In The Word
Read: Amos 5
“Seek Me So That You May Live”
5 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.
18 Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord,
For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be darkness and not light;
19 As when a man flees from a lion
And a bear confronts him,
Or he goes home, leans with his hand against the wall,
And a snake bites him.
20 Will the day of the Lord not be darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies.
22 Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened oxen.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24 But let justice roll out like waters,
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? 26 You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The Lord used Amos to share His heart with His people. The Lord begged them to pay attention and really listen to what He was saying. He reminded them that there was no strength in themselves and their wealth. God asked them not to seek other things to take His place, not to go places they had no business going to, to stop twisting justice and rejecting righteousness. He asked them to stop hating those who taught and spoke the truth. He reminded them that their focus has been on their house and not on His. God reminded them that their sins were great: persecuting the righteous, accepting bribes, turning away the poor. He wanted them to realize that He is the God of all creation, the one, true, living God. They were longing for the day of the Lord to come, but they didn’t realize what they were asking for. He told them to stop pretending and to take away their false worship. They were to cast away their idols and truly seek Him, letting justice and righteousness overflow in their lives.
The Lord also shared His heart with Solomon and made a promise, “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:13-14). What are you seeking today? Is there something that you need to cast away and turn from? The Lord says, “Seek Me that you may live” (Amos 5:4).