[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during July 2020]
At first appearance, ‘them’ and its linguistic partner ‘they’ are simply third-party pronouns that occur frequently in every-day communication. However, the two words have acquired a deeper significance in popular parlance. Both ‘them’ and ‘they’ imply a distinction, a separation, a distancing; in short, ‘they’ are not us.
Of course, we all know to whom the words refer. ‘They’ take the last custard cream biscuit; ‘they’ have their tvs too loud late at night; ‘they’ are too impatient at the traffic lights and too slow at the check-out; ‘they’ make the wrong decisions when in authority; ‘they’ even dream up stupid rules without any understanding of what ‘they’ are talking about. In fact, all of life’s problems are due to ‘them’.
The prophet Amos recounts a series of warnings against ‘them’. He starts with Damascus, located at some distance to the north. Damascus represents a nation which oppressed the nation of Israel so retribution against them was no doubt a positive thing in the eyes of the Israelites.
Amos then pronounces judgement on Gaza, neighbours to the south. Getting closer, but they weren’t very friendly so that’s ok. He then addressed Tyre. Tyre was a trading partner and had treaties with Israel; any disruption there would be inconvenient but not intolerable. Next come Edom, Ammon and Moab. The Edomites were descended from Esau whilst the Ammonites and Moabites were descended from Lot. All three nations could be regarded as ‘family’ but there was an historic enmity between these nations and Israel, and few Israelites would be upset by their fate.
Amos turns his attention to Judah. Israel and Judah are like brothers and this is getting too close for comfort. Finally Israel itself comes up for judgement. From an Israelite perspective, ‘them’ has finally become ‘us’ and the outcome is not comfortable.
In our modern context, how should we address this syndrome of them and us? Should we try to move from “them and us” to “we”? The passage in Matthew 5 v44-48 offers a clue.
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Later in Matthew (chapter 25) we read of the final “them and us” separation.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
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Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
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Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Are you with them or with us?
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
