Today’s sermon by Chip Camden - July 14, 2024
Readings: Amos 7:7-15; Psalm 85:8-13; Mark 6:14-29
Our lesson from the Book of Amos today begins with a vision: Amos sees the Lord standing by a wall with a plumb line in his hand. A plumb line is a cord with a weight suspended at the end of it used to form a true vertical by which to align an upright wall. We are told that the wall in the vision is a "plumb wall" -- a wall that was made with a plumb line. In the vision, the wall represents the nation of Israel, and the Lord will set a plumb line in their midst, to see if they are still upright.
This passage follows visions of two disasters: locusts and fire, both of which are threatened as judgment for Israel's sins, but in both cases Amos pleads for mercy and the Lord grants it. With this third vision, however, the Lord says, "I will not pass by them any more." The truth revealed by the plumb line will not be ignored.
Interestingly, the plumb line will be set "in the midst" of the people of Israel. Normally one expects a plumb line to be held alongside a wall, but here the metaphor breaks down. The Hebrew word for “midst” (קרב, qerebh) is often used for internal organs of a person or an animal. Applied to the nation, it indicates that this measure of the people will come from within.
Next follows an interesting scene in which Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, first complains to Jeroboam (the king of Israel) about Amos, and then confronts Amos directly. Amaziah warns the king that Amos is conspiring against him in the center of the house of Israel. The word translated "center" in our reading is again the Hebrew word qerebh, and I believe that it is used here specifically to indicate that Amos’ message is the plumb line of the vision immediately preceding.
The job of the prophet is to uphold the truth in the midst of a people who have embraced falsehood. But Amaziah seeks to trivialize Amos' message by casting it as nothing more than partisan politics. Some background will help make this clear.
At this period (the eighth century BC), there were two Israelite kingdoms. According to the received history, the northern tribes had split from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin after the death of Solomon, almost two centuries before our current narrative. This northern kingdom was often called Israel, while the southern kingdom was called Judah. Because worship of Yahweh had been (again, according to the received tradition) centralized in Jerusalem, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel supposedly established the worship centers at Bethel and Dan, at either end of that kingdom. The southern kingdom of Judah considered these sites to be illegitimate, and thus a religious schism overlaid the political division.
The office of prophet had also become politicized. The "sons of the prophets" were essentially a guild supported by the state to act as advisers to the throne in matters both religious and political. The story of the prophets who advised Ahab to go to war against Ramoth Gilead in I Kings 22 illustrates this role, as well as clearly indicating how political self-interest could cloud the vision of the professional prophets.
Amaziah presumptively accuses Amos of being just such a seer from the south with a political agenda to discredit the northern kingdom. He says, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."
Amos replies that he isn't a professional prophet at all. "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel." Amos does not represent any political faction, but instead is called by God to speak truth to power.
What exactly has Israel done that merits Amos' message of doom? The accusations are many, but a good sample can be found in Amos 2:6-7, "...because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; they trample on the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and deny justice to the oppressed." In other words, money and power had become more important than justice and compassion.
Friends, our nation is in grave danger of falling under the same condemnation today.
The prophet does not predict an unconditional future. As William Maccall wrote in 1852, prophets are “forthtellers, not foretellers” – they warn of what will happen if things continue on their current course, but they also hold out hope of respite if their audience will listen and change their ways. Amos, in chapter 5 verse 6 says “Seek the LORD and you will live, lest he break out like a fire in the house of Joseph, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.” There is still time to measure up to that plumb line, but time is running out.
John the Baptist was another prophetic plumb line for his time, and because he spoke the truth to power he paid for it with his life. Even though Herod believed that John was righteous, and even though he tried to protect John and enjoyed listening to him speak despite the difficulties raised by his message, Herod was unable or unwilling to save John from the machinations of those who did not want that message to be heard.
Unlike the false prophets who told Ahab what he wanted to hear, Amos and John and many other true prophets risked their lives and property to tell the truth, hoping to avert disaster for others. We can learn much from their examples. When we hear exhortations that favor a comfortable situation for the speaker, we should doubt its prophetic origin. When we hear messages that make us comfortable with the way things are, we should look out for the wool being pulled over our eyes. When we see injustice and decide to keep quiet, we should ask ourselves if we are quenching the spirit of prophecy within us. The path of life is a path of growth and transformation, not a path of ease and comfort. "Narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way that leads to life," Jesus said. May we heed the prophetic voices that call us on that path.