Emptiness of Ritual

²¹ “I hate; I utterly loathe your festivals; I take no pleasure in your solemn assemblies. ²² If you offer me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; nor will I consider the peace offerings of your stall-fed cattle. ²³ Spare me the noise of your songs! I don’t want to hear the strumming of your lutes! ²⁴ Instead, let justice well up like water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Judah and Isra’el believed they were safe in their respective sacred cities. Those guilty of complacency were especially the leaders, those whom the people depended on.

²⁵ Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings in the desert forty years, house of Isra’el? ²⁶ No, but now you will bear Sikkut as your king and Kiyun, your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves;

This text is the source of great confusion because it appears to teach that the Israelites made no sacrifices during the wilderness period, contrary to what is recorded in the Pentateuch (Exodus 24:5). Probably 5:25 should be joined to verse 26, as follows: “Did you offer sacrifices and grain offerings to Me 40 years in the wilderness, House of Israel, while you were taking up Sikkut your king?” Read this way, Isra’el did make sacrifices to God while in the wilderness, but the people also carried images of the Sikkut  and other gods. During Amos’s time, however, they brazenly combined worship of the Lord with that of pagan gods. Sikkut and Kiyun were names of the sky deity of the planet Saturn.

Prediction of Captivity

²⁷ as I exile you beyond Dammesek,” says Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot – that is His name.

Exile beyond Dammesek is just what happened (2 Kings 17:6). This is a startling and significant prediction, as Assyria was comparatively weak in Amos’s time.

Rebuke For Complacency

6 ¹ Woe to those living at ease in Tziyon and to those who feel complacent on the hills of Shomron, renowned men in this foremost of nations, to whom the rest of Isra’el come. ² Travel to Kalneh and see; from there go on to Hamat the great; then go down to Gat of the P’lishtim. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? ³ You put off all thought of the evil day but hasten the reign of violence. ⁴ You lie on beds of ivory and lounge sprawled out on your couches, dining on meat from lambs in the flock and from calves fattened in stalls. ⁵ You make up wild songs at your parties, playing the lute and inventing other instruments – [imagining that you’re] like David! ⁶ You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but feel no grief at the ruin of Yosef. ⁷ Therefore, now they will be the first to go into exile with those being exiled, and the revelry of those who lounged, sprawling, will pass away.

Their luxury, ease, complacency, and security would be disturbed by violence. “Woe” is pronounced on those living at ease in Tziyon and to those who feel complacent on the hills of Shomron, eating all they want, singing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, drinking wine abundantly from bowls, anointing themselves with the most expensive perfumes and colognes, and reclining at banquets.

Rebuke For Pride

⁸ “Adonai Elohim swears by Himself,” says Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, “I detest that Ya‘akov is so proud, and I hate his palaces. I will hand over the city, along with everything in it.”

The pride of Isra’el is described in this verse as its palaces, the walls and towers that seemed to make the city of Samaria impregnable.

⁹ When that day comes, if ten men remain in one house, they will die. ¹⁰ And if a [dead] man’s uncle, coming to bring the corpse out of the house and burn it, finds a survivor hidden in the inmost recesses of the house and asks, “Is anyone else there with you?” – then, when he receives the answer, “No,” he will say, “Don’t say any more, because we mustn’t mention the name of Adonai.” ¹¹ For when Adonai gives the order, great houses will be shattered and small houses reduced to rubble.

While the general sense of this vignette is clear – nothing would be left of the great houses and families – the specific sense is not as clear. Perhaps it describes a time when the survivor (v. 10) would be so traumatized that they would be afraid of any mention of the name of Adonai lest it be done inappropriately and bring yet more disaster upon them.

¹² Do horses run on rock? Does one plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitter wormwood. ¹³ You take pleasure in worthless things. You think your power comes from your own strength. ¹⁴ “But I will raise up a nation against you, house of Isra’el,” says Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, “and they will oppress you from the entrance of Hamat to the Vadi of the ‘Aravah.” [1]

Their behavior was foolish and futile, like oxen plowing on rocks. They perverted justice and scorned righteousness. They boasted in their military strength. The Assyrians would afflict the land from the northern entrance to Hamat to the southern boundary, the Vadi of the ‘Aravah.

If you’re dealing with toxic behaviors, such as office gossip or negative attitudes, take a proactive approach by inviting a colleague to lunch to discuss positive changes you both would like to see. Discussing ways to embody Christ-like behavior can foster a supportive atmosphere that encourages accountability and elevates the work culture over time.

In our next post, we will continue to learn more about the Prophecy of ‘Amos.

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[1] ‘Amos 6:1–14.