The Cure: Amos 5:14-15
God is the cure for our broken societies. He is the only one who can hold onto power and refrain from corruption. He is the only one who can weigh the needs of the many against the needs of the one. He alone can see into our hearts and know what resides within.
Seek good and not evil. They are such simple words, and anyone who has a genuine heart knows the truth of the words. You cannot build community based upon evil. Evil thinks only of itself, good thinks of the other.
The sentiment is genuine, but that’s the problem. This is another expression where we can readily say it is easier said than done. Of course, good is better than evil. Good is also harder than evil.
What is good? Jesus says that only God is good. In that light, this passage can be thought of as seek God and not evil. There isn’t any problem with that particular spin on this verse. If only God is good, then seeking good is seeking God.
Furthermore, it helps answer the question of who determines good. When we tell people to seek good, they should inquire about good according to whom? Do I determine what is good? Does each person determine what is good for themselves? Does a community determine what is good? How big does the sample space need to be before we can assert that the group can determine what is good?
Throughout my life, I have pursued many things I thought were good only to acquire them and lose satisfaction. Or, perhaps I acquire them and realize that what I thought was good for me was detrimental instead. If there is anything I can say about my ability to determine what is good, it is that I am an unreliable source when left to my own devices.
Even groups fail. Groups may think more broadly than an individual and they may be able to consider more perspectives than an individual, but even the best group cannot know the future. No group can know the consequences of an action, event, or object until it has been experienced. As proof, look at social media or even emerging AI. Does social media have the ability to bring out good by connecting people? Can AI bring about good by doing great things like discovering new cancer treatments? But what about the detrimental side effects that we cannot understand until after the proverbial genie is out of the bottle and we experience it?
This is why Amos tells us to seek good. When we seek good, we seek God and the Lord will be with us. God can show us the path of righteousness. God can know what is good for us. He can remind us to establish justice in the gates. He can make societies good for all people, not just the elite. God is the cure for our broken societies.
