Amos and Social Justice

Introduction

There are various societal ills which Amos identified in various nations. Amos prophesied in Israel between 760 and 750 B.C. This prophet’s preaching occurred in the mid-18th century B.C., some years before the ministry of prophet Hosea began. During this period, only a few privileged Israelites enjoyed unprecedented wealth while the rest faced dire poverty. Amos resided in a small village known as Tekoa which bordered Judah. Even though he prophesied during this period, his words offers a powerful witness to today’s world because of the way he condemned the spiritual wickedness or blindness which existed among the Judean unjust upper-class particularly how they exploited the poor. Amos thus forged an unbreakable and explicit connection between righteousness of a person before God and justice toward a neighbor, a connection which goes back to the Sinai covenant as well as to the ancient Israel traditions. The ministry of Amos thus offers opposition to social, political and economic injustice. According to Amos, chapter five verse 24, he says “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Amos particularly spoke to the society that was oppressed and his concerns for the oppressed and the poor made his words relevant in all time. Therefore, Amos is relevant today, a period when there is a wide gap between the poor and the rich. The source of injustice and oppression look unique today, but many people are mostly concerned about material prosperity which reflects Amos’ days. God’s message through prophet Amos of opposition against injustice, the prophet’s criticism of individuals worshiping material things and the prophet’s witness of God’s concern for the oppressed and the poor, affirm that worshiping God at any age or period is not worth if injustice and social oppression are ignored.

Righteousness and justice were the core focus of the prophet’s message. Amos used the words righteousness and justice together three times in two chapters of his book (Amos 5:7; 5:24; 6:12). The term justice is used by the prophet once in Amos chapter 5: 15. In Amos chapter 5:7 RSV, it is written “O you who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth.” In Amos 5:15 RSV, he says that “Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” Amos 5:24 RSV further says that “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” In Amos 6:12 RSV, he asks, “Do horses run upon rocks? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.”

The justice dispensed by the Israel courts to the poor was described by Amos as bitterness. The injustice and oppression that this prophet found in Northern Israel was evidence that people had thrown away righteousness and those in power considered it worthless. Powerful people in Israel no longer considered righteousness as something with meaning and that it was no longer a requirement for God’s worship. According to Amos, loving good and hating evil was a powerful statement for establishing justice. Using a simple language, Amos placed the principles of true justice before some people who argued concerning legal technicalities while also tolerating greed, corruption and bribery. Israel’s city gate was fortified to protect the inhabitants of the city form enemies as well as to serve as a place where elders would form a legal assembly to dispense adjudication to those in need. The gate was thus a place for the nation’s local judiciary to be gathered and determines wrong and right in Israelite’s legal disputes and thus decide who is guilty or innocent. Deuteronomy chapter 25 verse one described the process in the following way: “Suppose two persons have a dispute and enter into litigation, and the judges decide between them, declaring one to be in the right and the other to be in the wrong.”

Following this process, if the judges declared where the particular right was, then according to Amos, justice was served. The court’s decision had some redemptive aspect for the groups taking part in the process of litigation. The court’s decision was supposed to vindicate the just group involved in the legal dispute. The court’s decision was also supposed to protect social order during that time by finding wrong and right and correcting those who were on the wrong. Therefore, the court’s decision was especially important in cases that involved widows, orphans, the poor, and individuals without influence and power, particularly those that were not able to find redress in the society beside the court’s decision.

Amos proclaimed that the nation of Israel had violated their old traditions. The oppressed and the poor were people who deserved the court’s protection as well as fair treatment from individuals in positions of making legal decisions. According to Amos chapter five verse 24, the only means that justice could be realized by the Israelite society was for justice to be rolled down like water and righteousness like a stream that is ever flowing. However, this was not the case during the prophet’s time.

The book of Amos speaks relevantly and insightfully to matters of justice for this time. At the core of Amos’ message is his call to live while observing justice. This prophet was passionate about justice. He fought for social justice. The message of his book can be put in three distinct theological motifs or themes which are defined by justice. These themes include piety and justice of a nation, justice in the nation and justice among nations. Amos started by indicting nations for their injustice and wickedness, beginning with the Syria, a nation located north of Israel. He then moved to nations on the west of Israel such as Phoenicia and Philistia, then to the south of Israel such as Ammon and Edom. He also moved to the east to Moab and lastly, he ended up indicting sister states such as Judah.

Throughout Amos’ book, we get confronted with one fact, that all people and nations are called by God to account for their way of life and behavior. The standards of justice by God are universal and are rooted in His righteousness and holiness. Therefore, there is no monopoly that is held by any nation, race, religion or people on justice, righteousness, truth and goodness and that these are the standards for all people on earth which they will account for to God. It is crucial to realize that injustices which were committed by nations during Amos’ time are similar to the injustices which are committed by nations today. For instance, during Amos’ time, Damascus or Syria was accused of atrocities, violence and cruelty because she threatened Gilead that she would use threshing iron sledges.

Another example is Philistia or Gaza which was accused of conducting slave trade when she took into captivity whole communities which they then sold. Phoenicia or Tyre was also accused of not honoring a treaty or covenant when she ignored a brotherhood treaty which they had entered. Ammon was accused of atrocities and imperialism when she ripped open pregnant women from Gilead to extend their borders. Each one of these injustices is lamentably common in the contemporary society and is the reason behind why people in today’s world live in a global crisis. Violence and cruelty among nations are commercialized and institutionalized by the contemporary threshing iron sledges which represent armaments or weapons of war which are very lucrative in the market. Slave trade is a cruel experience that has been witnessed in some African countries like Sudan where entire groups of particular ethnicities are sold in the market. Similarly, young boys and girls are currently sold into prostitution and slavery in the Asiatic market. Dishonoring treaties is also a common issue that is seen in several nations whose loyalty are dictated not by treaty or covenant among independent or sovereign states but by the universal market globalization. In Amos 5: 8, it is written that the modern treaties are no longer worth the document they are written on as long as idolatry reigns and that after a while, what nations sow are what they will reap because God will forever remain sovereign over all creation. Amos 9:7 says he is sovereign over history and 1:3 says over nations while 2:6 says that he demands justice from all nations.

It is a common occurrence in the history of many nations that their economic prosperity and political stability resulted in indifference and self-sufficiency among the people like was for Israel. However, God instituted a plumb line in the nation, with implications which are equal for Judah and for other nations. The plumb line demonstrated a community inclined toward violence, exploitation, oppression and idolatry. In Amos 2:6-7, judgment would be placed upon Israel because they exchanged righteousness for silver and that they sold poor people for sandals. The powerful also trampled on poor people’s heads like the dust on the ground and denied justice to those who were oppressed.

It is critically essential for the contemporary society to understand the justice standards which are placed before the dominant class and the kings (the military, the judges, business people, landowners and the governor) and all people to ensure that justice is observed toward all people who are under-privileged. The core of Amos’ message is that people will be judged according to how they treat those who are weak in the society. The teaching of Amos, similar to other prophetic messages is that past God’s championing for the widow, the needy, the poor and stranger as well as his intrinsic love lies the reality of idol worship. Just like it is written in Exodus 20:1-5, the commandment teaches us that “I am the Lord your God…You shall have no other gods before me… for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”

While many Israelites may have not participated in worshiping idols of rock or wood like many people today, they rendered their worship to the idol of wealth known as Mammon. The anxiety and desire for greed for riches, is an obsessive note in individuals belonging to the dominant class. This led to these individuals oppressing the needy and the poor as well as corruption in courts, religious systems, the market and the entire society. Thus, the central note of prophet Amos’ message is that social injustice and the idolatry is in the entire society. Therefore, the lesion is very clear that idolatry is at the center of social injustice and is often the cause of downfall of many nations. The main concern in Amos’ book, similar to all other biblical teachings regarding the society is that God is passionate about justice for the oppressed, the weak and poor people in the society. It is clear that all nations have an obligation of ensuring justice as demanded by God.

The nation of Israel had forsaken the oppressed and the poor. They thus pretended to worship God through the multitude of their gifts and offerings. They then excelled in creating songs for temple worship establishing a revival where the temple was crowded but was an abomination to the Lord (Amos 6:5). Amos 5:21-24 says that God hates and despise religious feasts and he cannot stand their assemblies even when they make grain and burnt offerings, he will not accept such offerings. The message written further says that though people might bring God fellowship offerings, he will not regard them. He will also ignore the noise of their songs and the music of their harps. In this message, God asks that justice to roll like a stream and righteousness like a river that will run forever.

In the entire scripture, important truths concerning worship can be found which relate to authentic worship and to our behavior toward the oppressed and the poor. Amos’ words are also echoed by Isaiah in Isa 58:5-7, which says that the form of fasting which one chooses should be one which they humble themselves and the day which they choose to bow their head and put on ashes and sackcloth should be acceptable to God. In such a fast, the person should loose injustice bonds and let those who are oppressed to go free. Isaiah further says that the fast should be one where bread is given to those who are hungry and the homeless welcomed into homes. Similarly, those who are naked are covered and not hiding oneself from own kin.

According to Isaiah and Amos, the worship and fast which pleases God should be accompanied by acts of justice and mercy towards the oppressed, those who are broken and the poor. Amos message is relevant to the current generation in the sense that it lies on all problems and conditions of the current generation which are similar to those of Israel which makes his message meaningful to the contemporary situation. Amos insisted that there should be absolute morality standards. According to Amos, contextual ethics offers helpful insights but also permits people to establish their own standards which are permissive instead of restrictive. Contextual ethicist says that Christian’s ruling norm is solely love which offers partial truth. It is argued that true love can only be practiced and understood when God is made the main focus and not love.

Amos’ message is also relevant to today’s God-is-dead controversy. In this controversy, it is proclaimed that humans have come of age and that they can only realize their full potential when they are freed from their belief in God. The people who were preached to by Amos did not consider God to be dead but felt like they had no responsibility for adhering to God’s laws. The outcome was not a society that is superior in which the theologians of God-is-dead envisioned but a decadent one that was not concerned about the oppressed or the poor and which received only one message from Amos, that of doom.

Concerning another widely debated contemporary question is that of the church’s involvement in social issues which confront today’s world. Amos advises that people should involve themselves in burning moral and social problems of their day. Prophet Amos felt compelled to give the people of Bethel and the sanctuary of Kings a message concerning justice and righteousness. Amos denounced Israel’s sins publicly even when he was ridiculed and the dangers he faced in his mission. The contemporary church must thus be on guard to make sure that it is not operating under a comfortable type of religion which does not endanger or inconvenience its leaders’ personal safety. The church cannot thus ignore the current issues of moral disintegration, poverty, racism and war.

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