MESSAGE NOTES AND INDIVIDUAL/GROUP REFLECTION QUESTIONS, 6/16/24

Seek God by seeking good. This is the command the book of Amos begs to understand. Uniquely among the minor prophets, Amos zeros in on Israel’s injustice towards the poor. He indicts them for their failure to be generous as God had been generous to them. As we journey together, we want to identify what injustices are occurring in the world around us. Then, our hope is to determine what is the justice God wants to bring forth through us.

  1. How would you define “social justice?”

  2. How does social justice differ from socialism or communism or other such ideas?

  3. What do you think prevents a community from genuinely caring for those who are more vulnerable to injustices?

  4. The idea of social justice in the Bible is best defined around two key Hebrew terms: righteousness” and “justice”. Righteous refers to a right relationship with God out of which flows the desire to put right all other relationships regardless of race, social or political status. The idea is primarily about restoring the fabric of a torn apart social community. Justice refers to giving people their due related to punishment, protection and care regardless of race, social or political status. The two terms appear together in these texts. As you read each text put the words “social justice” in for “righteousness and justice” and you get the idea.

    Psalm 9:16; Psalm 33:5; Psalm 11:7; Psalm 9:8; Psalm 97:1-2; Psalm 103:6; Jeremiah 9:23-24.

    One Hebrew scholar summarizes things by saying biblically the” righteous” refers to those who are willing to disadvantage themselves for the advantage of the community while the “wicked” refers to those who disadvantage the community for the sake of personal advantage.

  5. Read Amos 2:6-8. What are the issues God is addressing? How do they fit our definition above?

  6. Read Amos 2:9-12. What is God’s argument here? What has made it possible for the rich to be rich and the powerful to be powerful? Does God have a right to say how we should use what we have? Why or why not? How much control do you really have over all the factors that have led to what you have today?

  7. Read Amos 2:12-16. What is God’s response for the injustices that have been allowed?

  8. As the people of God we are surrounded by injustices every day. There are countless ways the structures and systems around us prey on the weak for the advantage of the strong. There are systems and structures and behaviors all around us that disadvantage the community for the sake of advantaging those who hold the power. Think about your circle of influence, your business, your school, your neighborhood, your industry, your government, etc… Where do you see this today? What is something you can do to begin to make a difference?

  9. Just because something is legal doesn’t mean something is morally right. In the same way, just because that’s the way the system works or the structure is set up doesn’t mean we stand by and do nothing. Who will bring protection and care to the disadvantaged in this world if it’s not the people of God?

  10. What if instead of just accepting things as they are we began to look for ways to bring relief and ‘justice’ to a very unjust world? Brainstorm how you might go about even starting to see the world this way. How do we really begin to wrestle with the “what if” questions around this topic of social justice? How might the smallest of changes begin to create what could become a river of righteousness and justice?

 

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