AMOS 5:1-6, 12-17 DEAD MEN WALKING

1 Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:
2 “Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again, deserted in her own land, with no one to lift her up.” 3 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “The city that marches out a thousand strong for Israel will have only a hundred left; the town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left.” 4 This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live; 5 do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.” 6 Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

12 For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins.
You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. 13 Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil.
14 Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. 15 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. 16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: “There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail. 17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD.

Probably every clergy person has had the experience of visiting a member in the hospital and being greeted with the words, “Is it really that bad?” Of course many times the patient is joking, but at other times the look of fear in the patient’s eyes betrays the sudden realization that all might not be well. Imagine how great the shock would be if your pastor walked up to you on the golf course, at the bridge table, in the middle of a sale or on the beach and began to give you last rites. You better believe that would get your full attention.

Such was the scenario faced by Israel. The nation and its leaders were at the top of their game. Rich, powerful and seemingly blessed by God, Israel thought that he was untouchable when it came to misfortune. Certainly, under the circumstances there would be no reason to consider his demise. Then that prophet from the south who had been breathing threats changes his tune and cries a lament over Israel; the equivalent of giving last rites to a healthy and robust person with no known trace of illness.

But for Amos it is more than a rhetorical device to get Israel’s attention. It is also the proper posture of the servants of God when they share God’s heart with those who live in opposition to God’s will. This is an illustration of Jesus’ teaching when he says, “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4). As it does to God’s heart, it should also break our hearts that others turn away from God to their own destruction. And just as the prophecies of judgment are balanced with hope, so too must our mourning direct others to the seed of hope that is in God through Jesus Christ. Amos includes the message, “Seek good, not evil, that you may live...Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph” in the hope that some will hear and turn back to the Lord. This is the heart of God. May it always be our heart, also.

In your Word, Lord, you call for a broken and contrite heart. May my heart be broken not just for my own sins but for the sins of those with whom I live, work and play. May my inner lament drive me to share the hope that is within me with those around me. Amen.