ACCOUNTABILITY - NATIONAL AND PERSONAL
Responsibility and accountability are two words that cause us to think about maturity. These ideas more or less embody the concept of maturity. These ideas communicate expectations that if we buy something, we must pay for it; if we break something we should fix it or replace it; and if we break the rules (commit sin) we will be penalized.
When we hear the word “sin,” we typically think about individuals. However, it is possible for entire nations to commit wrongs that bring judgement on the nation in much the same way sins of individuals bring judgement on themselves. The reality of cause and consequence is ever with us. Many people find that if they spend too much on borrowed money that they will be in deep financial problems. Even our government has discovered this fact. The law of the harvest eventually comes into play in that "as we sow, so shall we reap." The nation of Israel found that God held them accountable in proportion to the blessing that He had given them. The Israelites were are special people to God and they had neglected to live in accordance with their blessing. Before God sent judgement on His people He sent many massagers to warn them and to attempt to get them to repent.
Amos was a shepherd who lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. God called him to go to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and give his message there. We recognize him as a prophet; however, he was not a member of any recognized group of prophets during his day. For example, in the time of David, Nathan was recognized as a prophet and probably made a living by his office of a prophet. We don’t have any professional prophets today but we do have professional evangelists. In the same way as Amos, there are others who are true evangelists that do not get paid for proclaiming the Good News. Sometimes we tend to listen more to a Billy Graham than to someone that we barely know preaching on a local radio station. Perhaps God chooses such people that are not well known to bring His messages to people because He wants people to accept the message on its own merit rather than on the charisma or personality of the person delivering the message.
God had a message for the nations of that region of the world. It covered Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab -- these nations were condemned for their sins against Israel. The people of the Northern Kingdom could remember suffering because of border raids from these neighbors. It may have been similar to the attacks that are made on Israel today by the PLO forces. When Amos announced God’s condemnation of these enemies of theirs, they could all agree and probably cheered.
This is what the Lord says: "for three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because they have rejected the law of the lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire upon Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem." (Amos 2:4-5 NIV)
Amos then started to hit a little closer to home when he talked about Judah’s sins and God’s displeasure. It was so easy for them to see the faults of others and so difficult to see their own faults. The style of the message regarding Judah was similar to what God had used for the heathen nations. “For three sins of Judah, even for four . . .” This phrase indicates the patience of God in dealing with all people. In the culture of that day the prevailing idea was that a person was extremely generous to tolerate someone doing something wrong to him. God was saying that He would be more patient than they expected or practiced with one another.
The sins of the heathen nations were atrocities they committed against their enemies. These were things so wrong that anyone would know they were wrong. The basic problem that Judah had was disobedience to God’s laws. They despised God’s laws and did not follow them. God’s expectation regarding His commandments has not changed just because we are living after the coming of the Messiah and His death for our salvation. If anything, we could be expected to be more able to be obedient because we also have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit available to us. Notice God did not condemn the heathen nations for failure to keep His laws. They did not even have His laws. The requirements for Judah were more stringent because they did know more. So it is with us, God requires much from those to whom He gives much. We cannot expect to live a victorious life apart from the abiding presence of God. We must abide in Him and He in us. The ONLY way that will happen is outlined for us in John 14:23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Obedience is still important to God.
This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines. (Amos 2:6-8 NIV)
Amos was going to help the people see their own problems. He did not stop with the neighboring nations or even with Judah, but went on to pronounce God’s judgement on them, also.
There were plenty of evil practices by Israel for which God could and would bring judgement on the people of Israel. The first charge involved perverting justice by bribing judges. The poor were being oppressed by those that could take advantage of them because of their wealth and/or position. If the rich could buy the judge, then the poor had no way to protect themselves.
The practices involved things such as selling someone into slavery or confiscating his property perhaps because he owed a small amount of money. Those that were greedy for property and material possessions would take every advantage of the poor and powerless. In some cases it could have been "legal" to do what they did, but God’s people are not merely to "conform to the law," but are to go beyond the law in the name of basic fairness and certainly in the name of love and generosity.
God accused them of "panting after the dust on the head of the poor." This could be a way of saying they were so hungry for land that they wanted the dirt that the poor person might have on his body.
Another charge against the people of Israel involved their participation in a heathen religious practices. Many of the pagan religions were centered in fertility rites. The practice involved sexual immorality with temple prostitutes. Involvement in any form of pagan worship was and is a serious offence to God. Sexual immorality was also condemned by God. Many people today have no restraint when it comes to sexual practices. I have heard people make statements such as "A person shouldn’t let his religion influence his sex life." My answer to such foolishness is that there is nothing to separate us from the animals if we don’t let our religion influence us in that area.
A third point of contention God had with Israel involved the practice of keeping the garment a person in pledge for a debt. The law forbid keeping of such pledges overnight since the person owing the debt would have no way to stay warm. Yet those greedy for gain, ignored this law.
The mention of "drinking the wine of the condemned" probably refers to wine that was confiscated from people that could not pay their debts. Those that confiscated it then used the wine in their religious practices. Such practice was not pleasing to God.
"I destroyed the Amorite before them, though he was tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below. "I brought you up out of Egypt, and I led you forty years in the desert to give you the land of the Amorites. I also raised up prophets from among your sons and Nazirites from among your young men. Is this not true, people of Israel?" declares the LORD. (Amos 2:9-11 NIV)
God had Amos remind the people of Israel that He had given them the land and had destroyed those that inhabited it. The Amorites were very big people and the Israelites could not have defeated them without the help of God. They were to also recall that God had set their forefathers free from slavery in Egypt and had literally led them day and night in the wilderness. All the good and worthwhile things that had happened to them was a results of God’s blessings.
God had used their own sons as prophets to bring His word of instruction to Israel. He provided examples of disciplined lives in young men that would take the vow of a Nazarite by agreeing to not ever cut their hair nor to drink alcoholic beverages.
"But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy. (Amos 2:12 NIV)
Rather than encouraging these special people that God had appointed in their midst, they did just the opposite. They told the prophets to keep quite and encouraged the Nazarites to break their vows. We see the same thing in today’s society. If a person has a message to share with his contemporaries regarding what God has called us to do, he is criticized and characterized as a fanatic. Such people are dismissed and rarely taken seriously. In a similar way, anyone today who does not drink alcohol is regarded as some sort of freak. In most social settings, drinking alcohol is the accepted thing to do. Drinks are served during the social time before a meal, prior to the meal, during and after the meal. The world doesn’t make it easy on a person that is different for "righteousness sake" today anymore than it did during Amos’ day.
Hear this word the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel— against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins." (Amos 3:1-2 NIV)
We think it seems a little strange that God would punish His Chosen people even before He would punish the heathen for the same offense. It should not seem strange in that a parent will chastise his own child and not his neighbor’s child. God chastised Israel precisely because they were special to Him. God’s election and calling of people are not a reward for living a good life -- God does not owe us anything, but He elected us for the purpose of drawing other people to His blessing. The basis for His election is His love. We, too, must keep in mind the lessons of Amos’ prophecy: Sin brings serious consequences, we need to examine our lives for sins and repent of them, and we should always keep in mind that we have been saved by God’s grace and not on our merit. It is important for each of us to support those that bring God’s word to us and those that are an example of a higher calling. Finally, we can be confident that trials and testings that God allows to come our way are there because He loves us and wants to perfect us so that we are transformed into the image of His Son, Jesus.
