The Elite vs the Sabbath: Amos 8:4-8
When we walk away from God, sometimes we get what we ask for. There are times the only way we learn is the hard way. Occasionally, the choices we make force us to deal with the consequences before we can correct our course and recover. Some decisions are just bad, needing to be dealt with.
Today’s words are an extension of the first three verses. The rest of this entire chapter explains why God allows the Assyrians to come upon the people of Israel. These words explain why God withholds His hand of protection when the world comes to take over the people of Israel.
The elite are unfair in their treatment of the poor. They use false balances to make it appear customers purchased more goods than they received. They sold grain mixed with chaff knowing the chaff was not suitable to eat and would be discarded, forcing people to buy more or come back more often. They sold necessary goods like clothing and sandals at elevated prices because people need them and were forced to pay the unreasonable price. The elite abused the poor to line their own pockets with silver.
Furthermore, the elite looked upon the Sabbath and religious holidays with scorn. An old adage says you can’t make money if you don’t work. The elite felt this way about the Sabbath. Each week, the Hebrew religious practices forced them to stop work for one day. The purpose of this day was to give the community an opportunity to do the Lord’s work. It was a time for worship and neighborliness. It was a time to forego profit and instead relate to neighbors, to come together, and demonstrate compassion.
Given Amos’ messages against the elite, there can be little doubt as to why they looked at the Sabbath and other religious festivals with scorn. Every Sabbath, the elite lost an opportunity to make money. It goes deeper, though. The Sabbath was about community and caring for others as an outpouring of our relationship with God. Caring for our neighbors implies caring for the poor. The elite were expected to show concern for the poor, but instead the elite treated the poor as a means to wealth! How can the elite show concern for their neighbors when the rest of their week the poor were their targets for unfair business practices? The concept of Sabbath was contrary to the lifestyle of the elite. Therefore, they despised it.
Why will God not forget their transgressions? They have gone against His Law. The Law is founded upon our relationship with God and our relationship with each other. The elite demonstrated they don’t care for either of these two things. They care about their income and their elite lifestyle. They trade relationship with God and their whole community for prosperity. God is not abandoning the elite, they abandoned God. When we walk away from God, sometimes we get what we ask for.
