Year 6, Day 224: Amos 2

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Character

• Character: Having the interior life that is necessary to support the work that God sets before a person.  It is hearing from God and obeying.  It is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.

Amos 2 gives us another interesting perspective into the character of humanity.  Look at all of the various things that human beings are accused of doing in this chapter.  As a fair warning, it isn’t pretty.

First of all, we hear about the Moabites.  What are they guilty of?  Well, we are not entirely sure.  We know that they “burned the bones of the king of Edom.”  But what exactly does this mean?  It could be that they are disrespecting the dead.  It could be that they are guilty of grave robbing.  In any case, the people of Moab are guilty of living a life that is willing to take advantage of the defenseless.  When there is no respect for the dead, there is no respect for the helpless, either.

Then we get to the Hebrew people.  What is Judah guilty of?  Judah is guilty not valuing their relationship with the Lord.  They lie.  They seek their own gain.  They trade the truth of God for their own passion.

Then we hit the people of Israel, the northern kingdom.  What is their great sin?  According to Amos, their sin is that they are selling the righteous and the needy.  In other words, they’ve become slavers.  They are willing to look upon other human beings as a means to an economic end.  They no longer see each other as human beings deserving of love; instead they see each other as an object from economic advantage.

What does all of this say about the human character?  We are inherently greedy.  We are willing to use one another.  We are willing to take advantage of those who cannot stop us from doing so.  We are willing to follow the whims of our passion regardless of whether or not it’s right or wrong.  Why do we need God?  I think that list of character traits says it all.

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