Nationalism is a Terrible Religion! (Amos 6:1-14)
Amos culminates his proclamation of woes by railing against the nationalistic nature of the religious establishment. There was a clear attitude in Israel that said they had earned their blessings. They did not see themselves as being chosen and blessed by God for His own glory, but rather as a people inherently better than other peoples of the world.
This made them no different from any other nation with their own self-made gods and systems of religion that merely benefited themselves. Amos describes this when he talks about Israel using the cultic elements for their own comfort and pleasure.
The truth is that Israel was exactly like all of the sinful nations around them. They were no better. They had forgotten God. They had distorted the covenant. They had deceived themselves.
The parallels to western Christianity are scary. IF Great Britain or the USA were new versions of “God’s Chosen Nation,” (which is not the case) the message of Amos could have been written directly to them. Instead, it behooves God’s people in churches in Western Christianity to take Amos’ message to heart! If you ever find yourself in a church that feels like Israel of Amos’ day—comfortable in their wealth, using their legalism for their benefit, claiming to be better than the poor and destitute sinners around them who deserve what they get because they are evil—get out!
This made them no different from any other nation with their own self-made gods and systems of religion that merely benefited themselves. Amos describes this when he talks about Israel using the cultic elements for their own comfort and pleasure.
The truth is that Israel was exactly like all of the sinful nations around them. They were no better. They had forgotten God. They had distorted the covenant. They had deceived themselves.
The parallels to western Christianity are scary. IF Great Britain or the USA were new versions of “God’s Chosen Nation,” (which is not the case) the message of Amos could have been written directly to them. Instead, it behooves God’s people in churches in Western Christianity to take Amos’ message to heart! If you ever find yourself in a church that feels like Israel of Amos’ day—comfortable in their wealth, using their legalism for their benefit, claiming to be better than the poor and destitute sinners around them who deserve what they get because they are evil—get out!
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