The Lord will roar from Zion, and from Jerusalem raise his voice: the pastures of the shepherds will languish, and the summit of the Carmel wither.
As the sacred high place of Carmelwithers and the simple shepherds suffer, God roars out a warning through the prophet Amos. What is it that we hear?
God says: You ask for my wisdom and I give it to you; yet you pause for my words do not always match your desire. You ask for my consolation and I bestow it on you; yet you mourn for what you do not have. You ask for redemption and I breathe new life into you; yet you hesitate . . . for you struggle to cast off your old complaints. They have become too familiar and too comfortable to you.
Amos challenges us today to listen for the roar of the lion, to tend to the altar on Carmel, to restore the shepherds to their flocks and fields. Where in our own lives do crops waste away and the sacred places fall silent?
If we have no commentary to explore the opening verses of Amos, we might use one the the following online.
Chapter 5 of Amos, a prophecy that speaks in particular to the wealthy who oppress the poor to store up more riches than they will ever need, reminds all of us that we must tend to our relationships with God, one another and self for if we do not . . . we become too enmeshed in regret, stubbornness, and an intractable pigheadedness about asking and giving pardon. God will deal out vengeance to the nations and punishment on all peoples in a manner far better than any we might devise. Hear ye this word, Amos intones, seek ye me and ye shall live, sayeth the Lord.
We are reminded of the effectiveness of Amos’ word to us even today when we read Hebrews 4:12-13. This word of God which Amos conveys is living and effective, sharper than any spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of God to whom we must render an account.Amos calls us to spend time reflecting on what this rendering might look like, what these secrets may be, and how this Word might separate or unite us.
The word cleave is an interesting one in the English language – it holds opposite definitions of bringing together and breaking apart. From a web source we have the double definition.
separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument; “cleave the bone”.
make by cutting into; “The water is going to cleave a channel into the rock”.
cling: come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation; “The dress clings to her body”; “The label stuck to the box”; “The sushi rice grains cohere”. wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
This then, is the word of God that can both frighten and comfort us. Woe to them that desire the day of the Lord! To what end is it for you? This is Amos’ warning and it can either send us away from God or it can draw us closer still. It is our attitude about the worth of our relationships that makes all of the difference. It is our decision about how we see this idea of cleavingwith and to or cleaving asunder and into partsthat makes the difference in our lives. And it is this exhortation that we hear today.
Adapted from a reflection written on August 17, 2010.
What do we know about the prophet Amos? When we seek we will find that . . .
He described himself as a shepherd and farmer who tended to sycamore trees;
His strong verbal skills imply that he was more than an ignorant peasant;
He did not consider himself to be a professional prophet; he did not make a living proclaiming oracles to a patron who paid to hear what he wanted to hear;
He lived in Tekoa, a town about 11 miles south of Jerusalem;
He centered his ministry around Bethel, a major city in the north of Israel where many of the upper classes of the northern kingdom worshiped;
He lived during the reigns of Jeroboam IIof Israel and Uzziah of Judah, 760-750 B.C.E., an era of unusual prosperity;
He brought a message of warning to the wealthy and powerful that they must come to see that their wealth had lured them into spiritual complacency and ethical laxity;
He warned his audience that judgment would be exacted for the actions of the strong against the weak. (Zondervan 1444-1445)
There is heavy emphasis on social justice in this prophecy and those of us today who live in first-world cultures do well to spend time contemplating the words and thoughts of Amos. What do we who are comfortable do for those who are not? How do we have much enact God’s Word for those who have little? Who are the peasants among us who ask for our introspection, our witness, our voices, and our action? In the time of pandemic and social unrest, how do we reflect the God who created us?
If we spend time today with the words of Amos and a solid commentary or other resource, we will hear God speak to us in our innermost refuge where we go to forget the woes of the world. If we spend time with the poetry of Amos today, we will experience the message of healing and restoration this prophet still brings to the faithful who seek God’s wisdom, to the faithful who yearn to bear fruit.
Tomorrow, an exhortation to return to God.
Adapted from a post written on September 14, 2013.
“Amos was a shepherd ofTekoain Judah, who exercised his ministry during the prosperous reign ofJeroboam II(786-746 B.C.). He prophesied in Israel at the great cult center ofBethel, from which he was finally expelled by the priest in charge of this royal sanctuary. The poetry of Amos, who denounces the hollow prosperity of the northern kingdom, is filled with imagery and language taken from his own pastoral background. The book is an anthology of his oracles and was compiled either by the prophet or by some of his disciples”. (Senior 1126)
“Amos is the earliest of prophets who have books in their names. In fact, his oracles were transmitted orally, and only collected in book form much later . . . We know very little about the career of Amos . . . He was an independent agent. He was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores (the fruit, resembling a fig, had to be tended in order to prevent insects from destroying it), and so had his own means. He did not depend on king or priest for support, and so was not beholden to them, and did not require their permission to prophesy. This independence left him free to speak the truth as he saw it, without political constraint”. (Senior RG 361-362)
The words and life of Amos charge us to speak without constraint. What do we do with and in our lives to live in this independence?
The oracles and visions of Amos show us the possibility of a world that delivers justice and mercy without constraint. How do we act and speak to live in this possibility?
The woes and joys of Amos guide us in the way that Jesus comes to lead us. How eager are we to follow in the witnessing we are called to perform without constraint?
“Luke understands the events of Jesus’ last days in Jerusalem to be the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, but, as is usually the case in Luke-Acts, the author does not specify which Old Testament prophets he has in mind”. (Senior 133 cf.)
Many of us live much of our lives in this way: we do as God asks with the understanding that that we are fulfilling some needed action . . . without fully comprehending how our small part fits in with God’s great plan. Discipleship is characteristically vague in this way, asking us to rely in faith on God, asking us to rest in hope with God, asking us to act in love for God.
Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . .
Each time we feel God’s desire move through us we know that we are going up to Jerusalem.
The Son of Man will be handed over . . .
Each time we follow Christ we understand that we run the risk of being handed over to the scoffers, the naysayers, the plotters and the complacent.
He will be mocked and insulted and spat upon . . .
Each time we lament that disciple work is difficult we put aside the memory of Jesus’s last days.
After they have scourged him they will kill him . . .
Each time we die another small death we believe we have no more energy to move forward.
But on the third day he will rise . . .
Each time we think we are extinguished forever we rise in restoration and healing.
But they understood nothing of this . . .
Each time we try to explain the reasons for our outrageous hope we meet expressionless faces.
And the word remained hidden from them . . .
Each time we come up against the wall of incomprehension we must remember that even those who followed Jesus day to day did not fully understand . . . until Christ returned to them following the events of his Passion and death.
And they failed to comprehend what he said . . .
Each time we believe that we are lost we must remember that God always acts through inversion and so the lost will be found.
Each time we fall Christ is there – even though we do not comprehend.
Each time we suffer Christ is there – even though we do not understand.
Each time we die one of those many small deaths that mark our passing, Christ is there – even though we do not fully see.
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.133. Print.
Enter the words Going Up to Jerusalem – A Prayer into the blog search bar and explore another reflection. To better understand the expression, enter the words Going Up to Jerusalem and visit the three-part post.
Baruch, secretary to the prophet Jeremiah, sets down his thoughts in poetry and prose. Today we reflect with him on God’s promises recalled.
God says: For I know they will not heed me, because they are a stiff-necked people. But in the land of their captivity they shall have a change of heart; they shall know that I, the Lord, am their God. I will give them hearts and heedful ears; and they shall praise me in the land of their captivity, and shall invoke my name. Then they shall turn back from their stiff-necked stubbornness, and from their evil deeds . . .
Not much has changed about the human race since ancient days; we are still a stubborn and stiff-necked people who are reluctant to heed God’s word. We harden our hearts so that we do not feel another’s pain. We hold hard opinions to cover our fear. We exclude those on the margin with the easy argument that our own hard work has brought us prosperity. Our stubbornness brings us to the captivity of our fears where we perhaps finally have a change of heart and listen for God’s word.
We so often complain about what is wrong with the world when we spread rumors, stir up rancor, and add to the negativity that we so heavily criticize. So let us recall God’s promises and look to improve ourselves rather than others. Let us praise God even though we may be held captive by our fears. Let us open our own ears and soften our own hearts.L et us invoke God’s name and let us turn back from our stiff-necked stubbornness and our own dark deeds.
And let us re-discover God’s gift to us of open, warm hearts and eager, heedful ears.
In a time of pandemic and social unrest, we return to a favorite reflection.
God made a promise to Abraham to bring him descendants, renown and a land in which his progeny might be secure. In return, Abrahamand his descendants were to obey God, worship him only, and keep to him always. Today we read about a time when the Promised Land is breaking into factions and falling into hostile hands. The covenant into which the chosen had entered has come undone; the descendants of Abraham have been taken into exile to be scattered by the four winds. All looks bleak and yet, God tells Jeremiah, redemption, healing, transformation and restoration are all possible. Indeed, they are at hand. This is how much God loves us.
In a time of pandemic and social unrest, we have s promise to remember.
Some few of us prefer the solitary life but most humans look for security in a landholding either individually or as part of a group. Private homes, rented and purchased apartments, communes, even tent cities of the homeless indicate this common yearning to have a place we call homeand in which we might be secure. Many of us go homefor a holiday. We look toward the end of a day when we might go hometo kick off the worries of work to rejuvenate for the next morning. The people who had once known the protection and security of the pillar of fire and smoke in the desert now suffer the insecurity of not knowing where they will lay their head at night. hey are vulnerable to the whims of capricious captors. The siegeworks have arrived at the city to breach it; the city will be handed over to the Chaldeans who are attacking it, amid sword, famine, and pestilence.
In a time of pandemic and social unrest, we reconsider the idea of home and security. And we remebr thata many in our world have neither. Yet, God abides.
And what does God reply when the faithful who ask to be rescued from these hopeless circumstances? Is anything impossible to me?
It is true that in the next portion of this story the people are handed over of to their attackers as a consequence of their having abandoned the terms of their covenant with God. It is true that in this story God puts Israel out of sight for the incense they burned to Baal and the libations they poured to strange gods.It is also true that even as God promises to hand over the corrupt ones to the king of Babylon he also will gather the lost together from all lands to which they were banished. He will bring them back to the same place to settle them in safety. The Lord God says, they shall be my people and I will be their God. One heart and one way I will give them that they may hold me in awe always, to their own good and that of their children after them. I will make them an eternal covenant, never cease doing good to them; into their hearts I will put an overpowering love of me, that they may never depart from me. I will take delight in doing good to them: I will replant them firmly in this land, with all my heart and soul.
In a time of pandemic and social unrest, we hold these words close to our hearts.
Perhaps the soul yearns for the security of a firm relationship with God just as the mind years for a pledge of land through which to be secure. Imagine what a world it might be if we sought the security of the pledge of the heart rather than a pledge of land. Imagine what a world it might be if we helped one another to find this security.
In a time of pandemic and social unrest, we return to the transforming wisdom and saving grace of God.
Written on August 29, 2010 and posted today as a Favorite.
We visit the book of Jeremiah often in our Noontimereflections; it is a rich and complex prophecy. Jeremiah is so frank, honest, and open about his suffering. Chapter 33 is particularly lovely and holds much promise about healing after punishment.
This prophecy might prove difficult for those among us who are addicted to turmoil and conflict or to the control of others and our surroundings. Jeremiah speaks of reliance on God who loves dearly and intensely, tenderly and passionately. Through Jeremiah, God announces a desire for our own personal freedom so that we might freely choose to be in relationship with God. Whether we suffer or celebrate, God wants to dance in intimacy with us.
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.This quiet instruction from God speaks of the closeness and confidence of our relationship. We have only to ask. God will answer. Like the faithful spouse.
Verse 9: Then Jerusalem shall be my joy, my praise, my glory, before all the nations of the earth, as they hear of all the good I will do among them. They shall be in fear and trembling over all the peaceful benefits I will give her.The prophecy of Jeremiah is not only a faithful prediction of what will happen to King Zedekiah, to the city of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Israel, it is a foretelling of the Christ story and it is the story of our own ransom and redemption.
God wants only freedom for us so that we might have the option to choose to love and follow. Christ arrives to bring us this freedom from slavery and darkness. The Holy Spirit abides with us constantly, whispering this promise to us repeatedly.
When we seek freedom from all that haunts us, we only need turn to a forgiving and loving God. This is where real and lasting love lies. This is where eternal sustenance and strength lie. And this is where the undying and sure promise of God’s presence and movement in our lives will always lie. This is the freedom God willingly gives. God’s promise to us is this great. God’s love for us is this persistent and ever-lasting.
Adapted from reflections written on January 1, 2007 and April 28, 2010.
For the last two weeks we have spent time with the opening chapters of Proverbs reflecting on the nature and blessings of Wisdom. What does she look like? Where do we find her? How do we discern true Wisdom from false? What can be gained by sitting at Wisdom’s knee? Te answers to these questions are outlined in Chapter 2. And they are well worth sorting out and sharing.
One of the qualities of Wisdom is that she is both seen and felt. We turn our ear, incline our heart.We must listen and empathize. We must put aside old parameters and open ourselves to the suffering of others. We put away pat answers and old prejudices. We unbend our stiff necks. We thaw our hardened hearts.
Another of the qualities of Wisdom is that she is a treasure more valuable than any imaginable and yet she is under our noses at all times. She is elusive and yet as tactile as silver. She is mysterious and yet as clear as daylight. She brings the security of knowledge, understanding, counsel, rectitude, justice, honesty and discretion. She saves us from darkness, perversity, crooked paths and those who commit evil.
The meaning of these verses is clear. Those who succumb to the adulteress are lured away by smooth words. Those who look for easy relationships with no thought of commitment and no promise of constancy sink down to death.Closed self-importance and disdain for the pain of others. Self-reliance and a willful disregard for the vulnerable. These are the tendrils of unwise thinking that draw us into the crooked paths of the wicked.
Listening and opening ourselves to the suffering of others. Reliance on God and a willingness to change direction when called by God. By these paths will we find Wisdom. We may come upon her abruptly, or we may see her first from afar and struggle to reach her; but no matter the way our path will be made straight. hose who seek Wisdom are protected by God and by Wisdom herself. Of this we are assured.
The choice laid before us could not be more stark or more important: we may be cut off from the land and rooted out . . . or we may dwell in the land and remain in it. These are the blessings of Wisdom.T hey are many, transforming and vital. Let us turn the ear, let us incline the heart, and let us call out to Wisdom and seek her like silver. This is all the security we will ever need.
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