Introduction
The Amos 8:1-8 passage is found in the book of Amos. This passage, in particular, discusses the theme of greed as the Israeli merchants have begun to treat their customers unlawfully, and the businessmen took advantage of the poor. For these actions, God has punished the Israel people. This paper will analyze Amos 8:1-8, provide background information for the passage, discuss the theme of greed, and explain a modern-day example where this Bible verse is applicable.
Analysis
Firstly, it is important to understand the context of the book and the timeframe it describes. According to Limburg, the Amos 8:1-8 passage was written at the time when the business in the city of Bethel or Samaria, where the events take place, was booming (120). The Book of Amos is one of the earliest biblical texts, dating around the middle of the eighth century BCE. Amos informs that he is writing during the periods of Jeroboam II and Uzziah, two biblical rulers known from the archaeological record to have reigned beginning in the eighth century BCE (Amos). Amos implies that he is writing two years before a major earthquake, which is a reference to the destruction of Israel in the middle of the ninth century BCE. Hence, the purpose of this book is to illustrate the various natural and artificial catastrophes, as well as sins such as greed that the businessmen in the book possesses.
In passages 8:1-8, God shows Amos a basket of summer fruit, perhaps including pomegranates, figs, and grapes, and pronounces calamity on Israel. There is no depiction of the actual verdict as if it were too dreadful to put into words. The other parts of Amos’ book depict some of the consequences and calamities. However, this passage is intended to show God’s anger and him explaining to Amos the purpose of these calamities. Only then is the source of this grief revealed: a landscape littered with many unburied dead. In contrast to the previous crying noises, the description concludes suddenly with the exhortation, “Silence” (Amos 8:3). The passage then explains the many sinful actions that the people have committed that led to these consequences.
The fruit basket has a symbolic meaning in this passage, and it shows the end of the people. For example, Qayits is the name for “summer fruit,” whereas “qets” is the term for “end” (“Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries”). The combination of such a nice, sensuous sight with such a horrific, deadly threat is startling. The shock heightens the sensation of dread induced by the visual. Amos 8:4, like earlier prophetic judgment pronouncements, outlines what the guilty party did wrong and proclaims what will happen as a result (Limburg 120). For example, grain traders are the culpable party in this case because their self-incriminating words indicate religious hypocrisy, as they moan about missed income due to religious holidays. In the passage, these holidays are mentioned by God, which are Sabbath and the new Moon (Amos 8:4). The merchants are open about their desire to deceipt their consumers. For example, they state that they are doing the following “skimping on the measure, boosting the price, and cheating with dishonest scales” (Amos 8:4).
In order to understand the context of the Amos 8:1-8 passage, it is necessary to define some key terms found in it. For example, Amos was the first Hebrew prophet to have a biblical book named after him. He lived in the eighth century BC, and Amos is best known for predicting the collapse of Israel’s northern kingdom. Israel is an important geographic location for the Bible, as the majority of events occur on its territory. Pride of Jacob, mentioned in line 7 of this passage, is a term that has several interpretations. For example, one potential interpretation is that this name represents God himself. Sabbath and New Moon are both religious holidays during which no business should be open, which is one of the themes that are central in this passage. The Nile is the river in Egypt, which has played a role in the agriculture of ancient Egypt and has been worshiped in the culture and religion of the Egyptians. In the context of the Bible, this religious text also relates part of the amazing history of the Nile. For example, when the Israelites first entered Egypt, as described in Genesis, they stayed in the delta region as part of the Exodus.
Application for Today
A current example of greed is the DuPont case of poisoned water and corporate greed. This case is about the hazardous leaks incident, which resulted in a US chemicals company named DuPont paying US$671 million to resolve over 3,500 cases in 2017 (Gelles and Steel). The company’s Parkersburg, West Virginia, facility has been poisoning the local water supply. This was due to the use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C-8, and used to create goods such as Teflon (Gelles and Steel). The poisoning was linked to several instances of severe illnesses in the surrounding community, including kidney and testicular cancer. C-8 had been utilized by DuPont since the 1950s, and the company had known that the chemical was dangerous to people since the early 1980s (Gelles and Steel). Still, the management agreed to stop using the C-8 in 2006. Though the corporation maintained its denials, it has become one of the classic stories of corporate executives pursuing a plan that may inflict human suffering long after the hazards were brought to their notice.
The case of DuPont is an example of the many years of neglect due to the corporate management’s desire to profit from the production of goods. In 1951, DuPont began employing C-8 in the manufacturing of Teflon at its Parkersburg plant. Employees at DuPont noticed that this substance was potentially hazardous in 1954 (Gelles and Steel). After this, the management decided to investigate the properties of this chemical, but the production of goods using it has not halted. In 1961, the corporation established its toxicity in animals, and in 1982, it was proven in humans (Gelles and Steel). Upon the investigation of the lands around the DuPont factory, the toxicity levels of the chemical in the Ohio River in 1984 were eight times greater than usual (Gelles and Steel). This indicated that it had made its way into the drinking water supply of populations living nearby. Many DuPont employees had been diagnosed with cancer or leukemia by 1989 (Gelles and Steel). Despite the fact that these occurrences were described in internal business documentation, the harmful discharges were first publicized in the media in 2000. Moreover, the payment that this company made to the victims was far less than Wall Street’s projection of its profits of $1 billion
Evidently, the issue of poisoning the water that affected the lives and health of thousands of people should have been addressed by the authorities. For example, the corporation responsible for the poisoning should have undergone an investigation. Moreover, the individuals who were aware of the dangers that the DuPont production caused should be brought to court to ensure that their lack of action is punished.
Based on the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” one can create a plan for addressing the issues described above in a nonviolent way. For example, I would need to raise awareness about this issue, and the best way to do this is by reaching out to the communities that were directly affected by DuPont’s actions. As King Jr. stated, “oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever,” and the involvement of the people affected by this would be crucial for the protest.
If I were arrested for protesting against DuPont’s actions, it would be the case of a public demonstration. The event would take place near the factory’s facility, which would not allow the employees to access the plant. The creation of the barrier for the employees would be the reason why I would get arrested for this demonstration. However, the protest would be peaceful and would demonstrate to the general public the horrific consequences that greed has.
Conclusion
Based on Part I and Part II of this analysis, I have learned several things about the application of the Bible’s passages to current life. In the passage, God stands for social justice and evokes punishment on the people who act wrongfully against others. However, this passage teaches people that such wrongful actions are punishable and cannot be left unattended. Hence, it instructs us to be mindful of the consequences that our actions have on other people. Moreover, it teaches us that God stands for justice and will protect it in any way.
Works Cited
“Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah.” MinistryMatters, Web.
Amos. Book of Amos. Oxford Biblical Studies, 2022.
Gelles, David and Steel, Emily. “How Chemical Companies Avoid Paying for Pollution.” The New York Times, Web.
King, Jr. “”Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.].” University of Pennsylvania, Web.
Limburg, James. Interpretation. John Knox Press, 2011.