Amos 5-6
Dear RTB’ers,
The Lord continues to rail against Israel and Judah – Israel in chapter 5 and Judah in chapter 6. Actually in chapter 6 it’s difficult to see whether the Lord is speaking to Judah alone or to the combined twelve tribes of Israel.
When I think of Amos, it’s 5:21-24 that I remember: I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. A couple of short phrases stand out in my mind, what I recall as “I hate, I hate…” and “…the noise of your songs…”. And I ponder where we are today. Does the Lord hate what we do in our “solemn assemblies”? Is our worship noise to Him?
“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24) This verse was cited by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In the American psyche it has become almost synonymous with the Civil Rights movement. As I went online to verify the statements that I just made, one website had (in my mind) the perfect statement for what we are reading today: “Throughout Amos 5-6, the prophet lashes out against those who have become rich at the expense of the poor and against public—but hollow—displays of piety.” https://www.bibleodyssey.net/articles/let-justice-roll-down-like-waters/ And again I think about how “rich” we are in the United States and whether our public worship is “hollow”. I don’t think so, but I do wonder…
Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory … anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph … they shall now be the first of those who go into exile… (vv. 6:4-7). Those who are the most comfortable will be the first ones taken. I wonder if that might apply to our church leaders today? Or, again, to us…??
Blessings!
See also: June 5 (2023) / Amos 5:16-9:15