v 15 Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.
The days in which Amos lived were pretty unpleasant for the average person. Violence and injustice were rampant and Amos was not afraid to confront it. ‘For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.’ It must have seemed that that nation’s moral life was coming apart at the seams, and the situation was almost beyond remedy. You might sense some despair in what Amos had to say. He longed for God to show his hand in defending this remnant of faithful believers, but that little phrase ‘Perhaps even yet’ carries an element of uncertainty in it for Amos. Perhaps he felt things had nearly gone too far for God to rescue them.
Nevertheless, Amos makes his plea; ‘Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice’ However pessimistic your view of the future, that is no reason to allow the unjust culture to continue. God may promise to preserve a faithful remnant, but we are still responsible to help in a process of clearing up some of the social mess that has been created.