Amos
6
At the time of the Exodus the Lord said something very significant to Moses (Exodus 12 verse 12) “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every first born – both men and animals - and I will bring judgement on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.” He goes on in the next verse to say, “When I see the blood I will pass over you.”
The people in Amos’s day assumed God would always pass over them – they would avoid judgement – God would always by-pass them. They were His chosen ones. Imagine their alarm when the prophet from Tekoa declares (Amos 5 verse 16) “This is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says, ‘There will be wailing in all the streets, and cries of anguish in every public square ... There will be wailing in all the vineyards for I will pass through your midst.”
Not pass over, or by-pass, but pass through your midst. The Lord Himself will just quietly walk through the midst – His glory, His person, His presence, His greatness, His awesome majesty – and they will weep.
Amos alerts the people to the fact that they’ve been missing the point for ages. They’ve proudly assumed that when the Day of the Lord comes and God manifests Himself, and rights wrongs, and judges faithlessness, they will be exalted and avoid censure of any kind. Their classic mistake has been to convince themselves that judgement is only for other people. Amos shocks them with his message. In the Living Bible paraphrase verse18 reads: “You say, ‘If only the Day of the Lord were here, for then God would deliver us from all our foes.’ But you have no idea what you ask. For that day will not be light and prosperity, but darkness and doom! How terrible the darkness will be for you; not a ray of joy or hope will shine. In that day you will be as a man who is chased by a lion – and met by a bear, or a man in a darkroom who leans against a wall – and puts his hand on a snake. Yes, that will be a dark and hopeless day for you.”
Amos’s message rings out loud and clear. “Listen – you’re not ready for the Day of the Lord. What makes you think you’ll escape being judged?
Their religion was practised at the shrines, but it was a dead-end religion. It was going nowhere. Were they to stop for a moment – get off the roundabout of ritual performances and ask God what He thinks of their services so far, His response would be “rubbish.” Verse 21: “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I can not stand your assemblies.” Literally, “I do not inhale with delight (your offerings).”
God’s desire, then as now, was for His people to live holy lives, relate to Him and then their service would be acceptable. What Amos was highlighting was that godless living made religious offerings worthless and they kidded themselves if they imagined they were getting through to God.
Let me ask you a question. If a person is really walking with God, how will it show? Surely their beliefs will affect their behaviour, their creed will colour their conduct. If there’s a gap between what we believe and how we behave, then we’re play-actors, hypocrites. And that’s the problem Amos outlines in chapter 5 verses 22-23 “Even though you bring me burnt offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.” God’s not interested. Why? Because lifestyle speaks louder than occasional religious ceremonies.
Here’s the clarion call of God’s heart: verse 24 “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.”
The Living Bible puts it this way, “I want to see a mighty flood of justice – a torrent of doing good.” The next verse says, “You sacrificed to Me for forty years while you were in the desert, Israel – but always your real interest has been your heathen gods.”
Here’s the heart of the matter – Israel’s right relationship with the Lord was never established primarily by sacrifices. It was, as the NIV Study Bible points out, above all based on obedience.
The bottom line, the deserved punishment, is spelt out in verse 27 “Therefore I will send you into exile ... says the Lord ... God Almighty.”
Amos, the prophet of justice and righteousness, has a grim message for Israel – you’ve been going nowhere for a long time: now you’re going somewhere else away from your God-given land to live in exile amongst pagans who really know how to worship idols!