Day 193: Amos (but not Andy…oh, never mind..)
Amos is a Prophet for the poor people. He has complaints about how the rich profit off the poor. That still goes on today, and it is a big concern when they pit races against each other making it seem like that’s the problem.
Making government programs to ‘aid’ them, and some do, but they also keep people in a state of poverty. Several programs do not encourage making money, because if you do, they take it away from your checks, or benefits, or kick you off completely, letting you fall through the cracks. But, the elite government keeps profiting off the tax dollars that try and support these causes. Yet, they never go poor, and instead are making millions off of them.
President Trump is not profiting off this, though. Love him, or hate him, he is working for us for free. He donates his presidential paychecks to charities. He doesn’t need a paycheck from us, nor has he lived off being a politician from us — for years, I might add, either, like some have done.
So, you are either stuck staying in these programs and just getting by in a low income setting, or if you are lucky enough to have a support system from family, ones that can help you get ahead, you may find your way to financial freedom. That’s what a middle class did for many — gave them a better life, but not necessarily a rich one, though many kept affluency going.
But, there are groups of people trying to tear down the middle class system, and even wanting to change things so that private property is not an option — not wanting you to own your own home, much less, leave any kind of legacy for your children.
Maybe that’s why God called on Amos, who was just a farmer in a remote village outside of Jerusalem. God sends him to Israel. People believe*, and it can be true, that they have all these riches because God is smiling on them, and if you DON’T have riches, or you lose them, that you are being punished, in some way. God has told the Jews that if they lived by His rules, they and their descendants would be prosperous, and He has delivered that promise. He has said, as well, that if they DIDN’T, they would lose it all, so it makes sense that they would believe this way.
*Amos is saying to these wealthy people, it is not blessings from God that is making you rich, but extorting from the poor in the form of taxation, cheating people, and buying others off who make the laws that bind the people. God is watching, and He does not like this happening to His people. God has a heart. He has patience, too, and it seems like He doesn’t care. That’s where people go wrong… and God WILL level the playing field. And, the bigger you are, the harder you fall. He has transferred wealth before, and can (and probably will) do it again.
So, my dear billionaires and multi-millionaires, especially those who use people in the wrong way with your ‘power’ — your perceived power, because it can be gone in a flash. We can see in today’s issues, that Hollywood, professional sports (who right now think they have the upper hand in ‘not playing’ — who is going to watch them, anyhow, since no one can gather in the stadiums), that they will continue to make money. Many in Hollywood have their homes up for sale, but who is going to buy them? They want to leave, and maybe they can, but maybe not without a loss if their homes don’t sell. Multi-million dollar homes.
Amos addresses seven nations. Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and Judah. These nations eventually get nailed by war. Amos is upset by the oppression of the poor. Those who truly want to help the poor, will help them create a way for themselves, by encouraging, educating, offering ways to get themselves to a higher state of mind. So, social justice is a very important factor to help feed and clothe those less fortunate. But, to just keep giving handouts will not help them prosper. It just takes care of some immediate basic needs. “Give a fish, eat for a day, teach how to fish, eat forever.”
Those that can’t pay their debts are persecuted by going on a slave block. The proceeds go to the person who is owed. If you can’t pay your debts today, then your credit rating goes down which leaves you in a place to not be able to borrow again. That COULD devastate some people.
God will put His hands on those who keep oppressing the poor, make them slaves for their fun and enjoyment, like that which is happening in the human slave markets, even today. Used for sex, hard labor, enjoyment of ridicule, and even pleasures of torture. They REALLY must not believe their is a God, and that they will never be punished for their acts, crimes against humanity. What fools. What utter fools. Hell is for eternity.
