In our scripture readings for Minor Prophet Sunday, God chooses a shepherd and tree farmer, Amos, to deliver a message to the nation of Israel. And the message is this: the time of my ignoring your blatant sins is over, and the day of my punishment is coming soon. Unlike the “professional” prophets, who only give the king good news, Amos tells it straight – death for the king, and exile for the people. But he also tells of a time in the future, when the line of King David will be restored in Jesus Christ, and the fortunes of the people will be bright....
Have you ever had the misfortune of having a parent in a position of OFFICIAL authority over you? – your mom is the teacher, your dad is the police officer, your mom is the judge, your dad is the pastor? You would think this would be a good thing, but it isn't! All of the tearful excuses that regular people use, are closed to you. “I didn't have time to study.” Correct, you were playing video games. “I didn't know that was illegal.” We talked about that section of the criminal code before you left for the party. “I didn't realize that was expected of me.” We covered the Ten Commandments in confirmation class. Your parent can see through all of the BS, because they KNOW you – they know your true situation. And so, the amount of slack you can expect to receive is exactly zero....
Thus saith the Lord: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for ALL your iniquities.” The people of Israel were well aware of the standards God sets, and under evil King Jeroboam II, the people were still falling far short. They were still worshiping other gods at the high places, and corruption was rampant. The Lord was getting ready to do something about it, so it was time to speak – and when the Lord God speaks, who can but prophesy? And the prophet God chose was an outsider –
Amos, a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees. A voice from an unexpected source.
And the message was harsh! God challenged the people's assumption that God was on their side – are you sure you want to see the day upon which the Lord will act? You won't like the result! God told the people he was tired of hearing them say “sorry”, without also hearing them say, “I promise not to do it again.” - he stopped accepting the routine sin offerings and the offerings of well-being. God declared he was tired of oh-so-pious worship services on Sunday, and then, back to the business of injustice on Monday.
In fact, Amos records a discussion he has with God about the appropriate punishment for Israel. God starts by suggesting a locust-induced famine. Amos begs for mercy, realizing that this will be the destruction of Israel, not the punishment of Israel, and God relents. Then God suggests a shower of fire, with the same results as the famine, so Amos begs for mercy again and God relents again. Finally, God shows Amos a plumb line, the true and consistent standard of a vertical line, and God reaffirms HIS true and consistent standards – which means an end to the slack that they have been receiving – and the punishment of exile from Israel's land. And, oh yeah, the death of King Jeroboam, which makes this message, and Amos, very unpopular in the king's court.
Rampant corruption. And the worship of many things other than God. If we were to claim that things are way different now, we would have a hard time proving it. Corruption is baked into everything in our society – how we avoid taxes, how we develop industries, how we see the political situation. Instead of pursuing justice, we want, as Peruvian General Oscar Benevides said, "For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law." We do not hate the evil and love the good, we hate the evil that benefits “them,” and love the evil that benefits “us.”
And don't get me started on the vast list of things, people, and ideas that outrank God for being worshiped. Just know that if you want to ascribe supreme value to the Flying Spaghetti Monster or some such thing, you'll find plenty of support on the internet to affirm you. If we were living in the time of King Jeroboam, now would be the time to sell your property for gold, so you can take it with you, into exile....