Justice being defined by those in power is the example we find throughout human history in every culture and society, including Israel. In Amos 5:7, Amos 5:10–13 it becomes clear that the people living in the northern kingdom have not acted in a way that is consistent with God’s justice. Power has been used selfishly and greedily. Those who question decisions are silenced—they are labelled as conspiracy theorists and trouble makers who need to be silenced. The Lord is fair and just but Israel has not been following him.
The accusations spoken against Israel are a historical record of their sins, yet among them we also see problems that are common to humanity today, problems that are also found in our own lives. For example, when someone tells us a truth that challenges us on something, how do we react? Do we remain hospitable to them and thank them for their concern, or are we embittered, hoping they will never tell us something like that again? Most of us are probably not responsible for collecting taxes, but the charge of Amos 5:11 is that we value our own comfort more than we value others, and that is certainly something of which we all are guilty. Perhaps you have never taken a bribe (Amos 5:12) but you did keep it to yourself rather than to expose that theft or corrupt business practices. When it comes to the needy at the gate, we might not be judges on a bench but we are part of a society in which we know something to be true, like the gospel or the human life of an unborn child, yet we remain silent because speaking up will get us into trouble.
The crimes of Israel are also the crimes of our day and to that we are all implicated to some extent. Whether it is something big or small, you and I have contributed to injustice and the Lord knows about our sins. As we see in Amos 5:12, we cannot hide our sins from God. We must come to stand before a judge who is good, a judge who hates injustice, a judge who punishes sin. And on that day, when we stand before God’s throne, the gap between our character and his will be clear to see, we will be embarrassed and ashamed of our actions.
Our biggest problem then is not that we are the victims of injustice or living in an unjust society, our problem is that we will come face to face with the Lord God (Amos 4:12). Face to face for a meeting where our hands are empty, our full charge sheet, and nothing to say in our defense.
In the sermon based on Amos 4:1–13 we learned how we can prepare for this meeting with God. We can prepare by coming to faith in our mediator Jesus Christ. If we trust in him, we can be sure that we will stand on the day of judgment. This is certainly true, yet the reality of meeting with God should also serve to humble us. If we know that we will stand before God and that he will hold us accountable for our actions, then the entire conduct of our lives ought to change. In particular, this is a truth that should encourage us to spend much less time and energy focused on removing the specks from our brother’s eyes so that we are more concerned with fighting against our own sin and anger (Matthew 7:5).
10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth.