When my girls were in grade school, an expression—actually, a single word— made its way into our family vocabulary. At first, I tried to stop it because it felt cynical—more than a little cruel. The word was duh, and it was used when someone made a comment about something that should have been obvious to everyone. “It’s raining outside,” would have been a time when “duh” might have been used. “Where else would it be raining, Dad? How ’bout the family room? Duh.” Then we’d laugh at my silliness.
As I said, I initially tried to put a stop to “duh.” But once we established that it would only be used in fun and that people’s feelings could not be trampled on, I gave per- mission. In fact, I found myself using it, too. Sometimes no other word said as much. Not too long ago, I was looking for my reading glasses. I was sure I had seen them just a few minutes before, but they were nowhere to be found. I searched every- where—no glasses. Finally, in complete frustration, I asked one of my colleagues if she had seen my reading glasses. “Do you mean the glasses you have propped up in your hair?” “Uh, yes, there they are,” I sheepishly responded. “Duh.” We both laughed. “God knows exactly what he’s doing,” the prophet Amos told the people. And then, as with the voice of the almighty One, he continued, “I have known only you. . . . I will punish you for all your iniquities” (v. 2). This was no news to the Israelites. After centuries of God’s visible faithfulness, this should have been perfectly clear. They already knew that they were God’s chosen people. They already knew that He did not wink at their misdeeds. And they already knew that their heavenly Father never did anything unintentionally. Duh.
But just in case the people missed it, Amos did a clever thing. He deliberately gave the people a series of obvious scenarios—Old Testament “duhs,” if you will.
“Can two walk together without agreeing to meet?” Of course, they don’t. “Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey?” Why would he do that? “Does a bird land in a trap on the ground if there is no bait for it?” (vv. 3–5). What silly questions. Once the people had been lulled into the pattern of absurd questions with obvious answers, Amos lit a fuse to their complacency: “Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his counsel” (v. 7).
The message should be eminently clear to you and me. God has called us to be His sons. If we are dads, He has given us children to lead, and He requires our faithfulness. He will not tolerate our willful disobedience. And He knows exactly what He’s doing in the world and in our lives.
OK, so this is something you and I already knew. Are you sure we don’t need a reminder? Are we positive? Then why do we often have such a hard time living it?
Duh.