Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Amos+005
Amos 5 (ESV)
21 “I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 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.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
REFLECTION:
- God hates all the illusions and false worship disguised by the people (21-23). If our lives are corrupt and we only rely on religious rituals and traditions to disguise, God will despise our worship and will not accept our offerings. What He wants is a sincere heart, not a hype from a hypocrite. When you worship in church, do you care about your image or your attitude towards God?
- God does not hope that His people will only express their faith and life in appearance and etiquette. When the Lord Jesus rebukes the Pharisees as “hypocrites,” he also brings out God’s requirements for the chosen ones. The justice and righteousness that God requires must be like waters and an ever-flowing stream (24).
- The appearance of the two verses 25-26 makes people feel the greatness of God’s love and patience. He has tolerated people’s transgressions for hundreds of years. How can those who still go their own ways respond to God’s reproach? “Sikkuth” (Molech) is the god of Ammon, but the original text is similar to “king”, so it implies that they regard the king as the object of worship. “Kiyyun” refers to celestial phenomena and star idol worship.
- As the punished people, the Israelites have suffered just as they did. When people despise God’s grace and turn away from following God, disasters are imminent. But thank God, He also has a wealth of grace that allows us to repent.
PRAYER:
Oh God! Thank you for Your abundant grace, that I can repent and become Yours. May You help me to be a person who acts upright and upholds righteousness.
HYMN:
Grace – youtu.be/VCr6Vvj3nRo
