Such times as these

"You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil." Amos 5:12-13

The girls and I read Amos for devotions today. I don't think disobedience will be much of an issue today after reading about the judgment of Israel! Katy said, "I better not sin more than three times, I guess!" with all seriousness. (One of the hallmarks of Amos is the phrase, "for three sins of [insert name of sinful country], even four, I will not turn back my wrath") I was struck by this verse in Amos 5, having just finished a very interesting book on conservative politics, Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher. Dreher advocates a quiet conservativism that is characterized by lifestyle choices and surrounding yourself with a community of like-minded people, rather than hoping for a true reflection of your beliefs in a political party. His grassroots theory of change has worked for centuries, if you take the Biblical account literally. Scripture calls us to individual accountability, yet God judges cultural depravity, too.

The "freedom of speech" mentality of our culture would encourage us to speak up and be heard on political issues. I found it interesting that, in the middle of judgment for rampant national sin, a quiet man is called prudent.

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