know the context of the book and what was going on historically during that period, it can certainly be confusing. So as I have been learning the history and the context, the book has come alive to me and it is so easy to see that there are major lessons we can learn from the prophets, specifically Amos.The purpose of the book of Amos was to announce God’s holy judgment on the Kingdom of Israel (the Northern Kingdom), call them to repentance, and to turn from their self-righteous sins and idolatry. God raised up the prophet Amos, as an act of His great mercy to a people who repeatedly shunned and disobeyed Him.
Who was Amos?
Amos was a small business man selling sycamore figs and shepherd boy. He made clear in his writings that he did not come from a family of prophets and didn’t even consider himself to be one. Amos would travel to the villages of Israel to sell and trade and it was there that he saw the hardships imposed on the working class of people by the wealthy landowners who lived in towns and cities in the midst of comparative luxury. He was deeply troubled not only by the contrast of the rich and poor but also by the way the political and religious leaders would downplay or justify this disparity. 
What were the people doing during this time?
We see the people of Israel are living in peace in prosperity.  We get glimpses of the people’s enthusiastic self-confidence (Amos 6:1; 8:3).  Their popular religiosity saw the nation’s prosperity as the inevitable result of its faithfulness to God. Yet, Amos knows that loyalty to God involves fair dealings among people and justice for all rather than only observing religious ceremonies. So Amos gets fed up and delivers a message from God directed against these privileged people of Israel, a people who had no love for their neighbor, who took advantage of others, and who only looked out for their own concerns. The people were very “religious” and “ritualistic” yet did not have a heart to help others. 
Amos repeatedly points out the failure of the people to fully embrace God’s idea of justice. The people looked good on the outside but were internally wicked. They “worshipped” God in the temples, they made music and sacrifices to God and yet, their hearts were far from Him. They drank wine by the bowlful, lived in big houses, lounged on their couches, laid their heads upon beds adorned with ivory, used the finest lotions, ate luxury foods. BUT they did not grieve over the unmet needs and justice of the people.  This is what God had to say about it: 
 (Amos 6:1) “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion”

I hate, I despise your feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them . . . . Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? 

From an outside view, they looked like good people- yet in reality, their hearts were sinful and they were internally corrupted to the core. They were selling off needy people for goods, taking advantage of the helpless, oppressing the poor, and the men were using women immorally (Amos 2:6–8; 3:10; 4:1; 5:11–12; 8:4–6). Drunk on their own economic success and intent on strengthening their financial position, the people had lost the concept of caring for one another. Amos was sent to rebuke them because he saw in that lifestyle evidence that Israel had forgotten God. They had ultimately forgotten Him.

 They had so much material success that they lost sight of their need for God. 

Amos compares the Israel people to a basket of ripe summer fruit, whose material prosperity is like the fully ripe fruit. But ripe fruit only lasts a little while and then it rots and decays. Amos was comparing the Israelites to this basket of fruit and warned them that if they don’t turn from their sin and return to the real God- the peaceful years of the nation would surely come to an end.  The people didn’t like this inconvenient message and told him take his message elsewhere. They said never to speak to them again. They didn’t listen to him or turn back to God… And what do you think happened? The word of the Lord came to pass and the nation of Israel was captured and exiled. The luxurious home were brought to ruin, the men and women who spent their time in idleness and pleasure were dragged into exile and the entire country was laid waste. Later Amos gives hope that God will rebuild and restore the hope of the people.“In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old” (9:11).
What can we learn? 
•     When I read about the message that God gives to the people through Amos, I can’t help but draw comparisons to our American culture today. The mental pictures that Amos gives us with the “beds of ivory,” luxurious houses, abundance of material possessions, definitely sounds like modern day America. We have so many material possessions, that I think sometimes we can forget our need for God. Affluence (wealth & prosperity) often leads to apathy and arrogance (5:1-6:14). 
•       We too can be guilty of complacency. Some of it is due to affluence. Some of it is a result of going-through-the-motions of church or devotions without seeking God. And we mistakenly think that are empty efforts please God. Amos has a lot to teach us about complacency in our relationship with God. 
•       God never leaves us or forsakes us, even in discipline. He’s always waiting for us to return to Him. Amos called God’s people to return to God, as did many of the prophets and writers of Scripture. “Return to Me and I will return to you” says the Lord Almighty (Zech 1:3, Mal. 3:7). James would call us to ‘Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:8)

The book of Amos also teaches us about the nature of God. Some people think that God’s anger is the opposite of God’s love, but God’s anger is an integral part of God’s love. Because God loves people, God is angry when they suffer. God’s commitment is to all people, including the poor and oppressed, which fuels God’s anger at oppressors. Without the concept of God’s anger, God’s love is an empty concept. This message of God’s anger and judgment remains relevant for us today.

 How about us? Do we need to return to God? Have we become complacent in our relationship with God and need to repent and get back on track? Have we gotten too comfortable in our jobs and communities that we’ve forgotten that God has called us to be His voice in our jobs, at school, and in our communities? That he calls us to take care of others and take responsibility to bring justice? Have we taken His blessings for granted? Have we become discouraged in our trials and forgotten God’s messages of hope? 
I ask that God would reveal to us where we need to return to Him so we can enjoy Him more and be available to serve Him whenever He calls!

-Keep running after Jesus,

Dorothy Pro