Let us consider the ways in which the prophet Amos applies the principle of justice, first with regard to the actions of nations and, second, with regard to public policy and the actions of individuals within society.
As a preacher,
Amos was extraordinarily clever. There was intense bitterness between the southern Israelite tribes (centered in Jerusalem) and the northern tribes (centered in Samaria). Amos was from the south but his message was aimed at both. Imagine a Southerner preaching to Yankees in New York City!
He cleverly begins with the evils of the surrounding nations, upon which every Israelite could agree. Consider the appalling list of atrocities which he indicts, against which he promises divine judgment:
Syria to the north (1:3-5) for cruel warfare and for perpetrating atrocities. Philistia to the south (1:6-8) and Phoenicia to the north (1:9-10) for conquest, ethnic cleansing and slave trade.Edom (1:11-12) to the east and Ammon (1:13-15) to the south for terrorism and genocide, including ripping fetuses from the bodies of pregnant women. Moab to the east (1🔢1-3) for vindictive, desecrating hatred.
There are parallels to all of these atrocities in modern times – consider the destruction and desecration of scores of Christian churches, monasteries and other Christian landmarks in Kosovo (which is to Serbian Christians what the Vatican is to Catholics), or the killings of Christians in Egypt and Somalia, all due to our toleration of declared jihadist violence against the West and minimalist response to it..
The crux of Amos’ indictment is that right and wrong, and justice, stand for objective characteristics.
The evils of the nations surrounding Israel are judged not by the mores of Israel but by the moral dictum that genocide, cruelty and inhumanity are inherently wrong. The true nature of justice reflects the righteousness of God. Thus any discussion of justice being a communitarian invention, as those do who regard the American Constitution a “living” document to be adapted to current conditions at will, undermines the root meaning of justice. Enthroned at the core of our heritage, justice is not a societal invention but stands above both ruler and the ruled.
To the chagrin of his hearers Amos then turns to the primary objective of his prophetic ministry: the transgressions of Judah, his own people (an indictment his northern cousins in Samaria would welcome); but, then, he directs his message to their own hypocrisy and injustices, at which point the listeners in Samaria shouted, “ buzz off…”
What does he excoriate and indict?
Oppression by the perversion of justice
First, oppression by the perversion of justice: Judicial bribery such as selling the righteous for silver (2:6; 8:6). Excessive penalty -- imposing servitude for the price of a pair of sandals (2:6). Arbitrary governance which generates tumult (3:9). Fraud and extortion that stores up the proceeds of violence and robbery (3:10). Perjury – abhorring truth in the courts (5:10). Subversion of justice (5:12) by setting aside just cases in the courts (2:7), by turning justice into wormwood (6:12), by despising just arbitration (5:10).
Repression and exploitation by the abuse of power
Second, repression and exploitation by the abuse of power: Trampling the heads of the poor in the dust (4💯5:11), hounding to death (8:4), even expropriating necessary garments (2:8) to pay for small indebtedness. Curtailing freedom of speech and intimidating critics (2:12, 5:10, 7:10-13). Violating the social compact (5:12).
Dishonest and unjust commercial practices
Third, dishonest and unjust commercial practices: Fraudulent volume and weight measurement, dishonest balances and adulterated wheat (8:5-6).
Corruption that is religiously justified
Fourth – probably worst of all -- corruption that is religiously justified: Compounding evil from generation to generation (2:4) and flaunting ill-gotten gains in worship (2:8). Chapter 5 is an incredible indictment of hypocritical religion: purporting to worship God while practicing evil:
Seek good, and not evil … Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate (5:14-15). This is accompanied by the satirical jibes:
Do not seek Bethel (literally:
don’t bother to attend church as cover for your evils) and
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies (5:5, 21).
In none of this does Amos excoriate productivity and wealth, or demand redistribution of wealth. His insistence is for a just, level playing field, and accountability. But for the unfeeling who ignore any altruistic impulse or who lack any sense of compassion for the needy, Amos’ prescription is not kleptocratic legislation but stiletto sharp satire against those who
lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches (6:4) in light of the final judgments of God.
Finally, to those who say that even if God does judge them he has promised to conserve a remnant, Amos remarks that, yes, there will be a remnant -- like the left-over pieces of a carcass upon which a lion has feasted.
Justice, an honest, level playing field, accountability, is the public policy which Amos says God asks of us; and, compassion for those in need is the response to God of those who love God with their whole heart and soul and mind. But not state expropriation of honestly earned wealth or state-induced dependence on welfare. This is a theological and public policy paradigm different from that advocated by advocates of left-wing social justice policies today by which they create a clientele of dependents.
Parallels to the injustices Amos indicts are easy to find in our time. The media have barely begun to investigate and report corruption in the private and public sectors of our society, many parts of which are quite literally bankrupt due to greed, avarice, mismanagement and criminal behavior.
An example: Vernon is a small municipality next to Los Angeles with only 89 residents (according to the most recent census figures). But it is one of the richest, embracing 1800 businesses that provide a tax base of $334 million in a town with no parks, one school, and one residential street. It has become a personal piggy-bank for the small group of residents who cycle one another in and out of office – some holding office for 40 years or more. It is reported that the former city manager earned $785,000 last year and that his predecessor earned $1.65 million the year before. A member of the California State Assembly is now proposing legislation to dis-incorporate cities of less than 150 residents. To what end? To clean up the administration of Vernon or to get a piece of the pie?
