Focal Passage: Amos 5:4-15
In the past two lessons we were introduced to the Old Testament prophet that one writer calls “Amos, the country cousin — a backwoods ‘cowboy’ from the barren hill country some six miles southeast of Bethlehem, overlooking the Dead Sea.” His early messages were strong rebukes of the sinful nations around Israel, to which God’s people could say “Amen!”
But then Amos began to meddle; he said that God also planned to punish Israel itself for its many sins against Him. He called the women “pampered cows” and accused the men of coming to church “to transgress.”
Amos declared to Israel, “Prepare to meet your God!” In today’s text Amos continues such strong preaching with a lamentation — a funeral song — about God’s coming judgment on the house of Israel. Just before our focal passage, Amos had cried out, “The city that goes out by a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which goes out by a hundred shall have ten left…” (Amos 5:3). Sounds like many of our congregations after COVID, doesn’t it?!
Now the farmer/prophet speaks the Word of the Lord to the people of the Lord in verses 4-15 of chapter 5.
Dr. Roy Honeycutt wrote that this passage reveals three false concepts of religion which led to forsaking God:
The concept that God can be localized and discovered in tradition and ritual (vv. 4-9). Amos’ powerful message from God was “Seek Me and live; but do not seek Bethel…Gilgal… nor Beersheba” (verse 5). These three names had once been ‘sanctuary cities’ in the best and most spiritual sense of that term; now the places and the people who ‘ministered’ there had become corrupt and were facing Divine judgment.
Think about magnificent cathedrals in Europe that are now museums and tourist attractions — and ponder if some church buildings in the U.S. are now becoming relics of the past also! Amos calls on the people to “seek the Lord and live, lest He break out like fire” (v. 7). Then he reminds them (and us!) of God the mighty Creator who alone is worthy of our worship (vv. 8-9).
The concept that human personality could be abused for personal gain, without Divine retribution (vv. 10-13). Read these four verses aloud, and ponder how much they sound like today’s culture! Our own Southern Baptist Convention churches have had to face the unpleasant truth that we’ve had those among us — even in ministry — who have abused and taken advantage of those they should be serving. Yes, Amos, “it IS an evil time” (verse 13)!
The concept that religion and morality are separate (vv. 14-15). Our text concludes with Amos telling God’s people to do three things: SEEK, HATE, and LOVE. “Seek good. … Hate evil. …and love good.” Honeycutt observed, “In the mind of the prophet, God and good were irrevocably united with one another.”
We hear so very much about changing our ‘systems” as a way to a better society. But Amos recognized, and we must recognize also, that denouncing the system as such is not the answer; society’s solutions must come in working out the principles already learned from God — principles taught in the wilderness! To attempt to make a new world by using values that exclude the God of the Bible will never solve our problems. Amos said, “Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of Hosts will be gracious…” (v. 15). Yes, Lord; SO BE IT! B&R
