Amos 5
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CHAPTER 5
A Lament and Call to Repentance (5:1–17)
1–3 Amos laments over the fall of Israel as if it had already happened. He sees Israel as a virgin cut down in her youth, never to rise, never to have children (verse 2). What a contrast between Amos’s words and God’s promise to ABRAHAM that his offspring would be uncountable—like dust and stars! (Genesis 13:16; 15:5). Had God’s promise failed?
No, God’s promise had not failed, and it never will. However, at certain periods of history the recipients of the promise have “failed”; they have disobeyed God and thereby lost the blessings associated with the promise. God’s promise is eternal and absolute; the blessings, however, are conditional (see Exodus 19:5–6 and comment).
But how will God’s promise stand if Israel is destroyed? The answer is: Israel will not be completely destroyed (verse 3); a remnant will be spared (verse 15). Through the “remnant”—in particular, through the coming of Jesus Christ—God’s eternal promise to Abraham will be fulfilled. So when Amos laments for Israel, he is lamenting for the nation as such, not for the remnant which will emerge from its ruin.
4–6 Amos’s lament is followed immediately by these words of the Lord: “Seek me and live” (verse 4). It seems as if the Lord has decided to withhold judgment and give Israel yet one more chance to repent. That is possible; but the Lord’s words more likely are addressed to the remnant. The Lord is calling Israelites to seek Him, but He knows that only a few will respond. Those who respond will live, they will survive.
Seek the LORD and live (verse 6); outside of the Lord, there is no life. The Old Testament writers focused primarily on earthly life; but from the New Testament, we know that the life God promises to those who seek Him includes not only abundant life on earth but also ETERNAL LIFE in heaven (see Leviticus 18:5 and comment).
In verse 6, Amos gives the people a choice: they can seek the Lord or they can wait for Him to sweep through the house of Joseph20 like a fire. Sadly, most of the Israelites made the wrong choice.21
7–13 Here Amos lists more of the Israelites’ sins (see Amos 2:6–8); in these verses Amos especially speaks out against the injustices that fill the land. The Israelites turn justice into bitterness (verse 7); through injustice, the rich make the lives of the poor “bitter.” In the courts, the truth is despised22 (verse 10). Because of the widespread perversion of justice and the oppression of the poor, the rich will not get to enjoy their wealth, their mansions, and their wine (verse 11); all they have will be taken from them when the Lord “passes through” the land (verse 17).
Because injustice and oppression are so entrenched in the land, the prudent man keeps quiet (verse 13); he knows that nothing will change. Usually Christians should speak out against the evils in society; usually their voices will make a difference. But sometimes it is “prudent” to remain quiet—especially when speaking out may make the situation worse.
14 –15 Amos urges the Israelites to seek good, to look for any good they can do and then do it. Then, says Amos, the Lord will be with you (verse 14). The Israelites, being God’s chosen people, assumed He would always be with them; but they were wrong. Perhaps if they loved the “good,” God would have mercy on the remnant of Israel (verse 15)—that is, on those who heeded Amos’s message and turned back to God. But Amos doesn’t guarantee God’s mercy; he only says “perhaps.” God’s mercy does not come automatically; it is a gift of God’s grace (see Joel 2:14).
16–17 Amos understands that only a “remnant” is going to be saved from God’s judgment on Israel (verse 15). But for most Israelites, there will be wailing and cries of anguish—for the Lord will pass through their midst (verse 17), just as He “passed through” Egypt to bring judgment on the Egyptians (Exodus 12:12).
The Day of the Lord (5:18–27)
18–20 The Israelites “longed” for the day of the LORD (verse 18); they thought that for them it would be a day of light, a day of victory and vindication.23 But how wrong they were! For them the day of the Lord would be a day of darkness, a day of judgment.24 God’s judgment wasn’t reserved only for other nations; it would also fall on sinful Israel. In verse 19, Amos gives two illustrations to show that the coming judgment will be inescapable.
21–24 Here the Lord expresses His displeasure at the false worship of the Israelites (see Isaiah 1:10–17 and comment). Instead of such worship, the Lord wants to see justice roll on like a river (verse 24); He desires obedience and mercy, not empty sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6; Mark 12:33–34).
25–27 The Lord asks the Israelites a rhetorical question: Did their ancestors bring Him sacrifices in the desert? (verse 25). The answer is “Yes.” But what good had those sacrifices done? The people died in the desert in spite of them. Why? Because they had not obeyed the Lord (see Numbers 14:32–35). Heartfelt obedience is far more important to God than outward ritual.
But the Israelites in Amos’s time were no better than their ancestors. They had lifted up the shrine of their king (verse 26), presumably the pagan shrine King Jeroboam had established at Bethel almost two centuries earlier (1 Kings 12:28–29,32). “Therefore,” says the Lord, “because of your idolatry and all your other sins, I will send you into exile“ (verse 27). Thus the Israelites brought down upon them selves this, the ultimate covenant curse (Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:64).