Rockfield, KY, is a small unincorporated community just south of Bowling Green, which has had a functioning Post Office since 1866. At first that didn’t make sense since the town is appropriately named. Why would anyone build a town on a field of rock? Unless, they placed the town on the rock field because it wouldn’t work as a farm. That’s the only explanation that makes sense to me.

Today’s Morning Minutes in the Bible on An American Missionary comes to a section in the OT prophetic book of Amos where God talks about rock fields and things that don’t make sense. Let’s read the text and then make some observations.

“Shall horses run upon the rock? Will one plow there with oxen? That ye have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood; ye that rejoice in a thing of nought, that say, ‘Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?’” Amos 6:12-13 ASV

The questions are rhetorical in nature. In other words, they weren’t genuine questions seeking answers, because the answers were obvious. Rather, they were asked to draw Israel’s attention to a point Amos was about to make.

Obviously horses don’t run on rocks and people don’t plow rock fields with oxen. (That’s why Rockfield, KY, must have been started there because no one could farm it.)

So, what was the point Amos was making? Simple – Israel was acting irrationally. Or, to use the s word my grandson tells me I’m not allowed to say – stupidly. But it’s a great word because it describes Israel’s actions. Merriam-Webster defines stupid as: slow of mind: OBTUSE, given to unintelligent decisions or acts, acting in an unintelligent or careless manner.

Intelligent, careful people don’t run horses across rock fields or wear out their oxen trying to plow them. But Israelites, who were smart enough to know that, weren’t intelligent enough to do justice and righteousness God’s way. They had the necessary information (God’s word), but chose to ignore it. Instead they thought they could do whatever they wanted and rejoiced in their own accomplishments and strength. They considered God’s will and God’s way as irrelevant. In other words, they were stupid.

Does that sound like anyone you might know? Maybe even that person staring at you in the mirror? We wouldn’t run horses or pull plows across a rock field, but would we defy God and refuse to do justice and righteousness according to His will? And that’s not a rhetorical question, by the way. Let’s make the intelligent decision and turn to God in simple obedient trust in everything. It’s the smart thing to do!