Religion & Peace

For ancient Israel, worship was thought to guarantee divine favor. But the prophets warn that when injustice thrives, even the most devout worship cannot guarantee God’s blessing. 

Worship guarantees God’s favor

Many of the laws in the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) are devoted to teaching the ancient Israelites how to worship God correctly. Laws against polytheism and idolatry proliferate. Lessons about sacrifices abound. In fact, most of the book of Leviticus, and many chapters across the rest of the books of the Torah, are devoted to what, when, where, and how to sacrifice to God.   

The Torah also promises that worshipping God correctly ensures divine favor, safety, and prosperity:

If you follow My statutes and faithfully observe My commandments [defined in Leviticus as sacrificial commands], I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce… I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone. I will give the land respite from vicious beasts, and no sword shall cross your land. You shall give chase to your enemies…”. (Leviticus 26:3–7)

When worship isn’t enough

This promise presents a quandary for the classical prophets who preached immediately prior to, during, and even after major catastrophes such as the Assyrian and Babylonian assaults and exiles of ancient Israel. The prophets grant that, even while the people did, at times, worship foreign gods, by and large, they never stopped worshipping the God of Israel.  

The question arises then: 

If the ancient Israelites worshiped God, as commanded, why did they endure assault and exile? 

The prophet Amos is the first of the classical prophets to offer an answer.  

Amos begins his tenure during a moment in biblical history when the Israelites are scrupulous in observing the Sabbath and generous with their sacrifices. They bring sacrifices every morning, tithes every three days, thank-you offerings of leavened bread, and freewill offerings (4:4-5). In turn, as per God’s promise, they live contentedly amid riches, abundant harvests, and prolonged peace and stability.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Amos brings a shocking message: disaster is imminent. God is sending an enemy against you to “strip you of your splendor,” and “plunder your fortresses” (3:11):

The shrines of Isaac shall be laid waste, and the sanctuaries of Israel reduced to ruins; and I will turn upon the House of Jeroboam with the sword…your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line. And you yourself [king Jeroboam II] shall die on impure soil; for Israel shall be exiled from its soil. (7:11-17)

One can imagine the people’s retort:

You are a false prophet, Amos. You can see that we worship God with devotion. Certainly, there will be no calamity.

But Amos persists. Even more outrageously, he claims that the imminent catastrophe is a consequence of Israel’s own wrongdoings (3:10; 5:11) and that God detests Israel’s devoted worship: 

I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals. I will not look upon (5:21:23)

Why would God hate the very worship he promised would ensure his favor?  

Poisoned worship

Amos’ answer: Your sacrifices, which were once a sweet savor to God, are poisoned with injustice.  

Yes, the people are generous with their offerings. But the wealth that funds their offerings is extracted from the backs of the poor. Merchants rig their scales and swap chaff for grain (4:1), creditors enslave debtors over the minutest debt, such as the cost of a pair of sandals (8:4-6), and courts accept bribes, leaving widows and orphans without recourse (5:10-12).  

No longer are there just a few bad actors. Now, every class in society plays a role in exploiting the vulnerable. Injustice has spread. It is no longer the exception; it is now the rule.

Amos laments that in the past, he could have, and did, intervene with God. God threatened to punish ancient Israel with both locusts and fire, and each time, Amos prayed on Israel’s behalf, and God relented. But Amos no longer can (Amos 7:3).  

This is because systemic injustice contaminates all of the people’s endeavors. Sacrifices that were once sweet are now repulsive; prophetic intercessions that were once welcomed are now worthless.

An unexpected order

Amos’ message, reiterated by later prophets, is that in a society where the privileged exploit the vulnerable, the gifts God provides to engender divine forbearance, like sacrifices and prophetic intercession, don’t work.  

In a paradoxical twist, the vulnerable become more powerful than the privileged classes, for how they are treated determines the fate of the entire society.

Although Amos lived almost 3,000 years ago, his message remains as relevant today as it was then.

At a time when conflict scars our globe and religious devotion can be mistaken for righteousness, the words of Amos echo alongside the voices of other prophets honored in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Their collective words serve as an urgent reminder that piety cannot endure without justice, that God’s favor rests on how the vulnerable fare. 

The prophets insist that the survival of societies and the possibility of peace depend on it. Let us heed this ancient, interfaith call to action.

Dr. Deena Grant is the Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs at HIU, as well as Associate Professor of Jewish Studies.