SPEAKING UP AGAINST INJUSTICE (B: 15th Sun in Ord Time)

First Reading: Amos 7:12-15 (11 July 2021)

“I was a shepherd, and looked after sycamores: but it was the Lord who took me from herding the flock, and the Lord who said, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel‘” (Amos 5:14-15).

Our first reading today presents the prophet Amos, who was opposed for prophesying in Bethel. He was actually asked by the priest Amaziah to leave Bethel because this locale is “the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom,” (v. 13), which was not a place for someone like him. Particularly, there are two things that made Amos unfit to prophesy there. First, Amos—as he himself admitted—did not come from a prophetic lineage as he was simply an ordinary shepherd and farmer by profession (v. 14). Definitely, the prophetic guild in Bethel were skeptical of his authority and skills to prophesy. Why would they heed the voice of a mere laborer when they had been well trained themselves of the laws and of the designs of God?

Second, Amos was a native of Tekoa (Amos 1:1), a village some 12 miles away from Jerusalem. This means that Amos was a Judean. As Bethel is in the northern kingdom, somebody from the southern kingdom like Amos would certainly be treated as an enemy and whose words would be taken with a grain of salt. Since Amos was prophesying about the destruction of the northern kingdom, these prophets of Bethel were considering his preaching politically motivated and was not coming from God. Furthermore, since the northern kingdom was enjoying economic prosperity and stability in the time of King Jeroboam II (ca. 781–741 BCE), an eventual destruction of their kingdom was unthinkable then. For these reasons, Amaziah needed to caution the king about Amos’ harsh revelation, as the latter had just uttered, “Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land” (7:10).

Despite this repugnance from the religious authorities, Amos boldly prophesied even if nobody would listen to him. He bravely castigated all the great nations in the Levant, viz., Aram (1:3-5), Philistia (vv. 6-8), Tyre (vv. 9-10), Edom (vv. 11-12), Ammon (vv. 13-15), Moab (2:1-3), Judah (vv. 4-5), and Israel (vv. 6-16) for all their crimes against their people and forgetting about their covenant with them and with God. Indeed, he did not only speak against idolatry but even talked about the social injustice of those in authority against the poor (e.g., 5:7). In doing so, he used a very severe language, even calling the Israelites

“you cows of Bashan ... who oppress the destitute and abuse the needy” (4:1).

He also told Amaziah to his face, “Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city and your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword” (7:17). Finally, he was not scared of declaring the potential wrath of God to these sins by using graphic fiery images of God’s punishment, such as the swarm of locusts (7:1-3), the rain of fire (vv. 4-6), the plummet in the hand of God (vv. 7-9), a basket of summer fruit (8:1-14), and the destruction of the sanctuary of Bethel (9:1-10).

By and large, Amos was a fearless prophet despite his lowly status as a shepherd and farmer. He was committed to fulfilling his mission from the Lord and nobody could stop him from doing so. At the end of the day, Amos was correct since in 722 BCE, the Assyrians attacked Samaria and, hereon, began the fall of the northern kingdom, never to rise to power again. Notably, what is admirable in Amos is his passion as a prophet. He did not filter his speech in reprimanding those who commit social injustice against the poor.

He used strong words to condemn their evil ways and publicize their crimes.

May we also learn to develop this boldness in confronting the evil and unjust systems of the world today by being the voice of the voiceless.

- Rex Fortes, CM