Advent Reflections: Peace 2

Daily Office readings: Amos 7:10-17, Revelation 1:9-16, Matthew 22:34-46.

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.'” Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”

—Amos 7:10-13 (TNIV)

Yesterday I talked about the biblical concept of peace and what God did to reestablish peace with us. We saw that through the Cross, God established the necessary conditions by which we can have real peace with him again, the kind of peace humans enjoyed before the Fall. Today I want to talk about what we need to do in response. What is the appropriate response to God’s gracious peace initiative? In two words: humility and obedience.

In today’s reading from Amos, we have a classic study in how not to respond to God’s peace initiatives. Amos has been prophesying against the social injustice and corrupt religious practices in Israel. It is a fearsome thing to read some of Amos’ prophesies and if we do not understand the historical background and context of the prophets, we can be tempted to see God as some cosmic ogre, waiting to catch us doing something wrong so that he can smack us down. But that was not the purpose of the prophets’ messages. God had chosen Abraham and his descendants to be his called-out (holy) people. He had blessed them so that they could be a blessing to his broken and fallen world (Genesis 12:1-3). Through Israel, God was going to redeem his fallen creation. The problem was that Israel had turned out to be part of the problem instead of part of the solution. Israel’s problem was the problem of fallen humanity and God spoke to his rebellious people through his prophets. Through them, he warned Israel of the dire consequences of choosing death over life. Who among us would not do likewise for our children or those whom we love if we saw them choosing courses of action that would ultimately lead to death? You see, Israel’s rebellion was not producing God’s peace or helping him accomplish his redemptive work. They were choosing death over life and that grieved God’s heart, so he tried to warn them to turn away from their destructive behavior because he wanted them to live and to be his blessing to others. Have you read the prophets through this lens? If not, give it a try. It will help you see God in a whole new light.

In response to Amos’ prophecies, which must have been a shock to hear, we get Israel’s response in today’s lesson. Instead of repenting, the Lord’s warnings through Amos were met with derision and scorn. You don’t like the message? Simply tell the messenger to go away and stop bothering you so that all will be well! There was no humility here, no obedience on the part of Israel’s religious and political leaders. Consequently, there was no chance for peace between God and his called-out people. Now we should never read this story, and others like it in the Old Testament, with the intention of fueling antisemitism. The ancient Israelites were prone to sin and rebellion just like the rest of us and consequently do not deserve special condemnation. Their story of rebellion is our story of rebellion, and if we think otherwise, we are seriously deluding ourselves.

No, the lesson we should read in today’s lesson is this. If we ever hope to have peace with God, we must accept his conditions for peace. We must acknowledge that he is God and we are his creatures (this is where the humility factors in). God has the overall and eternal view of his creation and creatures. We do not. If we do not believe he knows best or has our best interests at heart, then it is quite likely that we have not taken the time or made the effort to get to know him. Once we do, and once we get to know him, we will want to obey him because we realize how good and gracious and loving our God is. When we respond in humility and obedience to God’s gracious and costly peace initiative to us through his Cross, then we really can have the kind of peace I talked about in yesterday’s reflection.

What is in you or your life that is preventing you from accepting God’s peace initiative in Christ? Ask God to give you wisdom and keen insight so that you can be truthful with yourself and with him. Begin to work on it this week. Confess whatever needs to be confessed and then ask God to give you power to help you respond to his passionate and wondrous love for you with a humble and obedient heart so that you can enjoy the peace that passes all understanding. Make this part of your Advent discipline and give thanks to God for blessing you with his Spirit to help you in your weakness.

Tomorrow: Peace between humans.