David Bahn – Reflections

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Amos 1-3, Psalm 20.

Amos 3:1-7

Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

² “You only have I known
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
    for all your iniquities.

³ “Do two walk together,
    unless they have agreed to meet?
⁴ Does a lion roar in the forest,
    when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
    if he has taken nothing?
⁵ Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
    when it has taken nothing?
⁶ Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
    unless the LORD has done it?

⁷ “For the LORD God does nothing
    without revealing his secret
    to his servants the prophets.
⁸ The lion has roared;
    who will not fear?
The LORD God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?”

“Say it ain’t so, Joe!”

The phrase is famously associated with the 1919 Black Sox scandal. As the story goes, a heartbroken young fan approached Shoeless Joe Jackson outside a Chicago courthouse and pleaded, “Say it ain’t so, Joe!”

That’s how I feel when I read the book of Amos.

Say it ain’t so, Amos! Surely Israel has not sinned so grievously. Certainly Judah is not corrupt. It can’t be that God’s people would give way to idolatry, injustice, evil, vile immorality, and great sin. Surely they would not hide their evil hearts and actions behind a veil of religious devotion. Yet that is exactly what Amos exposes. The people imagined that their religious activity somehow compensated for their lack of justice and mercy.

I don’t want to believe that because it has such troubling implications for us today. Could we admire churches for their worship attendance, generous gifts, impressive buildings, and well-funded ministries while overlooking the fact that they show little concern for the poor, neglect the weak, or compromise the truth of God’s Word in pursuit of relevance and cultural approval? It breaks my heart to think so.

What’s worse, such actions sully the name of Jesus, just as Israel’s and Judah’s actions became an ugly blemish on the name of the LORD. In fact, they violated both the First and Second Commandments. Israel, in particular, had fallen into blatant idolatry. They put false gods before the LORD—a direct violation of the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” And in doing so, they dishonored God’s name, claiming to be his people while living as though he were not their God.

We will have to wait until the end of Amos to hear a clearer word of grace and hope. Yet even here, hidden beneath the prophet’s stern words, is God’s concern for justice and righteousness. God cares about the poor and the weak. He defends widows and orphans, the sick and infirm, pregnant women, and those who cannot speak for themselves. His judgment is not the opposite of his love; it is an expression of his concern for those who are being harmed.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he said, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” That means more than refraining from profanity or careless speech. It has everything to do with how we live, how we treat our neighbors, how we uphold the truth, and how we call upon God in prayer.

In light of today’s readings, perhaps the most fitting response is simply this:

“Lord, have mercy. Forgive our sins. Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. For Jesus’ sake and in his name. Amen.”