To “seek the Lord” might appear difficult and distant for some people, an intangible experience they can’t get their hands on. Thus Amos brought the challenge down to practical, everyday life. He spoke about justice, righteousness, and the importance of telling the truth. He named the sins the people needed to forsake: accepting bribes, charging the poor exorbitant rents, living in luxury while the poor starved, and sustaining a crooked legal system. True repentance begins with naming sins and dealing with them one by one.
We must notice that verses 8–9 are a parenthesis in the prophet’s message, but a very important parenthesis as he reminded the people of the greatness of their God. Jehovah is the God who created the heavens and the earth, who controls the seasons and the daily motions of the earth, and who is Lord of the heavens, the sea, and the land. The pagan Gentiles worshipped the heavenly bodies, but the Jews were privileged to worship the God who made the heavens and the earth (Jonah 1:9).
But this God of creation is also the God of judgment! “He flashes destruction on the stronghold and brings the fortified city to ruin” (Amos 5: niv). J. B. Phillips graphically translated verse 9, “He it is who flings ruin in the face of the strong, and rains destruction upon the fortress.” In the light of the holiness of God and the terms of His holy covenant, the people of Israel should have been on their faces, calling out for mercy. Instead, they were complacently comfortable in their luxury and their sins. Amos named just a few of their sins.
Promoting injustice (v. 7). God established human government because of the sinfulness of the human heart. Without the authority of government in society, everything would fall apart and the strong would enslave the weak and the rich would exploit the poor. Justice is supposed to be “a river … a neverfailing stream” (v. 24 niv) that cleanses and refreshes society, but the leaders of Israel had turned that refreshing river into bitter poison (see 6:12).
Righteousness and justice should be the pillars that hold up society, but these selfish rulers had thrown the pillars to the ground. One of the evidences that the pillars of national justice are shaking and ready to fall is the increase in lawsuits. “They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field” (Hos. 10: niv). Israel was afflicted with poisonous weeds and poisonous water (Amos 5:7), and the Lord was displeased.
Instead of running to religious meetings, the people should have stayed home and seen to it that their leaders weren’t poisoning the river of justice and knocking down the pillars of righteousness. Christians are the salt of the earth, and salt prevents corruption. They are the light of the world, and if there were more light, there would be less darkness (Matt. 5:13–16). The church must not abandon its marching orders and turn preachers into politicians, but it dare not ignore the problems of society—problems that can be solved by the application of the gospel and the truth of the Word of God.
Rejecting rebuke (vv. 10, 13). The city gate was the place where the elders met and transacted city business (Ruth 4). When the dishonest leaders attempted to foist their lies on the people and manipulate the court, if somebody rebuked them, they turned on that person and tried to silence him or her. It got to the place where the righteous wouldn’t say anything because their interference did no good (Amos 5:13). Leaders with integrity will gladly listen to counsel and even to rebuke, but leaders bent on evil will seek to destroy those who stand in their way. “Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you” (Prov. 9: nkjv; and see 1 Kings 22:5ff. for an illustration of this principle).
For many years, American legal experts have called for an overhaul of the legal system. (Other nations probably have the same or worse problems.) So many cases are pending, and too many trials proceed at a snail’s pace, with seemingly interminable appeals and delays, that very little justice results. Isaiah saw a similar situation in his day: “So justice is driven back, and the righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. … The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice” (Isa. 59:14–15 niv). A traffic jam!
Oppressing the poor (vv. 11–12). The prophet Amos was the champion of the poor and oppressed (2:6–7; 4:1; 8:6) as he called for justice in the land. He pictured the rich trampling the poor into the mud by claiming their crops for payment of the high rents they were charging. The rich were literally taking the food right out of the mouths of their tenants and their children. And if these hungry tenants appealed to the local judges for justice, the wealthy landowners bought off the judges.
So what did the rich do with this ill-gotten wealth? They used it to build mansions for themselves and to plant luxurious vineyards. They anticipated lounging in their big houses and drinking wine, but the Lord had other plans. He announced that they would neither live in their mansions nor drink their wine, because the Assyrians would destroy all their houses and vineyards. Like the selfish rich in the apostolic days, these powerful landowners were fattening their hearts for the day of slaughter (James 5:1–6).
God knew what these wealthy exploiters were doing, just as He knows what sinners are doing today; and though He appeared to be unconcerned, He would judge these evil people in due time. God had warned in His covenant with the Jewish people, “You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes” (Deut. 28: nkjv). God always keeps His promises, whether to bless when we’ve obeyed or to chasten when we’ve rebelled.
Arrogant self-confidence (vv. 14–15). The people were boasting, “The Lord God is with us!” After all, wasn’t the nation enjoying great prosperity? Certainly that was a sign of God’s blessing. And weren’t the people active in religious activities, bringing their sacrifices and offerings to the shrines? And didn’t the king have a special priest and a royal sanctuary in Bethel (7:10–17) where he consulted with Amaziah about the affairs of the kingdom?
Yes, these things were true, but they could not be used as evidence of the blessing of God. They were but a thin veneer of religious self-righteousness over the rotting corpse of the nation. The only proof that God is with us is that we love Him and do His will. Religion without righteousness and justice in the land is hypocrisy. No matter how many people attend religious meetings, if the result is not obedience to God and concern for our neighbor, the meetings are a failure.
How can we claim to love the good if we don’t hate the evil? We claim to love the Lord, but God commands, “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Ps. 97: nkjv). We enjoy studying the Bible, but the psalmist said, “Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (119:104 nkjv). Seeking the good means rejecting the evil and not being ashamed to take our stand against what’s wrong.
Is there any hope for such a wicked society? Yes, as long as the grace of God is at work. “It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5: nkjv). Disaster was coming to Israel, but who knows what God would do if only a godly remnant turned to Him and sought His mercy?
“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezek. 22: nkjv).
God is still seeking for wall-builders, for intercessors who will plead with God to send revival and renewal to His church. For it’s only when God’s Spirit is allowed to work among His people that the flood of evil can be stopped and righteousness and justice flourish in the land. The saints want God to judge the wicked, but “the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17).
If only a remnant will repent and turn to God, there is hope that He will send the revival that we desperately need.
“Hear God’s Word!” Are we listening?
“Seek the Lord!” Are we praying?
“Seek the good!” Do we hate that which is evil?
There is no other way.