Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 (NRSV)
Read Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 on biblegateway.com
Verse 6Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it. Verse 7Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground! Verse 10They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. Verse 11Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. Verse 12For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins- you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate. Verse 13Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time. Verse 14Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Verse 15Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Devotion
Many congregations observe Indigenous People’s Sunday on October 13. The day celebrates our Native American neighbors and reflects upon times past when justice was lacking and righteousness was brought to the ground. In 2016 the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted a “Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery,” a doctrine which gave conquest and colonization of indigenous peoples a religious justification.
It takes prophets like Amos to move us forward. Amos’ call to “Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate” is as important in 2024 as in 2016 or 1492. Many Christian congregations, synods, conferences, and dioceses in the U.S. and Canada have adopted land acknowledgement statements as a step toward establishing the justice of which Amos speaks. We must continue to seek good and establish justice. It’s not an easy task, but Amos reminds us that God is gracious and will guide us on the path.
Prayer
Gracious God, give us courage to hate evil, love good, and establish justice in your world. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.