Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the LORD has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: - Amos 3:1

Today's Scripture Reading (February 11, 2023): Amos 3

In modern society, we sometimes seem to have lost the idea of loyalty. Friendships are temporary alliances; they exist for a time, but in the end, friendships are betrayed, and we seem to think it is okay to walk away and pretend that we never knew them. The idea of lifelong friends appears to have been replaced by a strict "what have you done for me lately" attitude.

It is an attitude that seems to be reflected in an old Paul Simon song. In "You're Kind," Simon writes,

You're kind; You're so kind
You rescued me when I was blind
And you put me on your pillow
When I was on the wall
You're kind, So kind, So kind

And you're good; You're so good
You introduced me to your neighborhood
Seems like I ain't never had so many friends before
That's because you're good; you're so good.

But in the next verse, Simon gives us the plot twist, After promises of loving you forever, Simon writes.

So goodbye, goodbye
I'm gonna leave you now
And here's the reason why
I like to sleep with the window open
And you keep the window closed

So goodbye, Goodbye (Paul Simon).

Of course, the song seems to be sung from a cat's perspective or maybe some other household pet. I have heard some fans argue that they think it might be a dog singing the song, but I think dogs would be much more loyal than whatever animal it is that Simon is personifying. So, maybe that is our problem; we are becoming much more like cats than dogs. But Simon seems to point out that it is often the small things that tear us apart, which, if you are the one being left, makes the experience much more painful.

Amos tells Israel that God has spoken against them. God declares his anger is "against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt." God's reminder to the descendants of Jacob is, "you left me; I didn't leave you. And what makes this even more painful is that I was the one who rescued you and redeemed you; I brought you out of Egypt." The main act of redemption in the Hebrew Bible is the exodus from Egypt. It is a point to which the Hebrew Bible frequently returns. But loyalty to the author of that redemption is often lacking. In the Christian Testament, the main act of redemption is found in the cross of Christ. And the Christian Testament frequently returns to that main event. As Christians, we believe that Jesus died for our sins. We have been redeemed, so we owe our loyalty to him, regardless of what the circumstances of our lives might be.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Amos 4