The Time is Ripe for paper
The Lord had his prophet Amos speak directly to people who trample the needy and the poor in order to secure personal gain. “Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, “When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?, skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat.” Amos 8: 4 – 6 These oppressors had made commerce their god; they dealt deceitfully with their fellow man and practiced extortion against the vulnerable in society.
That sounds like the evils hidden away in corporate headquarters—or perhaps in the backstreets and alleys of downtown, the shady shops around the corner, and the deals made under the table. It doesn’t sound like anything that could happen as we go about our weekly routines.
Oh, no? A competitive economy, such as governs the society in which we live, causes us to look for every opportunity to increase our resources. Perhaps like those condemned by the Lord through his prophet, your own words could be used in testimony to your guilt. They ask, “When will the religious celebration be over that we may get back to business?”
A few generations ago we could point to people who wanted businesses to close on Sundays when people were expected to be in church. Today even those who regularly attend church, including me, want businesses to be open and running at full capacity, so that as soon as the Sunday service is over they can go out for lunch, or stop at the store, or pick up a shift at work. Today just about everyone feels they need to take every opportunity to work and to be open for business, whether it be on Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Christmas, or Easter.
We expect that the supermarket will continue daily, uninterrupted by religious observances. This is what it means to despise preaching and the Word of God, which is a violation of the Third Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” We do not want to be so occupied by the church, her missions, or the poor and needy who receive her assistance that an opportunity for worldly gain might be missed. The desire for personal gain pushes all of these churchly concerns to the side, and in so doing pushes people aside. This describes our society and us.
And although this is normal in our society, even among us Christians, it is not right to live and work in this way, even when our employer or our customers can afford to be victims of such deceitful practices. But the ones who are hurt the most from this manner of commerce are the needy and the poor. Our societies normal practices hurt the most those who cannot afford it. They cannot survive under these practices, and so are trampled by the economy and pushed out to the fringes of a society that accepts these things as the normal cost of doing business.
We put great pressure on the needy not to be a burden on society. Many communities are happy to see the poor, homeless and needy disappear from their streets, not really caring where they go, as long as they are gone. The word of the Lord through his prophet Amos echoes in our ears. “The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done.” Amos 8: 7
“I will never forget” God will never forget the poor and needy who have been pushed away. He will never forget the sins that were committed against them and against himself. He will never forget that people choose worldly commerce over the grace and blessing he wishes to pour out upon them. He will never forget to punish fully those who have sinned against him and his most vulnerable people.
This very judgment of the Lord against the exploitation and oppression of the needy and the poor that applies to us also, reveals his compassion and grace for us and the oppressed. He cares about what happens to them and us despite this sort of silent sin we participate in through the actions of our society. The last word to you and me is not a word of condemnation, followed by a heavy and foreboding silence, but a word of forgiveness and grace, of life and blessing, of reconciliation and peace. Forgiveness and grace that should lead us to recognise our silent sin.
Many churches and individual Christians participate in activities to alleviate the needs of the poor, homeless and oppressed, while at the same time participating in the actions of our society that create the condition that hurt the poor, homeless and oppressed. The time is ripe to confess our sins to this gracious God and to hear how precious you are to him. He has paid dearly to set you free from the consequences of your sin.
Blessings