Amos calls out social injustice and religious arrogance

In reading the Introduction to Amos in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the big fact that took my attention was the fall of the state of Israel and the fact that it was never revived until 1948.

The NRSV commentary suggests that Amos predicted that fall, citing their “social injustice and religious arrogance” as the reason for Israel’s demise.  One point raised in the Amos Introduction is that the Lord expected from them justice and righteousness.

The time-line below tells us that the first aliya (large scale immigration) from Europe was from Russia between the years 1882 and 1903. I didn’t count the aliyas, but the really big one was from Europe and Arab countries (1948-52) after the Holocaust. What drove those aliyas? 

Were the Jews suffering from persecution, social injustice and religious arrogance inflicted on themselves?

Is Israel (Ed. and other nations and groups) again showing signs of “social injustice and religious arrogance”? Is there an Amos of the present-day who is warning us of a similar fall?

Joyce Voysey

Here is a slightly abridged time-line history of Israel from the 17^th century BCE to current times, published under Israel: Mission of Israel to the UN in Geneva –

TIMELINE OF HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS 17th-6th C. BCE BIBLICAL TIMES   (BCE - Before the Common Era) c.13th century Exodus from Egypt: Moses leads Israelites from Egypt, followed by 40 years of wandering in the desert. | Torah, including the Ten Commandments, received at Mount Sinai. 13th-12th centuries Israelites settle in the Land of Israel c.1020 Jewish monarchy established; Saul, first king. c.1000 Jerusalem made capital of David's kingdom. c.960 First Temple, the national and spiritual center of the Jewish people, built in Jerusalem by King Solomon. c. 930 Divided kingdom: Judah and Israel 722-720 Israel crushed by Assyrians; 10 tribes exiled (Ten Lost Tribes). 586 Judah conquered by Babylonia; Jerusalem and First Temple destroyed; most Jews exiled. THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD 538-142 Persian and Hellenistic periods 538-515 Many Jews return from Babylonia; Temple rebuilt. 332 Land conquered by Alexander the Great; Hellenistic rule. 166-160 Maccabean (Hasmonean) revolt against restrictions on practice of Judaism and desecration of the Temple 142-129 Jewish autonomy under Hasmoneans. 129-63 Jewish independence under Hasmonean monarchy. 63 Jerusalem captured by Roman general, Pompey. 63 BCE-313 CE Roman rule 63-4 BCE Herod, Roman vassal king, rules the Land of Israel; Temple in Jerusalem refurbished (CE - The Common Era) c. 20-33 Ministry of Jesus of Nazareth 66 Jewish revolt against the Romans 70 Destruction of Jerusalem and Second Temple. 73 Last stand of Jews at Masada. 132-135 Bar Kokhba uprising against Rome. c. 210 Codification of Jewish oral law (Mishna) completed.     FOREIGN DOMINATION 313-636 Byzantine rule c. 390 Commentary on the Mishna (Jerusalem Talmud) completed. 614 Persian invasion 636-1099 Arab rule 691 On site of First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock built by Caliph Abd el-Malik. 1099-1291 Crusader domination (Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem) 1291-1516 Mamluk rule 1517-1917 Ottoman rule 1564 Code of Jewish law (Shulhan Arukh) published. 1860 First neighborhood built outside walls of Jerusalem's Old City. 1882-1903 First Aliya (large-scale immigration), mainly from Russia. 1897 First Zionist Congress convened by Theodor Herzl in Basel, Switzerland; Zionist Organization founded. 1904-14 Second Aliya, mainly from Russia and Poland. 1909 First kibbutz, Degania, and first modern all-Jewish city, Tel Aviv, founded. 1917 400 years of Ottoman rule ended by British conquest; British Foreign Minister Balfour pledges support for establishment of a "Jewish national home in Palestine" 1918-48 British rule 1919-23 Third Aliya, mainly from Russia 1921 First moshav (cooperative village), Nahalal, founded. 1922 Britain granted Mandate for Palestine (Land of Israel) by League of Nations; Transjordan set up on three-fourths of the area, leaving one fourth for the Jewish national home. 1924-32 Fourth Aliya, mainly from Poland. 1925 Hebrew University of Jerusalem opened on Mount Scopus. 1933-39 Fifth Aliya, mainly from Germany. 1939 Jewish immigration severely limited by British White Paper. 1939-45 World War II; Holocaust in Europe. 1947 UN proposes the establishment of Arab and Jewish states in the Land.     STATE OF ISRAEL 1948 End of British Mandate (14 May); State of Israel proclaimed (14 May). Israel invaded by five Arab states (15 May). Israel Defense Forces (IDF) established. War of Independence (May 1948-July 1949). 1956 Sinai Campaign 1962 Adolf Eichmann tried and executed in Israel for his part in the Holocaust. 1964 National Water Carrier completed, bringing water from Lake Kinneret in the north to the semi-arid south. 1968-70 Egypt's War of Attrition against Israel 1973 Yom Kippur War 1975 Israel becomes an associate member of the European Common Market. 1977 Likud forms government after Knesset elections, end of 30 years of Labor rule. Visit of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem. 1978 Camp David Accords include framework for comprehensive peace in the Middle East and proposal for Palestinian self-government. 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty signed. Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat awarded Nobel Peace Prize. 1981 Israel Air Force destroys Iraqi nuclear reactor just before it is to become operative. 1984 National unity government (Likud and Labor) formed after elections. Operation Moses, immigration of Jews from Ethiopia. 1985 Free Trade Agreement signed with United States. 1987 Widespread violence (Intifada) starts in Israeli-administered areas. 1988 Likud government wins elections. 1989 Four-point peace initiative proposed by Israel. Start of mass immigration of Jews from former Soviet Union. 1991 Israel attacked by Iraqi Scud missiles during Gulf war. Middle East peace conference convened in Madrid; Operation Solomon, airlift of Jews from Ethiopia. 1992 Diplomatic relations established with China and India. New government headed by Yitzhak Rabin of Labor Party. 1993 Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements for the Palestinians signed by Israel and PLO, as representative of the Palestinian people (Oslo Accords). 1995 Broadened Palestinian self-government implemented in West Bank and Gaza Strip; Palestinian Council elected. Prime Minister Rabin assassinated at peace rally. Shimon Peres becomes prime minister. 1996 Fundamentalist Arab terrorism against Israel escalates. Binyamin Netanyahu elected prime minister.  1998 Israel celebrates its 50th anniversary. Israel and the PLO sign the Wye River Memorandum to facilitate implementation of the Interim Agreement. 2000 Visit of Pope Paul II. Israel withdraws from the Security Zone in southern Lebanon.  Renewed violence (Second Intifada). Prime Minister Barak resigns. 2001 Ariel Sharon (Likud) elected Prime Minister; 2002 Israel launches Operation Defensive Shield in response to massive Palestinian terrorist attacks. Israel begins building the anti-terrorist fence to stop West Bank terrorists from killing Israeli citizens.  2003 Right-of-center coalition government formed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. 2005 Israel carries out the Disengagement Plan, ending Israel's presence in the Gaza Strip.  2006 After Prime Minister Sharon suffers a stroke, Ehud Olmert becomes acting prime minister. Following elections on 28 March, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert forms new government led by the Kadima Party.  The Second War in Lebanon, during which Israel carried out military operations against Hizbullah 2007 Shimon Peres elected President by the Knesset. Israel declares Gaza "hostile territory" following Hamas violent takeover of Gaza Strip. 2008 Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary. Israel launches its Gaza Operation (Operation Cast Lead) in response to the barrage of over 10,000 rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza Strip. 2009 Benjamin Netanyahu is elected Prime Minister The city of Tel Aviv celebrates its 100th anniversary. 2010 Israel joins the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Ed. No political commentary is intended, but biblical lessons are presented for pondering by those of all nations. Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p. 497:3) - "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life."