©2002 Thomas Miles

Amos 5--6

In most cultures riches, success, reputation, and power are the most commonly sought after things.  It seems that people are willing to sacrifice anything to gain these things.  People will put their marriages in jeopardy to gain success and power.  They will put their families at risk for riches and reputation.  They will even forsake their health to gain these things.  The person aimed towards success, riches, reputation, and power will even sacrifice the families and lives of other people that get in their way.  And the sad thing is that once they receive these goals they find themselves still hungry because of all the sacrifices made along the way.

Israel is like this they have sacrificed God's good favor on them and used and abused everyone and anyone that got in their way to obtain their goals of power, success, riches, and reputation.  This is a most tragic way of life.  Amos though in chapters 5 & 6 tells the Israelites and us how to avoid this tragedy.

Please read chapters 5 & 6 before going on.

Amos 5 begins as a cry for repentance.  Death is impending and Amos is trying to warn the people of Israel that it is their death.  The first two verses of chapter 5 portray the death of Israel.  Israel once magnificent and mighty is now seen as broken and scattered as a broken pot shattered by a fall.  God in all His love cries out to Israel to turn from the wickedness they are caught up in.  The Lord pleads with Israel in verses 4, 6 & 14 telling them what they have done against Him.  In verses 10, 11, & 12 God tells them they have sinned against Him displayed hatred towards their fellow man.  They have stolen from the poor to make themselves richer.  They have used bribery and dishonest methods to gain success, power, and reputation.  But God pleads with them and says if they will just turn back to Him and seek Him they will live!

Verses 18-20 show us that Israel never truly believed that the day of the Lord would come.  We see that they felt as if nothing would ever happen to them.  They could never do any wrong.  They were God's chosen people.  The day of the Lord would be glorious to them not punishment!  They were finding out though that the day of the Lord was going to be far from glorious for them.  It was going to be a dark and gloomy day.  The Israelites had become complacent they felt as if they were free from anything coming against them.

Verses 21-27 goes on to tell of God's total disgust with the ways of Israel and the judgment that will come upon her.  “I hate, I despise” tells us just how disgusted God is with their actions.  God says He will not honor or receive their ceremonies or sacrifices, which are done pleasing to man and not to Him.  God is letting them know that He did not ordain the lifestyle and the type of worship they were doing.  God is letting them know that the only way they can be removed from punishment is by returning unto Him and if they do not they will be punished for their iniquities.

Beginning in chapter 6 with verses 1-6 we see that Amos draws a picture of the Israelites as being a lazy and non-caring people.  They put things off till another day thinking nothing will ever happen to them.  As we saw in chapter 5 they were becoming complacent and haughty.  We are the chosen people of God what harm could ever come to us.  Does this sound familiar to you today?

Verses 7-14 assure Israel that destruction will come to them if they do not seek God's face.  The merry-making and carousing must come to an end.  The feelings of self-confidence in the world instead of God must come to an end.  Israel must come to the realization that the only true answer is the only true GOD!  We today must come to the realization that the only true answer is the only true GOD!  Israel must stop its idol worship and idol worship must stop today also.  We must repent and seek the face of God!

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