Amos 8:4-8

Amos 8:4-8

⁴ Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, 
And make the poor of the land fail, 

⁵ Saying: 
“When will the New Moon be past, 
That we may sell grain? 
And the Sabbath, 
That we may trade wheat? 
Making the ephah small and the shekel large, 
Falsifying the scales by deceit, 
⁶ That we may buy the poor for silver, 
And the needy for a pair of sandals— 
Even sell the bad wheat?” 
⁷ The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: 
“Surely I will never forget any of their works. 
⁸ Shall the land not tremble for this, 
And everyone mourn who dwells in it? 
All of it shall swell like the River, 
Heave and subside 
Like the River of Egypt. 

^{I am fearful for the poor and middle class in America. It is hard to rest in my comfort zone knowing that there are those who do not have health care, decent housing or food for their families. Those who make their wealth on the backs of others without fair compensation for their labor are making slaves of the poor and holding the rest of us hostage in our complacency. Our constitution says that the United States belongs to all of its citizens, we the people,  not just a privileged percentage or political group. God help us to be more like You and to show our love for our neighbor in our actions not just in our words.... I ask this in the powerful love of Jesus Christ.} 

The New Moon, the first day of the month on the Hebrew calendar, was a day of special sacrifices, a feast day, and a Sabbath day. Rather than observing the New Moon and the weekly Sabbath with worship, thanksgiving, and rest, these people were impatient to resume their cheating and oppression of the poor.

The rich and powerful of Amos’s day were making slaves of Israel’s poor, the people they had dispossessed of their lands. The form of the Hebrew oath marks its seriousness: God will not forget. Their works refers to the economic injustices Amos spoke against, as well as other sins, including unfaithfulness to God.