Do you know what you’re asking when you demand justice?
I mean real justice. God's justice.

Artisanal Bible Study

Do you know what you’re asking when you demand justice? I mean really know. Do any of us understand the implications of justice? Real justice? The only justice that truly is justice.

Do you know what you are asking when you demand justice?

Everyone wants justice, right?

Well, truth be told, that’s not right at all. Not even close.

Usually, we want justice for the things done to us.

Did those things really happen? It doesn’t matter. We want justice anyway.

But then, we don’t want to pay the price when things we did cause someone else to want justice.

No, justice is very much a one-way street where many of us are concerned. Correction. Justice is a one-way street where most, if not all of us are concerned.

What does God tell us about justice?

Summary

This article delves into the profound concept of justice, both from a human and divine perspective. It challenges readers to reflect on their understanding and demands for justice, drawing parallels between the societal conditions during the time of Prophet Amos and today’s world. The text encourages a deeper contemplation of one’s motives and actions in light of biblical teachings, offering a thought-provoking examination of justice from a religious standpoint. It serves as a reminder that justice is not just about individual desires, but also about considering the implications for others and aligning with divine justice.

Some main points:

Demand for Justice: The page discusses the concept of justice, emphasizing that often people seek justice only for themselves without considering the consequences for others.

Divine Justice: It highlights the biblical perspective of justice as something that belongs to God, referencing the Book of Amos and the implications of divine justice.

Historical Context: The text compares the societal conditions during the time of Prophet Amos with contemporary times, noting similarities in societal changes and moral challenges.

Self-Reflection: It encourages readers to reflect on their own understanding of justice and to consider the righteousness of their demands for justice in light of biblical teachings.

The page provides a thought-provoking examination of justice from a religious standpoint, urging a deeper contemplation of one’s motives and actions. 1Summary modified from one created by MS Copilot

Today’s topic comes from a verse in Amos. Amos, if you don’t know, is one of those “minor” prophets from the Old Testament. You know, a small book. Easy to read, since it’s only nine chapters. But then, also easy to ignore, because he really doesn’t get talked about very much in Sunday sermons. And so, we think he’s no big deal.

But, we think that at our own peril. He may be a minor prophet, but he has a major message.

Check out just this one line, which was the catalyst for the title: Do you know what you’re asking when you demand justice?

Am 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Just think about that verse. Even for just a moment.

Is that something you want? Probably not. Not unless you’re the source for the river or stream. And, if there’s any doubt, unlike the person holding the Justice! sign in the image at the top, you aren’t the source.

Of course, that guy isn’t either. He just doesn’t realize it.

What’s the problem? The problem is that not one of us – no one – has lived a life that won’t get us caught up in the rolling river and the never-failing stream.

And how is that true? Simple. It’s because God is the source of justice that rolls on like a river. And He alone is the righteous one that’s like a never-failing stream.

Justice is God’s. And it’s from God. Applied to all of us.

I know, some of you will say that Jesus paid the price for believers. Yes, He did. And yet, this life isn’t without consequences. Our sins are forgiven if we truly believe in and follow Jesus, but that doesn’t mean we won’t suffer some consequences from what we did in this life.

So, which one are we talking about here? Eternal justice? Or the more immediate consequences of our actions/inactions?

Let’s find out.

What was the book of Amos about?

I have to put in a quick note here. Out of all the books I have in my library, only 13 show up when I search for Amos. That’s not counting Bible translations – it’s just general books. Although, it does include commentaries, which makes the number incredibly small. As I said – a minor prophet. Not often talked about. Or apparently, written about. Easy to skip over.

Compare the world in Amos’ time with ours

Let’s begin with an overview from a book titled Opening up Amos. I’m not sure it’ll completely answer the question of what Amos is about. But it will set the tone quite nicely. And the relevance of the book to us today.

When Amos delivered his prophecy the nation of Israel was experiencing a time of great plenty; trade routes passing through the region had brought wealth into the land and, as a consequence, many of the people benefited from the increase in money entering the country—some had grown very rich indeed. These favoured few had become so affluent that they owned two houses—a winter house as well as a summer one (3:15)—and they had very expensive furniture to put in them both (6:4). They possessed beds and couches to lie on (3:12); and they could drink wine by the bowlful and apply the finest lotions to themselves (6:6).

But these things did not necessarily mean that God was shining with favour upon the land. They could not assume that they were prosperous because God was satisfied with them. Their behaviour was deficient in two major ways: many of them were oppressing the poor, and their worship of God was a mere formality. God’s prophets had spoken about these kinds of sins, and Amos added to his warning of judgement which was about to come through the invasion of the terrible Assyrians, the dreaded superpower of the Middle East, who lived way to the north of them.  2Bentley, M. (2006). Opening up Amos (p. 8). Day One Publications.

God says I demand justice in Amos 3:12

The excerpt above says, “God was satisfied with them”, meaning God wasn’t satisfied with His chosen people. That’s putting it incredibly mildly! Just take a look at the three verses referenced in there. No context needed at this point. It’s that clear and obvious. Today, we call it “clear and present danger”.

Am 3:12 This is what the LORD says:
“As a shepherd saves from the lion’s mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites be saved,
those who sit in Samaria
on the edge of their beds
and in Damascus on their couches.”

Think about everything you own. And try to imagine what might be the equivalent of only two leg bones or a piece of an ear.

Out here in California, where I live, we see all sorts of things. I don’t mean to say the things below aren’t devasting. They are. And yet, in America, we don’t have a clue what devastating is, compared to so many other people in the world.

Devastating fires, where people end up with nothing but what they can drive away with in their car. But let’s not forget, oftentimes for the people who can afford to live in the nice mountain areas prone to massive fires, that’s two really big SUVs, trucks, or super-sized cars. They can get more in them than some people can even afford.

Mudslides, when we get what they call atmospheric rivers of rain. Sometimes it’s the same people who had the fires. Sometimes not. But again, the people who can afford to live there have those huge vehicles in which to save more things, and more expensive things, than many people can afford.

We also have the other end of the spectrum. The homeless people. Some enterprising ones built a house along the side of a freeway. Many have access to so much food, from various organizations, that they can pick and choose to get the most preferable meals on any given day. Some aren’t homeless at all but pose as homeless people on streetcorners because they can make enough money there to satisfy their needs. More and more are actually getting free housing with A/C. Again, even their worst day is nowhere near what homeless people suffer in other parts of the world.

Witness all those who die, trying to get to another country. Including to here and to various European countries. We want to build a wall to keep them out. And so we don’t have to see them. The UK wants to send them to Rwanda. When did Rwanda even become a safe place? Apparently, according to the latest statistics, Rwanda is safer than a lot of places. Safer than the US. – but is that really saying much? But the unemployment rate is high, so people trying to get to the UK for a better living are going to have trouble with the rate between 15 and 20+ percent, depending on age.

So now, no matter what your income/social status might be wherever you live, try to imagine coming away from justice served with only two leg bones (not two legs, but only two leg bones) or a piece of an ear.

Keep in mind, we’re talking sheep parts here, not people. So, in case you’re wondering what’s involved in having two bones remaining after being eaten by a lion, you’re not alone. I had an interesting back and forth (I can’t actually call it a conversation) with Copilot on this. Here’s how it finally ended.

You
then how can lambs have tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges like humans, as you said above?
Copilot
I apologize for the confusion. You’re correct, and I appreciate your patience. The skeletal structure of a lamb’s leg is indeed different from that of a human leg, and my previous explanation was not accurate.  (That’s possibly because it was right after I asked about a human leg and its only new source for info on the second question was a few cooking sites. Yikes!)

In lambs, like other ungulates (hoofed animals), the structure of the leg and foot is specialized for their lifestyle. The ‘leg’ of a lamb that we commonly refer to includes the equivalent of the human upper leg (femur), lower leg (tibia and fibula), and foot bones. However, the foot structure is quite different. Instead of having separate tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges like humans, lambs have a structure adapted for walking on their ‘toes’.

The main weight-bearing bones in a lamb’s foot are the third and fourth metacarpals/metatarsals (depending on whether it’s a front or hind limb), which have fused together to form a single bone often referred to as the cannon bone. Above this, the equivalent of our ‘ankle’ joint, is the hock in the hind limb or the ‘knee’ in the front limb.

The ‘hoof’ of a lamb is actually the equivalent of the tips of our fingers or toes. It’s made up of two hard structures called the hoof wall and the sole, which provide an essential shield for the soft tissues within. So, while it’s common to refer to the whole lower part of a lamb’s leg as a ‘hoof’, it’s more accurate to say that the hoof is just the tip, and the rest of the leg has its own specialized bone structure.

I hope this clears up the confusion, and I’m sorry for any misunderstanding. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

In any case, the only thing left after God passes judgment will be one, not both, of those two things. Either two pieces of leg bone – and not necessarily from the same leg – but either way useless for walking. Or a piece of one ear, which is equally useless for hearing. But then, since this is all that’s left, the sheep used in the comparison is utterly dead.

Which means, of course, the human who passes through this justice is alive, yes. But has nothing left with which to live.

God says I demand justice in Amos 3:15

Do you remember, from the excerpt, the favoured few had become so affluent that they owned two houses? Of course, these days, that includes those who only have one house, but that one is many times the size of the house so many others have. That is, if they even have one.

Am 3:15 I will tear down the winter house
along with the summer house;
the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed
and the mansions will be demolished,”
declares the LORD.

Yes – both houses. No matter how big. No matter how fancy. And remember, since you’re left with the equivalent of two lamb bones from one (or more) legs or a piece of the lamb’s ear – that means your insurance is worth nothing. You won’t be able to rebuild.

We demand justice when houses that we had to know were in danger get damaged or destroyed.
And we demand justice when insurance companies begin to refuse to pay for or insure these kinds of properties.
But is that justice? Or is it the rich and powerful trying to get their own kind of justice? Demanding these things, when so many people can’t even afford a roof over their heads?

All of a sudden, it’s a trip from the top of the economic and social circles to the bottom of the food chain on the worst streets in the worst place you can imagine. Although, it’s probably worse than anything you can imagine.

God says I demand justice in Amos 6:6

By now, maybe you’re wondering, why is this happening? Here’s a clue. Actually, the answer.

Am 6:6 You drink wine by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

OK, so you drink lots of the best wine. Out of the finest crystal glasses. Or the best whatever. And you get the best lotions – and aroma therapy oils – and all that stuff. If you can afford it, why not? How often have I heard that. And, sadly, said sometimes.

But who is Joseph and why should I grieve over his ruin? Or anyone else’s ruin for that matter. Isn’t it a “dog eat dog” world, so to speak? The first pig to the trough gets to eat. That kind of thing.

If we don’t get all the things we think we should be able to have, then we demand justice.
But do we demand justice for those who can’t afford anything?

What does Joseph have to do with any of this?

Since Amos is an Old Testament prophet, this must be about Joseph and the brothers. Jacob’s kids. But why?

Click '+' to see the background on the possible sources for the 'Joseph' reference.

Amos’ time as a prophet was 760 – 754 BC. Not a long time. Let’s see how that compares to Joseph’s life.

Joseph lived from 1914 – 1805 BC. His death was more than 1,100 years before Amos began his time as a prophet. Was this a reference to mourning the death (ruin?) of Joseph? That’s a long time. And with the word “ruin”, it’s a strange reference, at best.

What about this possibility? Suppose it had something to do with the tribe of Joseph? You know, from the twelve tribes of Israel? After all, Jacob was Joseph’s father. And God renamed Him Israel. So, it’s also the twelve tribes of Israel.

After Moses’ death, Joshua became the leader of God’s people. He commanded the armies that conquered much of the territory in the promised land. This book is the first of the twelve books of the Israelites’ history. The book of Joshua recalls their move into the land of Canaan, the allotment of inheritances to the twelve tribes, and the establishment of a kingdom that lasted almost 500 years.  3The New International Version (Jos). (2011). Zondervan.

Let’s look at a brief segment in the history of the OT nation of Israel, after the times in Joshua when the land was divided amongst the 12 tribes and the conquest of Judah, from the Jewish Virtual Library.

Ancient Jewish History: The Two Kingdoms

(c.920 BCE – 597 BCE)

 

Background
The experiment with the opulence and power of the great eastern kingdoms had ended in disaster for Israel. King Solomon created the wealthiest and most powerful central government the Hebrews would ever see, but he did so at an impossibly high cost. Land was given away to pay for his extravagances and people were sent into forced labor into Tyre in the north. When Solomon died, between 926 and 922 BCE, the ten northern tribes refused to submit to his son, Rehoboam, and revolted.

From this point on, there would be two kingdoms of Hebrews: in the north – Israel, and in the south – Judah. The Israelites formed their capital in the city of Samaria, and the Judaeans kept their capital in Jerusalem. These kingdoms remained separate states for over two hundred years.

The history of the both kingdoms is a litany of ineffective, disobedient, and corrupt kings. When the Hebrews had first asked for a king, in the book of Judges, they were told that only God was their king. When they approached Samuel the Prophet, he told them the desire for a king was an act of disobedience and that they would pay dearly if they established a monarchy. The history told in the Hebrew book, Kings, bears out Samuel’s warning.

The Hebrew empire eventually collapses, Moab successfully revolts against Judah, and Ammon successfully secedes from Israel. Within a century of Solomon’s death, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were left as tiny little states – no bigger than Connecticut – on the larger map of the Middle East.

As history proved time and again in the region, tiny states never survived long. Located directly between the Mesopotamian kingdoms in the northeast and powerful Egypt in the southwest, the Hebrew Kingdoms were of the utmost commercial and military importance to all these warring powers. Being small was a liability.

The Conquest of Israel
In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered Israel. The Assyrians were aggressive and effective; the history of their dominance over the Middle East is a history of constant warfare. In order to assure that conquered territories would remain pacified, the Assyrians would force many of the native inhabitants to relocate to other parts of their empire. They almost always chose the upper and more powerful classes, for they had no reason to fear the general mass of a population. They would then send Assyrians to relocate in the conquered territory.

When they conquered Israel, they forced the ten tribes to scatter throughout their empire. For all practical purposes, you might consider this a proto-Diaspora (“diaspora”=”scattering”), except that these Israelites disappear from history permanently; they are called “the ten lost tribes of Israel.” Why this happened is difficult to assess. The Assyrians did not settle the Israelites in one place, but scattered them in small populations all over the Middle East. When the Babylonians later conquered Judah, they, too, relocate a massive amount of the population. However, they move that population to a single location so that the Jews can set up a separate community and still retain their religion and identity. The Israelites deported by the Assyrians, however, do not live in separate communities and soon drop their Yahweh religion and their Hebrew names and identities.

The Samaritans
One other consequence of the Assyrian invasion of Israel involved the settling of Israel by Assyrians. This group settled in the capital of Israel, Samaria, and they took with them Assyrian gods and cultic practices. But the people of the Middle East were above everything else highly superstitious. Even the Hebrews didn’t necessarily deny the existence or power of other peoples’ gods—just in case. Conquering peoples constantly feared that the local gods would wreak vengeance on them. Therefore, they would adopt the local god or gods into their religion and cultic practices.

Within a short time, the Assyrians in Samaria were worshipping Yahweh as well as their own gods; within a couple centuries, they would be worshipping Yahweh exclusively. Thus was formed the only major schism in the Yahweh religion: the schism between the Jews and the Samaritans. The Samaritans, who were Assyrian and therefore non-Hebrew, adopted almost all of the Hebrew Torah and cultic practices; unlike the Jews, however, they believed that they could sacrifice to God outside of the temple in Jerusalem. The Jews frowned on the Samaritans, denying that a non-Hebrew had any right to be included among the chosen people and angered that the Samaritans would dare to sacrifice to Yahweh outside of Jerusalem. The Samaritan schism played a major role in the rhetoric of Jesus of Nazareth; and there are still Samaritans alive today around the city of Samaria.

The Conquest of Judah
“There but for the grace of god go I.” Certainly, the conquest of Israel scared the people and monarchs of Judah. They barely escaped the Assyrian menace, but Judah would be conquered by the Chaldeans about a century later. In 701, the Assyrian Sennacherib would gain territory from Judah, and the Jews would have suffered the same fate as the Israelites. But by 625 BC, the Babylonians, under Nabopolassar, would reassert control over Mesopotamia, and the Jewish king Josiah aggressively sought to extend his territory in the power vacuum that resulted. But Judah soon fell victim to the power struggles between Assyrians, Babylonians, and Egyptians. When Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, became king, the king of Egypt, Necho (put into power by the Assyrians), rushed into Judah and deposed him, and Judah became a tribute state of Egypt. When the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians in 605 BC, then Judah became a tribute state to Babylon. But when the Babylonians suffered a defeat in 601 BC, the king of Judah, Jehoiakim, defected to the Egyptians. So the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, raised an expedition to punish Judah in 597 BC. The new king of Judah, Jehoiachin, handed the city of Jerusalem over to Nebuchadnezzar, who then appointed a new king over Judah, Zedekiah. In line with Mesopotamian practice, Nebuchadnezzar deported around 10,000 Jews to his capital in Babylon; all the deportees were drawn from professionals, the wealthy, and craftsmen. Ordinary people were allowed to stay in Judah. This deportation was the beginning of the Exile.

The story should have ended there. However, Zedekiah defected from the Babylonians one more time. Nebuchadnezzar responded with another expedition in 588 and conquered Jerusalem in 586. Nebuchadnezzar caught Zedekiah and forced him to watch the murder of his sons; then he blinded him and deported him to Babylon. Again, Nebuchadnezzr deported the prominent citizens, but the number was far smaller than in 597: somewhere between 832 and 1577 people were deported.

The Hebrew kingdom, started with such promise and glory by David, was now at an end. It would never appear again, except for a brief time in the second century BC, and to the Jews forced to relocate and the Jews left to scratch out a living in their once proud kingdom, it seemed as if no Jewish nation would ever exist again. It also seemed as if the special bond that Yahweh had promised to the Hebrews, the covenant that the Hebrews would serve a special place in history, had been broken and forgotten by their god. This period of confusion and despair, a community together but homeless in the streets of Babylon, makes up one of the most significant historical periods in Jewish history: the Exile.  4https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-two-kingdoms-of-israel#google_vignette

Since the Tribe of Joseph was in the Northern Kingdom, was Amos sent there to warn them, as God’s prophet, not to follow the ways of the tribe if Joseph and the Northern Kingdom?

The divided kingdom

Following the death of Solomon (some 150 years before the days of Amos), Israel had been divided into two distinct parts; the southern kingdom was called Judah (this included the great city of Jerusalem), and the north section was named Israel (sometimes referred to as Ephraim or Samaria; Samaria was the main city of the northern kingdom). Amos prophesied while Uzziah was on the throne of Judah and Jeroboam II was king of Israel, around about 750 B.C.

Most of the Old Testament prophets addressed their words to the southern kingdom of Judah but two prophets, Amos and Hosea, were sent north to Israel. During the time that these two men were calling Israel back to the ways of God, Isaiah and Micah were also engaged in similar work in the southern kingdom. It is probable that Amos would have known Hosea and it is very likely that Isaiah and Micah were aware of the activities of each other. All of them urged the people to return to the Lord and his ways—and each one warned them of judgement to come.

Amos grew up in the southern kingdom; ‘Tekoa was a small town about six miles south of Bethlehem and eleven miles from Jerusalem’. This was a very bleak area—almost a wilderness. He would have had a hard life. He would have only been able to make a living through his industrious determination. He would have needed to have been the kind of person who would not easily hold back when presented with a difficult task.

However, on the face of it, Amos was not an influential person. He did not mix with royalty, like Isaiah, nor was he a priest like Jeremiah; he was just an ordinary working herdsman. However, it seems that he was a very successful shepherd and fruit farmer. In Amos 7:14–15 he tells us, ‘I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” ’

So, even though he was a native of Judah, God sent him to travel to Israel and prophesy specifically to the people of the northern kingdom.  5Bentley, M. (2006). Opening up Amos (pp. 12–13). Day One Publications.

Oops. So much for that idea.

So what is the warning about Joseph about? There are three references to Joseph in the book of Amos. But none of them provide any clue as to why Joseph was singled out. What did the people back then know that we don’t? Or at least, what was obvious to them, but not so easy to remember for us?

Another trip to a Jewish site provides the answer:

The Life and Times of Amos
The Prophet Amos lived during the long reign of King Jeroboam II. Jeroboam the son of Joash (not to be confused with Jeroboam the son of Nevat, the first king of the Northern Kingdom of the Ten Tribes) reigned over the Ten Tribes of Israel for forty years (from the year 3114 till 3153 after Creation). Under his reign the Northern Kingdom of Israel enjoyed one of its most happy and prosperous periods. He recovered every piece of land which had been lost by his forerunners. He subdued the Kingdom of Moab and captured parts of Syria (Aram) which had long been like a thorn in the flesh of his people. Even Damascus, Syria’s capital fell to him.

Relationship with the twin kingdom, the southern Kingdom of Judah, was still strained at first. Jeroboam maintained the stern control over it which his father had exerted; he also held members of the Royal family of Judah as hostages to ensure that the southern neighbor would make no trouble. later, however, he realized that friendship and mutual help between the two Jewish kingdoms would be better for both. He helped repair the damage which his father had done to Judah, and he gave part of the land which he had taken from Syria to the king of Judah, Amatziah.

Together with the good political situation came economic prosperity. Many people in the Northern Kingdom became very wealthy, and began to lead a luxurious life. Friendly relations with the Phoenicians, who were the greatest merchants and seafaring people of those days, brought things of rare beauty and luxury into the Jewish Kingdom. Unfortunately, the unusual prosperity brought a collapse of moral standards. Ignored were the great ideals and commandments of the Torah to help the poor, and to practice justice and loving kindness. The rich oppressed the poor; might was right; it was an age of corruption. Hand in hand with this degeneration of the morals of the people went increased idolatry. People built many altars on mountains to serve the Canaanite gods, the Baal and Ashtarte. The Golden Calves, which the first Jeroboam set up in the north and south of the country to turn the people away from the Beth Hamikdosh in Jerusalem, were worshipped more than before and the teachings of the Torah and the holy commandments were viewed with contempt.

Again and again, G‑d sent His messengers, the prophets, to admonish the people and to warn them that unless they mended their ways, they and the land would be doomed. Yet the admonitions were, for the most part, unheeded. The people went their own way.

One of the great prophets at this time was Hosea; another one was Amos.  6https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112277/jewish/The-Prophet-Amos.htm

This doesn’t make the connection to Jospeh yet, but it does show we’re in the right timeframe with the examples of what’s happening in the two kingdoms.

The connection is finally made here – in the highlighted text from later on the same page as the excerpt above:

Prophecies of Amos

Fearlessly, the prophet admonishes the “Kine (beasts) of Bashan, that are in the mountains of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy.” He warned the rich who had amassed their fortunes by cheating and robbery, that they would not enjoy their riches, but would lose everything when the land went down in doom. Said he: “Thus hath said G‑d to the House of Israel: ‘Seek for Me, and you shall live. Seek for the good, and not evil, in order that you may live; that G‑d the Lord of Hosts, be with you. Hate evil and love good; and establish justice firmly in the courts. Then, perhaps, G‑d the Lord of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnants of Joseph.” By the “remnants of Joseph” the prophet meant the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, for it was out of the Tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph, that Jeroboam the First came to establish the new kingdom, in opposition to the Kingdom of Judah.

Do you know what you’re asking when you demand justice?

If you read all the background info by expanding that portion of the page – congratulations. You made it.

Now, instead of looking at when God says I demand justice – let’s take it forward to now, when we say we demand justice.

One of the other books I have is from Warren Wiersbe. I like his writing. Very down to earth and practical. His book, on three of the minor prophets, including Amos, is titled Be Concerned.

Here’s the opening of the first chapter in “Be Concerned”

The Lion Roars!

If the Prophet Amos were to come to our world today, he would probably feel very much at home; for he lived at a time such as ours when society was changing radically.

Both Israel and Judah were at peace with their neighbors, which meant that their wealth and energy could be used for developing their nations instead of fighting their enemies.

Both kingdoms were prosperous; their cities were expanding rapidly; and a new wealthy merchant class was developing in society.

The two kingdoms were moving from an agricultural to a commercial society and experiencing both the benefits and problems that come with that change.

However, in spite of their material success, all was not well with God’s chosen people.  7Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be concerned (p. 11). Chariot Victor.

It’s not that much different, is it?

So why did I include it here? Why repeat something like this?

It’s because we need to learn the difference between when we demand justice and when God demands justice.

For instance, God’s justice is always righteous. Is our demand for justice righteous? Or is it self-righteous?

Do you really know what you’re asking when you demand justice?

Do you remember, when Jesus predicted His death in Matthew’s Gospel?

Jesus Predicts His Death

16:21-28 pp — Mk 8:31—9:1; Lk 9:22-27

Mt 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Mt 16:22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Mt 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Mt 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Check out this portion one more time. And think about justice while you read it.

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.  What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Jesus is telling His disciples He’s going to die. If there’s anyone who can demand justice, it’s Him. And yet, He’s the only one who never deserved to pay the price for injustice, because He never said or did anything that wasn’t just.

But God offered Jesus up as the one who could pay the price for us, when God demanded justice for what we did. But even then, when someone else is willing to pay the price, so many reject it.

So many people demand justice. Justice for other people’s wrongs. But feel like they have to pay nothing for their own wrongs.

It reminds me of the parable below:

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Mt 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Mt 18:22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Mt 18:23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

Mt 18:26 “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

Mt 18:28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

Mt 18:29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

Mt 18:30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Mt 18:32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Mt 18:35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Conclusion – Do you really know what you’re asking when you demand justice?

For someone who isn’t Christian, this probably makes no sense.

But for those of us who do at least claim to be Christian, this has to be something to think about.

We demand justice. Four ourselves.

But do we ever think about other people? Especially the people who don’t even have a real ability to even ask for justice – let alone demand justice.

As Warren Wiersbe said, If the Prophet Amos were to come to our world today, he would probably feel very much at home. That thought gets truly scary when we recognize that the situation in Israel when Amos was alive is so much like ours today. What if God sent a prophet to us, telling us, “I demand justice, and the time is near!”

Are we ready for that? Would it change anything?

Or would we be just like the people of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms?

Footnotes

  • 1
    Summary modified from one created by MS Copilot
  • 2
    Bentley, M. (2006). Opening up Amos (p. 8). Day One Publications.
  • 3
    The New International Version (Jos). (2011). Zondervan.
  • 4
    https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-two-kingdoms-of-israel#google_vignette
  • 5
    Bentley, M. (2006). Opening up Amos (pp. 12–13). Day One Publications.
  • 6
    https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112277/jewish/The-Prophet-Amos.htm
  • 7
    Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be concerned (p. 11). Chariot Victor.

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