Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1921-04-21

YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
Problems Of Poverty and Wealth.
I. Wealth In the Hands Of the Few
lisa. 5:S).
1. Join house to house" ". 81.
2. Lay field to field" ". 81.
The avaricious greed Of these men
caused them to enlarge their estates
at the expense of their neighbors. In
agricultural districts it took the form
of land-grabbing and the eviction of
mercial centers the crowding out of
the small concerns by the large cor
porations. God hates the spirit Of
ayarice.
II. Methods Employed in the Ae-
QUESTION Of Wealth (Amos 8:4-6).
l. Swallowed up the needy ". ~.
Swallowed up" literally means to
pant after, like beast after its prey
with eagerness to devour. Many to-
day get rich by swallowing up the
needy.
2. ITO make the poor Of the land
to fail" ". ~. They were grasping
after the houses and lands of the poor,
and in order to accomplish this they
impoverished them in every way pos
sible so as to root them out of the
land. This they doubtless did by
Withholding from them their lawful
wages, an example Of which we find
In James "a, and placing exorbitant
taxes upon them and cheating them
in the courts.
8. Begrudged the loss Of holy days
". 81. They were restlessly impatient
because of the restrictions Of those
days. Though outwardly conforming
to the Sabbath they were seeking all
the while to commercialize it. Many
today go to church for the sake of
responsibility while impatiently wait
ing for the day to pass in order to
to pursue their business.
! ". 81. az They made the ephah
small. Their measures were less than
| the price paid for. (2) They made
the shekel great The shekel being
the coin used to pay bills, the mer-
| chants put into circulation overweight
shekels thus getting higher price
for their grain. The purchaser was
thus cut on both sides. (3) Falsifed
their balances. Even the scales by
which the gold and silver were
weighed had been tempered with, MAX
ing them guilty of cheating In three
ways.
S. They bought the poor for silver
| ". g.. The poor were reduced to
such poverty by the above means Of
| cheating that they were obliged to sell
themselves into slavery, even for q
pair of shoes.
6 They sold the refuse of the wheat
| ". 81. In time Of famine they even
sold to the people that part of the
wheat which was intended for the
cattle.
III. Gods Judgment Upon Them
(Amos So; CT. lisa. $50, 10Y.
God says II will never forget" Not
one act of greed and oppression will
escape Gods notice.
/. Many houses shall be desolate.
2. The land unproductive w. 10Y.
w. A Picture of Rich Man and 4
Beggar duke 16 :19-25).
/. Their lives. ~ The rich man.
He had much goods. He operated in
the highest society. ~ The beggar.
He not only was poor, but helpless.
He had no place In the social order.
2. Their deaths. ~ The rich man
was taken by death. He seems to have
had great burial. (2) The beggar.
There is nothing told as to what was
done with his body when he died. Per
haps the very dogs who licked his
sores fed upon 1t.
8. Their destinies. ~ The rich
man lifted up his eyes in hell. The
beggar was carried by the angels into
Abrahams bosom. (2) What deter
mined them. The future life grows
out of the present. The rich man was
interested in the things of this life,
SO selfish that even when the poor
beggar was laid at his gate he gave
him no attention. He not only lacked
the kindness Of seeking opportunity
to do good, but refused the one op.
portunity that was thrust before him
(3) Their fixedness. Their destinies
were determined by their actions while
alive, and after death there was nc
| oh