By Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador
Kinongia te kino, arohaina te pai, whakapumautia te whakawa ki te kuwaha: tera pea a Ihowa, te Atua o nga mano, ka aroha ki te toenga o Hohepa.
Ia outou ‘ino‘ino i le leaga, a e loto atu i le lelei, ma ia outou faatumau le faamasinoga i le faitotoa; atonu e alofa Ieova le Atua o ‘au i e ua totoe ia Iosefa.
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:15
Jeroboam II rules supreme over Israel, winning battles, territory, and plunder on a grand scale. As wealth pours into the nation, their worship is neglected and their weak are ignored.
The courts become corrupted, taxation becomes exploitative, and the people of God become complicit by their silence. As a result, a tidal wave of God’s wrath is coming.
In the middle of this scene, Amos calls the people of God to hate evil and love good in a very practical and public way.
Amos calls them to maintain justice in the courts. He insists that God’s just character be woven into the fabric of the courts. The people of God are to ensure the fair treatment of all. They are to protect the vulnerable—widows, orphans, and the poor—from exploitation. They are to prevent bribery and corruption.
Amos is reminding the people that wealth easily distorts worship. He reminds them that worshipping a just God reflects in their pursuit of justice in the courts. He is reminding them that God's character is completely opposed to corruption. He reminds them that personally hating evil and loving good has public implications.
Amos knows that if Israel turns from worship of wealth and worships the God whose character is displayed in his care of the weak, he will have mercy on them.
At the cross, God perfectly displayed his care for the weak, the poor, and the lost. At the cross, spiritually destitute people—sinners like me—were once and for all reconciled to him, when his son gave his life for us. Though I deserved the tidal wave of his wrath, I received the wonder of his grace.
How can I reflect the character of my God who is just and who justified sinners by sacrificing his Son? I can continue reflecting God’s justness in my attitudes and actions towards the weak and the vulnerable. In all my actions, I can demonstrate God’s just character and his justification of undeserving people like me by hating what is evil, loving what is good, and seeking justice in the spheres of influence God gives me.
