Judgement Is on You! (Amos 5:16-27)
YHWH’s entreaty through Amos moves on to a declaration of woe. There will surely be wailing in Israel. The next two paragraphs are some of the most chilling in scripture.
First, God offers the chilling statement: “You look forward to the Day of the Lord? When God will judge the world and set all things right? Why? When it comes, it will be against you!” Israel had a smug attitude about the day of judgement. It would surely be the ultimate day of vindication! God would come and place them in power over creation after He judged all the evil doers. The problem is that they were the evil doers! It was not going to be a glorious day! For Israel, it would be a day of darkness. The imagery is vivid. It would be like escaping the doom of a lion only to encounter a bear. Or, imagine arriving safely home to your place of security and reaching out for the light switch only to be bitten by a serpent!
That is not all. God goes on. Paraphrased it might sound something like this:
“I hate your religious ceremony and your worship services! Even if you sing your hearts out and go on all the mission trips you can think of, I will reject you! I don’t want your favorite songs and exciting trips. Instead of religion, live your life the way I intend you to, practicing justice for the oppressed and doing good for the poor!”
Exile is surely coming. When you were in the wilderness, poor and outcast, you worshiped Me. Now that things are going well, and you are prosperous you have turned to other gods and the idols of your pleasure. You claim to be My people with your words, but in your actions, you are serving yourselves!
First, God offers the chilling statement: “You look forward to the Day of the Lord? When God will judge the world and set all things right? Why? When it comes, it will be against you!” Israel had a smug attitude about the day of judgement. It would surely be the ultimate day of vindication! God would come and place them in power over creation after He judged all the evil doers. The problem is that they were the evil doers! It was not going to be a glorious day! For Israel, it would be a day of darkness. The imagery is vivid. It would be like escaping the doom of a lion only to encounter a bear. Or, imagine arriving safely home to your place of security and reaching out for the light switch only to be bitten by a serpent!
That is not all. God goes on. Paraphrased it might sound something like this:
“I hate your religious ceremony and your worship services! Even if you sing your hearts out and go on all the mission trips you can think of, I will reject you! I don’t want your favorite songs and exciting trips. Instead of religion, live your life the way I intend you to, practicing justice for the oppressed and doing good for the poor!”
Exile is surely coming. When you were in the wilderness, poor and outcast, you worshiped Me. Now that things are going well, and you are prosperous you have turned to other gods and the idols of your pleasure. You claim to be My people with your words, but in your actions, you are serving yourselves!
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