Amos 5:1-17
1 Hear this word which I am taking up for you as a song of mourning, house of Israel:
2 She has fallen, she will not rise again—
The virgin Israel.
She lies unnoticed on her land;
There is no one to raise her up.
3 For this is what the Lord God says:
“The city which goes forth a thousand strong
Will have a hundred left,
And the one which goes forth a hundred strong
Will have ten left to the house of Israel.”
4 For this is what the Lord says to the house of Israel:
“Seek Me so that you may live.
5 But do not resort to Bethel
And do not come to Gilgal,
Nor cross over to Beersheba;
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity
And Bethel will come to nothing.
6 Seek the Lord so that you may live,
Or He will break through like a fire, house of Joseph,
And it will consume with no one to extinguish it for Bethel,
7 For those who turn justice into wormwood,
And throw righteousness to the earth.”
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
And changes deep darkness into morning,
Who also darkens day into night,
Who calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the surface of the earth,
The Lord is His name.
9 It is He who makes destruction flash upon the strong,
So that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who rebukes in the gate,
And they despise him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor
And take a tribute of grain from them,
Though you have built houses of cut stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted beautiful vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great,
You who are hostile to the righteous and accept bribes,
And turn away the poor from justice at the gate.
13 Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps quiet, because it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil, so that you may live;
And so may the Lord God of armies be with you,
Just as you have said!
15 Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the gate!
Perhaps the Lord God of armies
Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore this is what the Lord God of armies, the Lord says:
“There is mourning in all the public squares,
And in all the streets they say, ‘Oh no! Oh no!’
They also call the farmer to mourning
And professional mourners to mourning rites.
17 And in all the vineyards there is mourning,
Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.
The Prophecy of Judgement that Begins with “Hear this Word” (3)
Lament
Today’s passage is the third prophecy of judgment that begins with “Hear this word.” (1) This prophecy of judgment begins with a “lament” (v 2-3). Amos foresees the people of Israel being led away into the Assyrian captivity and sings a lament. “Virgin Israel” will fall and will not rise again. Nine-tenths of the people of Israel will be taken away into captivity, and only one-tenth will be left behind. (2) Next, a call from the Lord is spoken (v 4-7). The Lord says to the people of Israel, “Seek Me so that you may live,” because if they repent, forgiveness will be granted. Both Bethel and Gilgal are cities of idol worship. Beersheba is a city of Judah, but it too is a city of idol worship. Going to those cities in longing for idols is a serious sin and a futile thing. (3) It is spoken of what kind of God it is whom we should worship (v 8-9). Our God is the One who sustains the workings of the universe, the God of covenant, “the Lord,” and the One who destroys the strong and shatters fortified strongholds.
The sins of Israel
(1) Israel hates righteous judgment and rejects it (v 10-13). As it says, “They hate him who rebukes in the gate, and they despise him who speaks with integrity.” Seeing how exceedingly evil the times are, even those called wise will keep silent, because speaking would only have the opposite effect. (2) Israel was violating the Law of Moses (v 14-15). With their mouths they said, “The Lord God of armies is with us,” yet in their actual lives they were doing things far removed from that. To them God calls out, “Seek good and not evil.” (3) Because of these sins, judgment will come upon Israel (v 16-17). A time will come when there will be many dead, and professional “mourning women” will be called in. Farmers will come to lament that there is no harvest. Blessed are those who are hearing the earnest call from the Lord God. The Lord said to the people of Israel, “Seek Me so that you may live.” Even now, the Lord invites us with the same words. Our God is the One who accepts the heartfelt repentance of sinners. If you have been far away from the Lord, let us immediately confess repentance and return to the Lord. “How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord does not take into account, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!” (Ps. 32:1-2).
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, please help me to obey You day by day with a heart of repentance. Let me walk a blessed life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.