Amos 2:6
Hebrew Bible
5 So I will set Judah on fire, and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses.” 6 This is what the Lord says: “Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions—make that four—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They sold the innocent for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample on the dirt-covered heads of the poor; they push the destitute away. A man and his father go to the same girl; in this way they show disrespect for my moral purity.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Ezekiel 16:48
Hebrew Bible
47 Have you not copied their behavior and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were! 48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved. 49 “‘See here—this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore, when I saw it I removed them.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Tags:
Search:
Notes and References
"... The early eight-century prophets became the earliest prophet's spokesmen on behalf of the poor. Their critique against the social abuse of their society was grounded theologically in God’s covenant with Israel, his act of election. This covenant had called for faith obedience, as expressed in the Torah. But Israel had become indifferent and unfaithful to the covenant, and this unfaithfulness was most clearly evident to the prophets in the trampling upon the poor and neglect of the needy (Pilgrim 1981:25). The citing evidence against the poor is long and all too familiar-unjust courts (Amos 5:12; Isaiah 10:1-2; Jeremiah 5:28) fraudulent trade (Amos 8:4-5), unfair taxation (Amos 5:11-12), theft of land (Micah 2:1-3), violence against the poor (Ezekiel 16:48), wasteful affluence amid poverty (Amos 4:1, 6:4f), selling debtors into slavery (Amos 2:6; 8:6), and even suffocating tithes. These prophets all agree that social injustices are most indicative of a falling away from the covenant God. They are all certain that God is on the side of the poor ..."
Ntshumayelo, Matholose Paulus
Towards A Relevant Ministry Among The Poor: Developing A Comprehensive Strategy For Mission In Informal Settlement Communities With Special Reference To The Orange Farm Community
(p. 62) University of Pretoria, 2005
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
User Comments
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.