Amos 8:4-6

The nature of Israel's sin -- Amos 8:4-6: God reminded the leaders of Israel of their sins in taking advantage of the poor to expand their own selfish interests. They had literally swallowed up the needy. The affluent leaders in Israel had swallowed up the poor, their labors, gains, and profits, and persons too. Also their attitude toward worship was anything but spiritual. They could not wait for the New Moon Festival (1 Chronicles 23:31), or the Sabbath to be over. They wanted to be able to quickly get back to the business of cheating, charging too much and using dishonest scales in their dealings. Please observe the fact that they could not give God their "undivided attention."

How much is a human being worth? The leaders of Israel showed contempt for the value of the life of a poor person by selling them for a paltry price. They said, "Those who are needy and poor don't have any money. We will make them our slaves for the price of a pair of sandals." They sold the chaff of the wheat or the worthless part of the grain to the poor and even mixed dust in the grain to make it weigh more. The wheat would not be useful for human consumption but could only be fed to the animals. Such disregard for the poor was also a disregard for God.