Transcript
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Hello everyone. We've reached [music]
the haurra of Vaev.
The prophet Amos conveys the word of God
to the Jewish people. He says in the
name of God, "Thus said the Lord, for
three transgressions [music] of Israel,
and for four, I will not return them."
In other words, God has already endured
many sins from the Jewish nation, but
now the punishment [music] is mere. The
main reason is that they sold the
righteous for money. They turned [music]
justice into a business and issued
judgments unfairly.
The prophet [music] describes people who
turn the weak into the ground they
trample on.
They humiliate the poor and twist
[music] the ways of the humble. Even in
morality, they have become corrupt. A
father and son go to the same young
woman. thus desecrating [music] the holy
name. They take clothes from the poor to
spread them out beside [music] every
altar and they drink wine taken as fines
in the house of their idols. All this
happens while they pretend to [music]
serve God.
So God reminds the people of the
kindnesses he has done for them. He
destroyed the Amorites who were as tall
and strong as [music] an oak tree,
eliminated them from top to bottom.
He [music] brought the Jews up from the
land of Egypt, led them through the
wilderness for 40 years [music] until
they came to inherit the land of the
Amorites. He also chose the children of
Israel. From their [music] sons, he made
prophets and from their young men,
Nazerites, who kept themselves [music]
pure. But instead of honoring the
Nazarites, the people made them drink
wine. And instead of listening to the
prophets, [music] they commanded them
not to prophesy. God announces that
punishment will come. He says, [music]
"Behold, I will press you down in your
place as a wagon is pressed when full of
sheav, [music] meaning the pressure will
be unbearable. There will be no escape.
The swift will not succeed in running
away.
The strong will not be able to use
[music] their strength, and the mighty
will stumble. Even the arrow will be of
no use. The one who rides a horse will
not escape, and even the bravest of the
mighty will flee on that day." So says
the [music] word of God. After these
words of rebuke, the prophet Almos
begins another prophecy and says, "Hear
this word that the Lord has spoken about
you, children of Israel. God reminds
them [music] that he is the one who
brought them up from Egypt.
He chose them from among all the
nations. And it is only because they are
a special [music] people close to him
that he holds them accountable for all
their sins." The prophet speaks of
[music] great responsibility precisely
because God is close to the Jewish
people and knows them better than any
other nation. The [music] expectations
from them are also higher. A chosen
people, a people to whom God has
revealed himself cannot [music] behave
like all the other nations and then Amos
speaks through parables. He asks, "Do
two walk together unless they have
agreed [music] to meet? Will a lion roar
in the forest if it has found no prey?
Will a young lion let out its voice
[music] from its den if it has caught
nothing? Will a bird fall into a trap on
the ground if there is no snare for it?
Will a trap spring up from the earth if
it hasn't [music] caught anything?
Will a chauffeur be sounded in a city
and the people not afraid?
So it is with the acts of God.
If there is calamity [music] in a city,
has not God done it?
Everything comes from him. Everything
[music] is measured and directed.
God does nothing without revealing his
[music] secret to the prophets.
He reveals it to them in advance so they
can warn the people and urge them to
repent.
Ammo says, "When a lion roars, who isn't
afraid?
And when [music] God speaks, who will
not prophesy? The prophets do not act on
their own. They are messengers." A voice
that [music] conveys God's word to the
world. With these words, Amos describes
a situation where the Jewish people
[music] received abundance, prophecy,
and guidance, but chose to ignore it.
They enjoyed the world, chased after
money, humiliated the poor, and [music]
stopped listening to the voice of God.
So God says to them through Almos, "I
have done great kindnesses for you. I
took you out of Egypt. I gave you
[music] prophets and Nazerites, but you,
you rejected holiness and chose sin.
Therefore, a time of judgment [music]
will come.
Those who trusted in their own strength
will discover that their strength cannot
save them. Those who trusted in their
wisdom will find that there is no
counsel [music] against God. But within
all these harsh words, there is also a
depth of love. God speaks to [music] his
people not as enemies, but as children
who have strayed from the path. He
reminds them again and again of the
early days, of the Exodus from Egypt, of
the wilderness, of the land that brought
forth abundance. All of this is meant to
remind them where they came [music] from
and what their duty is. The prophecy of
Almos is [music] a powerful call to
awaken.
It does not come to break, but to remind
that God reigns over all and hears and
[music] sees everything.
If God roars, the world must listen. If
[music] God speaks, a person has no
right to remain silent. Amos, [music]
like the other prophets, brings the word
of God in the hope that the people will
awaken and [music] correct their ways
before punishment comes. He speaks to
the heart, justice, and responsibility
of every person. He reminds us [music]
that God does not seek punishment, he
seeks change.
And so from the piercing [music] words
of Amos, a clear message emerges.
God is close to his people, demanding
honesty, justice, and humility from
them. And he expects them to behave
according to his Torah. When the people
forget this, the prophets are sent to
remind, to awaken, [music] and to guide
them back to the right path.
