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"Hear this, you who swallow up the needy"

Text: Amos 8:4

A STRONG WORD OF WARNING TO THE SINFUL

A strong and direct word of warning was given to the rich and powerful who were victimising the poor and needy.

“Hear this, you who swallow up the needy,
And make the poor of the land fail,
Saying:
‘When will the New Moon be past,
That we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
That we may trade wheat?
Making the ephah small and the shekel large,
Falsifying the scales by deceit,
That we may buy the poor for silver,
And the needy for a pair of sandals-
Even sell the bad wheat?'”
Amos 8:4-6

1. “Hear this”

a) This word came from the Lord Himself.

b) Amos was His spokesman.

2. The addressees

a) Those who swallow up the needy.

b) And make the poor of the land fail.

These could be separate groups or they are closely related groups of people who victimise the poor and needy.

3. The New Moon and Sabbath

a) The New Moon

i) This was celebrated as a religious feast.

ii) This was allowed for by Mosaic Law.

b) The Sabbath

i) This was taught in the Mosaic Law.

ii) This was a day of rest where regular work must cease for the sake of the workers.

c) The oppressors

They longed for the days to pass by quickly so that they could resume their daily work- of selling wheat and different types of grain.

4. The sins they were rebuked for

a) They falsified scales and thus cheated the people who bought bad wheat and grain from them.

b) They had such a monopoly of the market they ended up buying and selling people cheaply.