Good News?

The scriptures referred to are Amos 7:7-15.

Nobody likes bad news. Especially if you are in charge and someone says you are on the wrong track and it will lead to disaster. So the powerful tend to surround themselves with people they say have a positive attitude, but who are really just yes-men. I think every organization and every government should have, for lack of a better phrase, a designated “devil's advocate.” They need someone smart and honest who is good at sniffing out the flaws in plans, so they can be fixed. They should also alert the folks at the top when the group is drifting from its original mission, so they can course correct, or if they are actually doing something counter to their mission, so it can be aborted.

Billy Graham could have used someone like that on his team when he starting flirting with politics and cozying up to presidents. It began with him begging a reluctant Harry Truman to see him. When he clicked with Ike, he made the gospel about the conflict between godly America and godless communism. He definitely shouldn't have shown such support for Richard Nixon. On one of the White House tapes released after Watergate Graham tells Nixon he is willing to come out and say he is voting for him even if it hurts his ministry! Why that didn't ring alarm bells and tell Graham that he was putting his loyalty to a politician ahead of his mission for God?

As it turned out Graham did not need to go that far. During Nixon's reelection campaign, Graham brought the president up on the platform during his crusades. He took Nixon in his motorcade in his hometown to celebrate Billy Graham Day. His support for Nixon was apparent. And then the Watergate tapes came out and Graham's ministry was hurt.

Most religions sanctify the establishment and the status quo. But not the Bible. Yes, there are passages that talk of how God favors the king and his capitol. But the Bible also includes prophets who often criticize the king, the priests and even the the way the system of worship set up in the Torah is working. The monarchs of the Middle Ages could only justify the idea of “the divine right of kings” by ignoring the multitudes of bad kings in the Bible. Religious authorities likewise have to ignore bibilical condemnations of anointed priests who do evil or who practice rituals empty of faith. God, not those with earthly power, has the final word on what is right and what is wrong.

Amos is one of the earliest of the prophets of the 8^th century BC and one of the most scathing. He goes after not only the Gentile nations surrounding Judah and Israel but God's people as well. Like all the prophets who come after him, he accuses the people of religious arrogance and social injustice. They are mistreating the poor and powerless, while assuming that because God chose them they can never lose his favor. Boy, are they wrong!

Amos declares, “This is what the Lord says: 'Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions—make that four!—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They sold the innocent for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the dirt-covered heads of the poor; they push the destitute away. A man and his father go to the same girl; in this way they show disrespect for my moral purity. They stretch out on clothing seized as collateral; they do so right beside every altar! They drink wine bought with the fines they have levied; they do so right in the temple of their God!'” (Amos 2:6-8, NET) Notice that exploiting the unfortunate goes hand in hand with contempt for the sacred. Our treatment of our fellow human beings reveals how we really regard the God who made them in his image.

And Amos is not afraid to get specific: “Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops and exact a grain tax on them, you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone, nor will you drink the wine from the fine vineyards you planted.” (Amos 5:11) It is already expensive to be poor. A greater percentage of their money goes to food and housing than that of the rich. And then as now, they are made to pay regressive taxes.

Amos continues: “Certainly, I am aware of your many rebellious acts and your numerous sins. You torment the innocent, you take bribes, and you deny justice to the needy at the city gate.” (Amos 5:12) The city gate was where the elders met and judged legal cases and civil disputes. Taking into consideration the wealth and position of the people involved when coming up with a verdict—in fact, putting any favoritism ahead of justice—are sins according to the law of God the people agreed to under Moses. (Leviticus 19:15)

Thus, far from being mollified by their piety, God says, “I absolutely despise your festivals! I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies! Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, I will not be satisfied; I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves. Take away from me your noisy songs; I don't want to hear the music of your stringed instruments. Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up.” (Amos 5:21-24) In other words, you don't get brownie points for how good you act towards God if you are also acting badly towards others, especially the poor and powerless.

The reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam of Israel were peaceful and prosperous times. And though he came from the southern kingdom of Judah, the majority of Amos' prophesies were about God's judgment on the northern kingdom of Israel. That made his voice especially unwelcome to Jeroboam and his priest, Amaziah. The priest, knowing God's law and the conditions of his country, should have supported Amos' criticisms. But, as Billy Graham tried to get Martin Luther King to tone down his criticism of racism in the South for the sake of his friend the president, Amaziah wants Amos to stop going on about injustice in Israel. And the priest goes to the king and tells him, not what God says they are doing wrong, but what Amos is saying about the consequences the king and Israel will suffer.

Ever notice how people tend to accuse others of what they in fact do? Amaziah assumes that, just as his profession is a priest, and he is in the pocket of the king, Amos is a professional prophet and is doing this for money. Perhaps he was in the pay of the king of Judah to stir up dissent in Israel.

There were guilds and schools of prophets. We know that royal courts had prophets working for them. And the temptation was to tell the king what he wanted to hear. For instance, in 1 Kings 22 we are told that King Ahab of Israel wants to recruit visiting King Jehoshaphat of Judah to help in his military campaign against Syria. He gathers 400 prophets who say the action would be a resounding success. But Jehoshaphat is cautious. So they send for a prophet named Micaiah, whom Ahab doesn't like because he is not a yes-man. And we are told, “Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, 'Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.'” (1 Kings 22:13) So Micaiah does agree but with such obvious sarcasm that he is asked to reveal what God really told him. It is that King Ahab will die in the battle. Micaiah is put in prison but his prophesy comes true.

Of the corrupt professional prophets, Jeremiah wrote, “The Lord says, 'I saw the prophets of Samaria doing something that was disgusting. They prophesied in the name of the god Baal and led my people Israel astray. But I see the prophets of Jerusalem doing something just as shocking. They are unfaithful to me and continually prophesy lies. So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil, with the result that they do not stop their evildoing. I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom, and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah.'” (Jeremiah 23:13-14, NET)

As I said, the usual role of religion in society is to say that God is on the side of the leader and has blessed him. Especially if the religious leader wants to keep his job or keep his access to power. But Amos is not a professional or hereditary prophet. He is a herdsman who has a side gig caring for sycamore trees. God called him to leave his jobs and his country to deliver his message of judgment to Israel. Because, says Amos, “Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7) A true prophet is not a Monday morning quarterback, saying afterwards that the reason for a disaster was this or that. The true prophet gives the message beforehand so that those concerned may repent. If they do, God will change the outcome. Amos says, “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, and establish it in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” (Amos 5:14-15)

In fact, Amos reveals that God showed him his plans to punish Israel. He was going to plague them with locusts to eat all their crops. But Amos pleads for Israel and God relents. God then proposes that a shower of fire fall upon the land. Again Amos begs God to spare the people and he does. And that's where our passage begins. God uses the plumb line to show how crooked his people have become. They objectively deserve judgment. But the priest and the king will not do anything to prevent this. They just don't want to hear it. So in 40 years, Israel will be conquered and go into exile, never to return.

I said that no one wants to hear bad news. There is an exception: a person who is very sick, and doesn't know why. They really want to hear their diagnosis, even if it is not good. Because at least now they know what they are up against. They might be able to change their diet, start exercising, take medication, and/or have surgery. But I have had patients who were in denial about their diagnosis. And unfortunately, in medical matters, what you don't know can definitely hurt you.

In spiritual matters, too. We have seen churches and ministries that refused to admit what was wrong with them or with their leadership. They have denied reports of sexual abuse or financial misuse or misplaced political loyalties. And their sins do find them out. What was whispered in the offices and conference rooms gets broadcast from the rooftops and the internet.

Billy Graham's ministry was damaged by the revelations coming out of the Watergate scandal. A tape of Graham listening to Nixon rail against the Jews, whom he felt owned the media, was released. Graham did not contradict the president but went along with his antisemitism. And other tapes revealed that Nixon, far from being the devout Christian he led the evangelist to believe he was, often ridiculed Graham behind his back.

With his reputation in the US tarnished, Billy Graham concentrated on evangelizing other countries. And it broadened him. After going to China, he said he no longer believed unbaptized babies went to hell. And he learned his lesson about letting partisan politics take over the gospel. He refused to join Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority movement.

Christians can't ignore major issues affecting society. We must act for the common good. But we need to be sure that these acts and policies are in line with God's principles. Our loyalty must be to Jesus and not to any earthly politician or party. We cannot perform or let pass unethical acts or lies or damaging rumors, regardless of how politically effective they might be. While no human being is perfect, we must not condone any illegal or immoral acts by leaders or candidates, whatever side they are on. Which will not endear us to partisans and especially people who assumed we were on their side.

We are on God's side and God is on the side of all people, not just those who are rich or famous or powerful. Yes, he demands high moral standards and personal integrity on our part but he also demands that we be just and merciful and generous and helpful to others, especially those who need help the most. I think God would rather that we err on the side of helping those who it turns out don't deserve it than not help those who did deserve it but whom we judged not worthy. After all, God does not save the worthy but those who aren't, those who because of their sins need him. The world is not made up of two kinds of people, those who are sinners and those who aren't. The world is made up of those who know they are sinners and those who tell themselves they aren't.

On Facebook, some of my colleagues were trying to find the good news in today's readings, what with scathing Amos and the beheading of John the Baptist. The good news implicit in their preaching is this: we are all spiritually and morally sick. But there is a cure. If we let the Great Physician open us up and work on us, we will get better. It won't be fast or easy or painless. We will have to change how we live our lives. We will have to give some things up and follow the Doctor's orders. There will be times when it will be so hard that we will want to give up. But he will never give up on us. Not even if it kills him. And indeed, it already did. But not for long. And if we stick with him, not even death will stop us from becoming the people Jesus intends us to be for all eternity.