DON’T ABUSE WHAT YOU KNOW

Friday: 6th July, 2018

Reference text: Amos 8:4-6,9-12

Amos 8:6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

‘Spies’ are a common word in warfare because knowing your enemy inside- out offers you a better chance of gaining an upper hand in any battle. One way of attaining victory in this manner is to gain information about the weaknesses of your enemy and plan an assault that exploits this weakness to your advantage.

However, in the text from Amos, this tactic was being exploited in a wrong context – among those who had real need. Hence, the warning from the Lord: Watch it, you who take advantage of others! You who with evil intentions, exploit the weaknesses of others to advance your own course, beware. Because for people with real need, trading off that which is valuable to them is nothing worth even thinking about, as long as their immediate need is met and many take advantage of that.

Beloved, sometimes others voluntarily share their weaknesses with us because they trust us to make the right calls. Hence, a breach of this trust can be heartbreaking. Till date, we still speak of Jacob and how he took advantage of his brother’s hunger to obtain his birthright as the first born son. That is something that should not be associated with us.

Remember # knowing another’s need or weakness is no green light to abuse it.

#sly