Today we read from the prophet Amos, who had some pointed things to say to the capitalists of his day, from Colossians, that ode to the cosmic Christ, and from the Gospel of St. Luke and the familiar and yet maddening story of Mary and Martha.
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
RFSJ
7 comments:
Are you saying that what is written in Amos 8:1-12 is a pointed commentary on capitalists? That is truly a stretch. Who were the capitalists in Amos’ day?
Trog,
Not all capitalists, just the ones of his day. An ephah is a unit of measure for grain. a shekel is a unit of money. Making the ephah small means shorting the weights and making the shekel great means raising prices. The Northern Kingdom was in a rare period of relative prosperity, and the poor were being abused by the rich, in clear contravention of the Torah. See Amos 5:10-15 for another example. 5:21-24 is another famous example - the leadership thought that keeping the sacrifial system going would be enough to stay in God's good favor. Amos, throughout the book bearing his name, says that isn't enough. God is particularly interested in how the poor, the widows, the oppressed are treated by society, says Amos. The passage read on Sunday fairly clearly lays out what's going on: "Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land" introduces the indictments of economic abuse. God , says Amos, is more concerned with how the disadvantaged of society are treated than in how the religious festivals (e.g., the "new moon at v. 5) are being kept and specifically mentions here practices that cheat the poor who have very little to start with anyway.
So it isn't even a stretch; rather, it's a clear calling to the wealthy in the Northern Kingdom to shape up toward those less fortunate than them. Look at Ps 82:1-4; here again the Psalmist shows God's special interest in "the weak and the orphan" and the "humble and needy."
Is capitalism bad. Nope, and Amos does not seem to say that. He does decry when capitalism goos so far that it forgets those who cannot participate fully in the system. Yes, it's the famous or infamous "preferential option for the poor," but there is a strong strand throughout both Hebrew and Christian Scripture that it is always the disadvantaged that we are called to look to when thinking about doing God's will.
RFSJ
RFSJ,
Thank you for your amplification. It is enlightening.
I am questioning your use of terms. Not all who engaged in business at the time of Amos did so by cheating the comsumer. Not all who gained wealth did so by standing on the backs of the poor. Undoubtedly some did since God told Amos to speak out about it. However, commerce based upon fraud cannot flourish.
This is your forum. It is different than the pulpit. Therefore you can champion what you wish. It is easy for one of strong beliefs to paint with a wide brush. But, if you always do so your credibility becomes suspect.
Was what Amos found in the marketplace capitalism? Are all wealthy suspect? I do not think so.
Trog,
I don't necessarily think so either. And that's not what I am saying. Amos was railing against an imbalance in the society of his day. The words we read may make us uncomfortable, and they should. I don't see how I am painting with a broad brush in any case. What I summarized above is what any competent commentator will relate concerning this prophetic book. amos is important because he makes us feel uncomfortable.
Let me ask, how do you read, or relate to, this passage?
Cheers,
RFSJ
I do not question Amos and dare not question a competent commentator.
Trog,
I should have used different words. "Competent Commentators" is a somewhat technical term for those who have written analyzes of various parts of the Bible. I did not mean to infer that you have no right to engage the text. If that's how I came across, I apologize. In good Protestant tradition (we 'Piskies are indeed Prot, ya know) I think you have the right to comment for yourself on the texts we read. If not this one, then others. But you seem disturbed by my take on Amos. Even if I were being deliberately provocative ( and I wasn't trying) something there got you thinking. So I ask again, when you read it the first time, or when you read it now, how do you read it?
RFSJ
I believe that Amos is saying “Don’t cheat in the marketplace.” Our differences revolve around your use of the word capitalists. You believe that the participants in Amos’ marketplace were capitalists. I do not. Some were. Most were not.
Cheers and beers,
Troglodyteus
Post a Comment