Amos, 3
14. On the day when I punish Israel for his crimes, I will visit also the altars of Bethel: The horns of the altar shall be broken off and fall to the ground.
14. On the day when I punish Israel for his crimes, I will visit also the altars of Bethel: The horns of the altar shall be broken off and fall to the ground.
Amos 3 contains a series of oracles of the Prophet Amos, in which he makes accusations and prophecies against the people of Israel. He begins the chapter with the rhetorical question, "Are they two together if they are not in agreement?" (Amos 3:3). From there, he starts to talk about the inevitability of God's judgment about the people of Israel because of his injustice and violence. The verses below were chosen for their relationship with these themes:
Isaiah 1:17: "Learn to do good, seek what is just; help the oppressed; do justice to the orphan; deal with the cause of the widows." This verse talks about the importance of doing good and practicing justice, especially in relation to the oppressed and vulnerable, something that the people of Israel had neglected.
Isaiah 10:1-2: "Woe to those who decree unfair laws, those who write laws of oppression, to deny justice to the poor, to snatch the right to the affliction of my people, to strip their widows and steal the orphans!" This verse reinforces the accusation of Amos that the people of Israel were committing injustice and oppression against the poor and vulnerable.
Isaiah 5:7: "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of their delights; and waited for judgment to exercise, and here oppression; justice, and here is cry." This verse also talks about God's expectation that the people of Israel practices justice, and their disappointment with the oppression and injustice He finds instead.
Jeremiah 9:24: "But whatever is glory, glorie this: in understanding and knowing me, that I am the Lord, that I will benefit, judgment, and justice on earth; for these things I like, say the Lord. " This verse emphasizes the importance of knowing God and following his ways of benevolence, judgment and justice.
Psalm 82:3-4: "Do justice to the poor and the orphan; proceed with the afflicted and the helpless. Deliver the poor and needy; take them out of the hands of the wicked." This psalm also highlights the importance of justice in relation to the vulnerable and the need to protect them from the oppression of the wicked.
“A divina bondade não só não rejeita as almas arrependidas, como também vai em busca das almas teimosas”. São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina
