The Covenant Is Breached

On September 30, 2007, four prominent atheists—Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett—met for a two-hour discussion, which was recorded and titled “The Four Horsemen.” In their conversation, the four discuss “the tough questions about religion that face the world today.” All four men believe that religion has caused more harm than good, and as supporting evidence they cite the wars fought in the name of religion.

It’s true that to pick up the Old Testament is to read about war, even wars fought in God’s name. When Israel took possession of the Promised Land, she was commanded to go to war, wiping out all the pagan nations residing in Canaan. (She failed that task.) In the opening chapter of Amos, God declares war on foreign nations— the Arameans, Philistines, Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites—for their oppression of His people. Surely as the list of God’s enemies grew and divine vengeance reassured, the people of Israel and Judah breathed a sigh of relief. Not only would they be freed from their oppressors but their oppressors would be punished.

But in the second chapter, God declares His anger at His own people. Speaking through Amos, His shepherd-prophet from Judah, He accuses the southern kingdom of breaking the Mosaic Covenant, which had bound them to loyalty to Him. (In the preamble to the Ten Commandments, God had commanded His people to obey Him because He brought them out of Egypt, and this act of divine favor is cited in our key verse today; see also Ex. 20:2.) And though she was rescued by God, Judah had forgotten God’s law. Additionally, God’s people to the north—Israel—were guilty of exploiting the poor.

Pray with Us

Pray for the ministry of our Operations branch, headed by Mark Wagner, interim CEO. Moody’s ministries—Education, Moody Radio, and Moody Publishers—all benefit from a strong operations team.

BY Jennifer Michel

Jen Pollock Michel is a regular contributor to Christianity Today’s Her.meneutics blog. Her first book, Teach us to Want: Longing, Ambition and the Life of Faith, is published by InterVarsity Press. Jen earned her BA in French from Wheaton College and her MA in Literature from Northwestern University. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and five children, and serves on staff at Grace Toronto Church.