Amos is called a minor prophet. He is called that because his book is small. However, his message is huge and just as appropriate today as it was hundreds of years before Jesus was born. The heart of his message comes in chapter five. Speaking for God he wrote, “I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Let us not deceive ourselves because of tradition, or habits of behavior, to think that our present way of conducting business is any less offensive to God than it was in Amos’ day. Society, despite civil rights legislation which should shame Christianity to think we needed secular powers to force us to do the right thing, is still far from perfect. Our churches still practice discrimination in more than one form. We should be the leaders and not the tail when it comes to matters of justice and righteousness.
I refrain from mentioning a specific because that would narrow the message to a particular issue. The call is broader than one issue. It is about the ability and willingness of God’s people to examine whatever civic or religious group we support and be sure we are not benignly and without thought supporting policies or doctrines that deny a group or a person the right to full participation. Let justice run down like water and righteousness like a mighty river.
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 4, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 945474
Rogerbothwell.org