Our theme for this month: “Wisdom”
Our Bible verse for today: “Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gates.” Amos 5:15
Our thought for today: “Biblical wisdom requires that God’s people act justly.”
One message which comes through loud and clear in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in chapter after chapter, passage after passage, is that God has a soft spot in His heart for the down and out, the poor and the oppressed, the widow and the orphan. And along with that, God calls for His people to be the administrators of justice and compassion on His behalf and in His name. We are to help right the wrongs in the world.
The Old Testament prophet Amos was a simple man, a humble goat herder with absolutely no credentials to be a prophet of God. Therefore he was an unlikely candidate to confront wealthy Israelites on the sin of social injustice, but he is who God chose for the task. The days of Amos were a time of great national prosperity for Israel. The farmlands were productive, many people lived in fine homes and most of the population was well-fed. Those are the kinds of blessings God had always intended for His people to enjoy – it’s the very reason He led them into the Promised Land to begin with.
But now those same blessed people were exploiting the workers and the poor and the defenseless. Since their affluence gave them power over those less fortunate than themselves, they took bribes, imposed heavy taxes, took away the property and provisions that belonged to the workers, and they took advantage of the powerless. So God was angry and offended and He sent Amos to warn of the judgment and punishment that was to come.
The person who is wise in the ways of God will be kind, compassionate, and generous – especially with respect to those less fortunate, and they will defend the rights of those who are persecuted and oppressed. Biblical wisdom calls for God’s people to be advocates and administrators of social justice.
God Bless,
Oak Hill Baptist Church 