When you think of sins, what do you think of? Most of us probably think of actions: murder, adultery, theft, lying, idolatry, and so on. That list is certainly accurate. Sometimes, however, we forget that inactions are just as condemnable, as James notes in his epistle (4:17). “We have,” as one prayer of confession states, “left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.” In Amos 6–7, the prophet addresses what the people of Israel had “left undone” and the disastrous consequences that would follow.
Amos’s ministry was a time of economic and military success for the northern kingdom of Israel. The country had defeated Lo-Debar and Karnaim (Amos 6:13), and Israel’s leaders would have been impressive with their posh lifestyle and extensive housing developments (Amos 6:4–7, 11). The reality of their situation, however, was dire. They had failed in many ways. They failed to live their lives in light of God’s future judgment (6:3). They failed to grieve over the ruin God’s people would experience (6:6), and they failed to recognize God’s demands for justice (6:12). All these failures resulted from their pride and a false sense of self-sufficiency (6:8). Amaziah, a major priest in the north, embodied the failures of the leadership when, after consulting with King Jeroboam, he commanded Amos to stop prophesying and to return home (Amos 7:12–13, 16). The northern kingdom failed to heed God’s Word.
If the people of Israel were a wall, then a plumb line would show how they failed to measure up (Amos 7:7–9). The consequences of this failure were catastrophic. The Lord Himself was raising up an enemy to oppress Israel (Amos 6:14). He would banish them away into exile (6:7). Amaziah himself would lose his wife and children before dying in exile (7:17). Lastly, the Lord would destroy cities and bring terror and slaughter (6:8, 9–10; 7:9). Through their sins, they were re-living what happened in the Garden of Eden: banishment, destruction, and death.
What does such a bleak message say to the Church? Amos’s words challenge all those who have cried, “Lord, Lord …” (Matt. 7:21). Do we live our lives as those who will give an account like Paul (2 Cor. 5:10–11), or do we banish the “evil day” from our minds (Amos 6:3)? Do we grieve when God’s people experience ruin of some sort, or do we smugly ignore their plight (Amos 6:6)? Does zeal for justice and attentiveness to God’s Word characterize our lives? Or do we, like Amaziah, refuse to listen to unpleasant messages from God (2 Tim. 4:3)?
This passage, however, isn’t completely negative. Amos’s faithfulness is a jarring contrast to the faithlessness around him, and we see this faithfulness in two major ways. The first is the way, like Moses, Jesus, and Paul, he intercedes for the people under his charge. When the Lord threatens twice to completely destroy Israel, he begs God to relent. And God hears his prayers (Amos 7:1–6). The second way is his courage. When Amaziah commands Amos to leave, Amos refuses. In the words of the apostles centuries later, he refuses to obey man rather than God (Acts 5:29).
Inactions have consequences. Those who refuse to recognize God in their lives will experience eternal destruction, exile, and death. We have all failed God through our sins, yet Christ intercedes for us. Like Christ, Amos shows us a different path — that of a loving and courageous witness. Which path will we take?