A Different Script for Dust
Amos 1:1 — 2:16
“Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals —
they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
and push the afflicted out of the way . . .”
– Amos 2:6 – 7a, NRSVUE
Small. Negligible. Insignificant particles. The image that Amos invokes presents a disparaging story of dust. It casts “the dust of the earth” as powerless, worthless bits of dirt that can only be a nuisance for people with power (v. 7). Through the lens of this story, Amos exposes the injustice that “poor” and “afflicted” people are experiencing. He levels a strong critique against powerful people for treating their invaluable lives like dirt.
If we flip the script of this story about dust, Amos’s words have even more to say to us today amid soil erosion and depletion. His critique exposes the injustice of viewing the soil as something for humans to “trample” and disempower. These verses beckon us to embody a different story with dust, one of respect for the ground that gives us life: Great. Vital. Sacred creation.
How might you tell this Advent story of dust?
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Credits
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version updated edition of the Bible
Image of brown cracked ground is by Mike van den Bos on the Unsplash website
