This is my last Amos post. The majority of Amos hits us pretty hard and leaves us asking the question, "so what can we do about it?" In chapter 5, we find the answer to this question. Chapter 5 is presented in two sections, each of them a chiastic structure. The first looks like this:
a. Judgment described (5:1-3)
b. Seek the Lord (5:4-6)
c. Injustice described (5:7)
d. Hear a sovereign God (5:8-9)
c’. Injustice described (5:10-13)
b.’ Seek the Lord (5:14-15)
a’. Judgment described (5:16-17)
This chiasm describes the coming judgment, the prescribed repentance (i.e., Seek the Lord), and the injustices that provoked the curses of Deuteronomy 28:15 ff. Who has the authority to call out against the standard (remember the plumb line of 7:7-9)? It is God. Of course people question God's judgments, but this chiasm brings the discussion to the sovereignty of God . . . he does not need to consult us.
In all of this, the Lord answers our "what can we do about it" question like this: "Seek the Lord and live." When we set our life's direction to seek the Lord, we will hate evil, love good, and establish justice (vss. 5, 6, 14, 15). We do not do these things to seek the Lord (though we might see him in spectacular ways while doing them), rather these are manifestations in our lives because we seek the Lord. (This is not an exact distinction, but helps us understand the primary pursuit, i.e., the Lord over the works.) Conversely, if we seek wealth, power, and self-gratification, then oppression, whether directly or indirectly, even if unintentionally, will be the manifestation.
Forgoing the layout of the second chiasm, the central point of the second section shows up as repentance, a command to turn away from religious hypocrisy (vss. 21-23, 25, 26) to justice and righteousness (vs. 24).
The answer "what can we do about it" the same today:
- SEEK first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
- Ask, and it will be given to you; SEEK, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).
More about this SEEKING in ensuing blogs.
