A tumultuous cultural climate prevails across international conditions. Like ocean riptides tormented a family vacation; or forceful wind and crashing waves hampered a hoped-for, joyous time in the sea.
We may feel the extra-punctuated turbulence of raucous relationships. Around the globe, we encounter political division, economic shockwaves, wars, and calloused cruelty.
Amidst heinous atrocities, people everywhere are seeking real hope and peace. Some seek truly purposeful work and stronger financial stability. Others search for their true identity, calling, and confidence. Many long to overcome pervasive anxiety, grief, guilt, and loss.
Ancient biblical prophets provide calmer waters. In the Minor Prophet Amos’ message, we hear a passionate call for hopeful seeking.
This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live…” (Am. 5:4).
When Amos prophesied in the 8th century BCE, Israel was opulent and arrogant. Like the other prophets, Amos compared the Israelites’ daily lives, love, and work to God’s holy precepts in the Torah. Then he called God’s people to humbly seek God once again.
Before engaging prophetic work, Amos was a shepherd and a fig farmer (Am. 1:1, 7:14). His agricultural work influenced intriguing images in his prophetic message. Amos employed practical, picturesque metaphors.
A prominent theme from Amos is God’s heart of true justice, doing what is authentically right, good, and merciful toward others. Amos 5:24 says, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
‘Natural’ Work & ‘Strange’ Work
Justice can mean judgment against evil deeds and also compassionate care for people in need. Divine justice portrayed by Amos is not predominately the heavy-handed, go-after-criminals, Superman sort of justice. Instead, this justice means speaking up, stepping up, doing right by those who are needy, hurting, poor, and mistreated. Justice means genuine care, compassionate action. We level up with kind, righteous deeds that reflect our just and loving God’s heart.
Others-oriented justice flows from our Lord’s core character. God’s justice includes holy judgment, serious consequences for sin, but his prevailing, natural disposition is to express gracious hesed, his loyal love.
In Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund joins the Puritan Thomas Goodwin in delineating God’s “natural” work and his “strange” work. His most innate work expresses mercy, faithful care, loving kindness toward sinful humans. Though the Lord’s violent judicial activity is real, it is strange and not his delight. Goodwin observed, “There is always something in his heart against it.” Divine love overflows with his gracious qualities of compassion and gentle renewal.
The Prophet’s Compassion
Divine compassion—our Lord’s loving work—is at the core of our own calling to be godly, growing Christ-followers.
Amos called people to seek the Lord and live. There is a better, truer way to flourish. Amos’ words anticipated the coming Prophet, Priest, and King, Jesus. New Testament passages brilliantly spotlight how abundant life is found in him (Jn. 10:10). Amos anticipated real hope for authentic life, our forever life in Christ.
In his mountainside sermon, Prophet Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God . . .” (Matt. 6:33 ESV). We find amazing hope in seeking Christ and his kingdom!
On the current landscape, human cruelty is ostensibly natural. There is a burgeoning crisis of character, similar to Amos’ day. We are all becoming over-conditioned, calloused by so much cruelty, injustice, and wicked unkindness.
Perhaps we are sparked, convicted, and drawn toward doing justly, but feel too overwhelmed. We say, “What difference can I really make?” We must guard our spirits against the pervasive, delusional forces of our day. Then craft intentional plans to do something, no matter how small or large. Let’s seek Christlike expression.
Two challenging questions will catalyze more God-honoring justice:
- Am I consciously or unconsciously supporting any system(s) that is mistreating others?
- What should I start doing in order to share God’s hopeful justice and merciful kindness with __________? (Identify a person or group of people.)
Crafting Catalytic Compassion
Looking for make-a-difference ideas? Foundational texts in the “faith and work” and “business as mission” movement are replete with calls to healthy social justice blended with gospel proclamation. Meaningful ideas are shared throughout C. Neal Johnson’s classic Business As Mission: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice.
You might be tempted to shrug and say, “I still feel helpless and hopeless to accomplish significant good. Anything I might attempt would be pointless, like spitting in the wind.”
Oh friends, we must resist such sinister pessimism. Our church is prayerfully plotting to combat hopelessness with a special global compassion endeavor during the upcoming Advent season. Will it change all the raucous riptide? No, of course not. But with the Spirit’s better winds, such catalytic mobilization will make a real difference in a region and several dozen lives. We’re envisioning and hoping this might match Prophet Jesus’ pulsing heart of compassion.
What if hundreds, perhaps thousands of faith communities aim to craft more compassionate justice endeavors in the coming season?
We grow in true Christlikeness as we intentionally bless others with our time, advocacy, energy, and finances. Especially as we help the young, the old, the financially poor, and the under-served. Seek to help precious people with special needs and disabilities, folks new-to-the-neighborhood, those with unique societal stigmas, or those arriving in need from a distinctly different ethnic background.
Let’s seek Jesus and his kingdom, working at justice and righteousness for the greater good of others. Amos 5:14-15 delivers remarkable motivation:
Seek good, not evil, that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
The hope and sweet grace we so desperately need amidst today’s raucous waves can only be found in one place. Let’s seek Christ, his heart, and his just and righteous ways on behalf of others.
