Amos: The Love & Justice of God

Introduction

MLK: Today, we continue our sermon series through the Minor Prophets by studying the book of Amos. If there is one theme that sticks out from Amos, it is the love and justice of God. Amos has become quite famous in the American psyche because Martin Luther King Jr. used Amos 5:23 in his famous I Have a Dream speech, when he quoted,

Amos 5:23–24 “…But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

The Bible is full of language that calls God’s people to seek justice around them. Today, hte idea of justice is popular in our culture. But unfortunately the world’s ideas of justice are far short of God’s standard. Very often justice is nothing more than superficial and knee-jerk activism which is unthoughtful, or it is filled with solutions that are empty and hollow and only lead to further injustice. The Bible’s call to love and justice is richly dynamic and multi-layered. It is complex enough to navigate the many challenges of discovering what true justice is, in such a fallen world.

Jesus: Further, the Bible’s vision of justice is always centered around Christ. We read of Jesus in the prophet Isaiah

Isaiah 11:3–4 “He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth…”

In Christ, as we will see today, justice was not only ultimately and perfectly embodied, but truly justice was executed. And as followers of Christ, we are called to nothing less than to be Christ-ones, those who embody and execute the love and justice of God in this fallen world, to the best of our limited ability.

Context: Who is Amos? Amos was a shepherd, who was called by God to prophetically preach to Israel. His main message is that Israel had become full of injustice, and that as a result God was going to send judgment. Today, we will look at three dimensions of justice that Christians ought to be aware about, and intentionally push into. And my prayer, is that after we study Amos, we will have a richer and more dynamic vision of Biblical Justice.

Meaning & Application

THE SOCIAL DIMENSION (POWER)

The first dimension of Israel’s injustice is the Social Dimension.

Amos 3:9–11 “Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst.” “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.” Therefore thus says the Lord God: “An adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered.””

Sodom & Tumults: Amos uses three different words to describe the social dimension of Israel’s injustice. First, he compares to Sodom. You may recall the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the book of Genesis. These were two legendary cities that had been destroyed by God because of their heinous sins. That city did not only sin in a grotesque and violent way, but they did so with no shame about it. We might say they had great “pride” over their sexual sin. That is actually what is meant when Amos says that he sees “great tumults within her.” The tumults are the tumultous difficult societal and social struggles of a nation where everyone is flaunting their sin.

The Oppressed: And then he speaks of the “oppressed” in her midst. All throughout Amos, he utilizes language that speaks of the way they have been oppressing the poor, the needy, and the vulnerable. How have they done this? What was their society like that so many were oppressed? Amos lays out three different aspects of how they were oppressing people.

Covetousness: In Amos 2:6 we see that the sin of covetousness was so strong that they were willing to abuse the needy to get the simple things in life they wanted.

Amos 2:6 “Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals—”

People had become obstacles to get around or to use in order to get that which they wanted. They wanted sandals, so they abused the needy to get what they wanted. They used their power to get what they wanted.

Heartlessness: It wasn’t just covetousness, but it was hearlessness towards the needy.

Amos 2:8 “they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.”

This is tricky language to understand, but it has to do with biblical law. The garment mentioned in this verse was something like a winter coat today. A poor man would have one outer garment that served as both a coat and a blanket. The situation is that these garments were taken as a pledge, but the wealthy were not returnig the pledge to the poor. They were functionally stealing from them, and then using the poor man’s coat as a cushion to lay next to an altar, the place where God should be honored. Again, their heartlessness is comign to fruition by using their power to take from the very people their power was given to them in order to serve.

Neglectfulness: Third, the Israelites turned a blind eye to the real needs of the needy in their midst.

Amos 5:12 “For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.”

This is an image of the needy coming to the center of the town, the place where the elders of a community gathered to make decisions, and presenting their case and their need for help, and the leaders of the community turning them away. Those who had no power, remained powerless.

Power: If we could boil this down to one issue that causes humans to fail to live lovingly and justly, it is the abuse of power and authority. Sin has so corrupted our hearts that the natural man’s condition is one of using power and using authority to get ahead, to get ultimately what we want. We are all guilty of this in one way or another. I can see this in my own heart. And the truth it is in only the gospel of Jesus Christ that can utterly reorient the broken power structures in our heart. But this is what he does when you believe in him. You are born again, and Christ causes us to begin seeing others through an utterly different lens.

Experiential: Through what lens do you see the poor, the weak, and the needy around you? Through what lens do you think about the disenfranchised, the orphan, the widow, the unborn.

THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION (HEART)

Most of our world understanding of justice stops at the social dimension. But biblically, there are two more dimension to justice. The second dimension of Israel’s injustice is the Spiritual Dimension, and this really gets after the heart behind the actions.

Amos 3:12 “Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.”

This little verse may seem confusing, but the meaning of it is a consistent theme for Amos. The prophet is saying, that when the judgment comes on you, Israel, an enemy army is going to kill everyone they find. A few will survive the onslaught. And those that survive will still be so attached to their material goods, that they will be taken into captivity while holding “a corner of their couch and a part of their bed.” In other words, they were so intoxicated with their pleasures, with their cushions and beds, that even as they were being slaughtered and deported, the one thing they were reaching for to take with them into their deportation, the one thing they didn’t want to lose, was a corner of their luxury. How insane!

Other Places in Amos: A similar idea is picked up by Isaiah in a few other places.

Amos 6:4–6 ““Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall… who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!”

Here, Amos reveals the false priorities of the people who are supposed to the people of God. They are far more concerned with accumulating wealth than they are with the spiritual state of the people of God. In fact, their wealth has deceived them into a spiritual stupor, in which they actually believe themselves to be just fine, when in reality, their spiritual state with God is such that they are in ruin.

Can’t Hear God’s Words: One of the greatest indictment brought against Israel by Amos is that they refused to listen to God’s Word. In Amos 2:12 we are told they “commanded the prophets to stop speaking.” In Amos 5:10 we are told “they abhor him who speaks the truth.” They actually did to Amos as he was preaching.

Amos 7:12–13 “And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.””

The prophet was saying things that were making them uncomfortable. If they were going to live according to the prophets words, they would have to reorient their life. But they loved their life. They like their wine and their cushions and their couches. And so they kindly requested that that pesky prophet stop speaking to them.

Why Is This an Injustice: You might say, “Why is this an injustice.” I’ll give you two reasons. First, all sin is first and foremost against God, therefore the line of true justice always includes how we treat God. Second, if our responsibility is to be a Kingdom of Priests (meaning a kingdom of folks who are so salty in their love of God that others are drawn into Christ’s love by our love of God), then perform an injustice to others when we fail in that role.

Love of Self: The great Augustine could be summarized by well by saying ‘what you most love defines you.’ Israel spiritual injustice, was that they most loved themselves. They didn’t want sermons to ruffle their feathers. They didn’t want to be grieved over the state of the Church. Why? Because that would cost them something. And ultimately, they loved themselves. And of course, if every person ultimatley loves themself, oh, that is a society built on the domination of others. Only a person surrendered unto a sacrificial servant God, who leads them in powerful sacrificial servantheartedness towards others, could break that cycle.

Heart: Once again, what is the root issue here. The root issue is the heart. Their heart was off, and true justice, in God’s eyes, always a greatest love and greatest grief over the things of God. This is why so many of today’s calls for justice, hashtags that are all show, and are simply nothing more than attempts at currying social acceptance, achievenothing in God’s sight. He sees the heart. Until we grieve first for the things of God, our heart is not in proper alignment to think about justice. But that is only possible if Christ first changes your heart. Other religions can offer you methods for how to love others. But they do not actually ahve the power to cause you to be born again, to cause you to have a new heart, that beats for the things of God.

Experiential The Grief Test: Now again, we must turn the prophetic finger at ourselves. What is our greatest love? The second test is the Grief Test. What you grieve over reveals what you love. Look at Amos 6:6 again, which informs us that Israel filled their bellies with fine wine and food but did not grieve the ruin of Joseph.

Do you ever look out at the state of the Church, the bride of Christ, and grieve. While there is much to celebrate and to be grateful for how the Spirit is using the Church in these days, there is much to grieve over.

Do you grieve the amount of folks who are simply going through the motions of Christianity, but have no real love of God and therefore no real power in their bones?

Do you grieve lack of prayer that so fills many of our churches?

Do you grieve the shallow and watered down and prosperity filled teaching that flows from many pulpits, that do not declare the Word of God for fear of offending people?

The test here is simply asking, does your heart grieve over these things. If not, it’s revealing areas that Amos is getting after here. Our heart is not beating in sync with the Lord’s.

THE RELIGIOUS DIMENSION (LAW)

The third dimension of Israel’s injustice is the Religious Dimension. While the Spiritual Dimension really focused on the heart, the religious focused more on their religious practices.

Amos 3:13–15 ““Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord God, the God of hosts, “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. I will strike the winter house along with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end,” declares the Lord.”

What is Happening: At first glance, that is a difficult text to understand. But God says that he is going to punish “the altars of Bethel” and the “horns of the altar will be cut off.” There were very clear ways in the Old Testament that God was to be worhsipped. It was prescribed in a certain way. But Israel apparently had concocted their own way of worshipping God. Additional altars, not sanctioned by God had been set up. The fact that it is altars (plural) and not altar (singular) indicates that likely polytheistics worship, worship of many Gods, was taking place. These altars were nothing other than a satanic counterfeit of the real thing.

What’s Interesting: Here’s what is so interesting. These Israelites, even though their hearts were far from God, and their greatest love was their belly and their comfort. They couldn’t escape the inward sense that they needed a little religion in their life. God’s ways of doing it were too complicated. So they constructed their own ways of worshiping God. Their false religious practices were an injustice.

The Law: Now before we critique these Israelites as doing so abominable, let us point the finger at ourselves. God’s law is the plubline of justice and righteousness. We live in a day where justice is a key buzz word that floats through many of our cultural and political conversations. But the reality is that many of the times that the word “justice” is being used, it is being used to describe actions and ideas that are not rooted in the law of God, and very often are in direct contradiction to the law of God. This is the mistake Israel was making. They were redefining the law and hoping God would accept it. Before we simply point the finger at state and federal government on this one, let’s look at other places this happens.

Home: In our home and personal life. Very often God’s people cut corners with God’s law. The way we manage our money. The way we honor the Sabbath. The media we consume that we allow to shape our hearts and minds. If these areas of our life are incongruent with God’s holy law for our life, then they are an injustice, and we are just as guilty as the lawmakers that we like to point the finger at.

Church: We could look at the governance of the church. The structure of a church, the labor of a church, the teaching of a church, ought to be submitted to God’s clear instructions. We are not free to invent new ways of building God’s church. The blue print is in his word. Whenever we see a Church veering from God’s Word, and establishing practices and beliefs apart from God’s Word, this is an injustice.

Government: And of course, the easiest to see is political government of the land. It is God’s Moral Law which is the definition of just and right and true. Any law that is rooted in an idea of man that contradicts God’s justice, is unjust.

THE CROSS OF JUSTICE

What does all this have to do with Jesus Christ. What I’ve tried to show you so far is that justice is a topic near and dear to the heart of God. And Amos tells us that the rot of injustice is so deep that God’s judgment was coming upon them for their sin. And we have seen that the very same injustices that were in their heart, reside in our own flesh as well. But look at chapter 9, this stunning ending to Amos. At the end of Amos there is this glimmer of hope where God promises to dismantle the systems of injustice and establish a new order. Amos writes,

Amos 9:11–12 ““In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this.”

The imagery of the booth is that of a hut, its the last remaining shack of an old Kingdom. God says, “I will raise it up beyond its former glory.” And to the end of the chapter we are told of a Kingdom of God that flows with love and justice and beauty and bounty. How does this happen? In the most unlikely of ways.

He Addresses Our Power Structures: First, when it comes to the social dimension of justice, Christ flipped the world understanding on its end, and perfectly fulfilled God’s viosion.. The text that God would raise up the booth, the hut. That is a reference to the pitiful condition of the Kingdom was in when Christ came. Everybody was looking for a hero to come and set things right. They were a power player. And Christ enters in the form of a humble servant. The confusion of power and authority, and how to weild those things, were some of the root causes of Israel’s injustices. The needy had no power and no authority, and they were trampled upon. And Christ comes and is born not into wealth, but into more of a poor situation. God made flesh, enters in the form of a servant. He washed his disciple’s feet. He touched lepers. He spoke with adulterous women. He befriended tax collectors and prostitutes. And at the start of his ministry, he said exactly what he had come to do.

Luke 4:18 ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,”

He Perfectly Followed the Father’s Will: Second, he perfectly fulfilled the Spiritual Dimension, because his heart was never double minded, it was fixed on God’s will. He regularly went up on mountains to pray to discern the Father’s will. In his moment of agony, Christ called out

Luke 22:42 “…Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.””

He Satisfies the law: And of course, at the cross, Christ perfectly satisfies the law of God in a way that no human could have ever done. At the cross, the great terror that is owed each of us for our sin, was laid on the shoulders of one man, who willingly died in our place. At the cross justice is served, for the Scriptures the consequences of sin is death. So, at the cross, justice is satisfied, the debt is paid in full. But what’s more, love is infused into this world. For to all who are called according to his name, God grants grace upon grace, love upon love. He causes us to be born again, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Cross Redefines Us: See Church, Christ is not just an example to follow when it comes to justice. He is justice incarnate. He is God in the flesh, accomplishing what only God could have done. And to all who have been born again, born of his spirit, he redefines us from the inside out. He removes the heart of stone that had turned in on itself, and replaces it with a heart of flesh capable of living out God’s heart of love and justice. This is your calling! You, are called to be salt and light, stepping in for the vulnerable and the needy, with the bold and powerful name of Jesus!

Applications

I would like to offer a few simple applications beyond what we have discussed thus far, to help us very practically in our modern world navigate discussions on justice.

Passionate About Justice: Christian, we ought to be passionate about justice. Wherever injustice exists in this world, Christians ought to boldly step in, in the power of the Kingdom of God, filled by the Holy Spirit, and dripping with the love of God. Passivity in the face of injustice is not an option for Christians.

Let the Bible Define Justice: Second, we must avoid the temptation to let culture around us define justice. Many of the most popular hashtags that utilize the term justice, are in fact propogating injustices against God and against people. And if we put our name to that which is an injustice, we are in sin. This requires a willingness to go against the grain. The ability to say, “I’m not buying what you’re selling,” no matter how much emotional layers they add to their sales pitch. This will cost you. A willingness to stand for God’s Word, when all the world around you, says God’s Word is wrong.

Caution Against Knee-Jerk Justice Responses: Related to this, let me caution you against knee-jerk calls for justice. Over the last ten years, I can’t tell you how many injustices people wanted me to make a statement about. I chose to exercise caution in speaking before all the facts of a story came out. And I’m grateful I did, because nearly 100% of the time, the story that caused the uproar was only part of the story. Learn to hold your tongue, and do your homework before speaking.

Prayer Life of Grieiving: Lastly, let Christ soften your heart. If you’ve never grieved over the state of the church, or the state of your own faith, ask God to grant you that tender mercy!

Conclusion

Today we have looked at the book of Amos, and surprisingly he has spoken profoundly into a modern conversation that our culture is having on the topic of justice. Amos has redefined justice with far more nuance and layers to it, to shape our worldview. We considered the Social Dynamic, the Spiritual Dynamic, and the Religious Dynamic of true Biblical justice. And now Christian, what will you do with this? May we boldly stand, in the name of Jesus, for true Biblical justice.