The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-03-28

US would have said, paraphrased il
is sure telling those crooked priests
If he keeps it up he will stop force,
dollar that will remain stable in pul
to the next"
Of course, Bible English renders
Amos thoughts in the following
words: Hear this, o We that
swallow up the needy, even to
make the poor of the land to
fail, saying when will the new
moon be gone that we may sell
corn and the Sabbath, that we
may set forth wheat, making the
ephah small, and the shekel
great. and classifying the balances
by deceit? That we may buy the
poor for silver, and the needy for
a pair of shoes; yea and sell the
refuse of the wheat. :. Slall not
the land trenble for this? I will
send famine in the land, not a
famine of bread, nor a thirst for
water, but Of hearing the words
Of the Lord"
Amos was neither an economist
nor a politician. He knew moth
ing of pure food laws or COM
modify exchange regulation or
modern monetary systems. He
was typical farmer disguised
with commercial civilization that
by deceit robbed farmers of their
land and freedom. Perhaps there
was depression abroad in the land
when Amos left his sheep behind
him in the hills Of Judea to go to
Bethel, leading city and
sanctuary of Israel. The first
great refornler of history, he
strobe into Bethel strong in the
insight which had come to him as
he thought of the wrongs of that
day. He gathered his crowd by
telling of the disaster which would
come to neighboring nations be-
cause of their misdeeds. But when
he told Of the similar misdeeds of
Israel and similar disaster, it was
more than the professional
prophet Amaziah could stand.
4 MAzIAH Immediately COM
L n planned to King Jeroboam
with the age-old plant of respect
able men rudely disturbed by a
reformer; said Amaziah concern
ing Amos, The land is not able
to bear all his words" He as
sumed Amos was one of the kept
prophets of Judah and suggested
that he go back home and
prophesy there in return for the
bread Of his own land. Most
prophets have been true to their
bread, but you can't tell how they
will act in strange land.
1t happened Amaziah was
wrong and Amos in his wrath
denied as though it were an in
suit that he was prophet Or a
son of a prophet. He was simply
a farmer and the Lord had come
to him as he followed his flock.
With wrath redoubled he returned
to his task Of prophesying dis
aster for misdeeds committed,
Amos, an enraged farmer, seeing
the havoc wrought by CONNER
cial civilization, gave expression
to the oldest passages of the
Bible. 1t was after Amos that
Deuteronomy, Judges, Kings and
the rest of the Bible was written.
Undoubtedly this indignant farm
er, who diSdained to be called a
prophet but nevertheless felt so
deeply that he spoke in the name
of the Lord, has had through the
ages an extraordinary influence
on the fight for social justice.
Micah, another farmer, prophe-
sled shortly after Amos in much
the same terms, and he likewise
had a supreme disdain for the
regular priests teaching for hire
and prophets divining for money"
who proclaimed that the Lord was
with them and prosperity was just
around the corner.
Micah was even more disguised
than Amos with the cities of
Judah and Israel. He denounced
both the priests and the rich, and
foretold the calamity that would
inevitably come to a people be-
having in this fashion. But with
all his hatred of the rich and his
prophesying of disaster. Micah is
credited in the sixth chapter of
the book of Micah with one Of the
most eloquent verses in the Old
Testament, what doth the Lord
require of thee, but to do justly,
and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with thy God?"
ISAIAH, who came after Amos
l. and lived about the same time
as Micah, seems to have been
more a city man than farmer.
He came Of good family and ap-
parently had easy access to the
king. He seems to have been less
concerned with the relationship
between the poor farmer and the
city man than he was with
statesmanlike course for Judah in
her relationship to surrounding
nations.
He was a statesman, and saw
the peril to Judah in foreign
alliances. Poor little Judah was
in imminent danger Of being over
run by either Egypt or Assyria, or
both, and Isaiah, knowing the in
tense fear of his people, utilized
this fear as an opportunity to
sneak of q. greater force than