“And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. And when a man’s relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, ‘Is there still anyone with you?’ he shall say, ‘No’; and he shall say, ‘Silence! We must not mention the name of the LORD.’ For behold, the LORD commands, and the ...  Read More

“Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
 and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”
 The Lord GOD has sworn by himself, declares the LORD, the God of hosts:
 “I abhor the pride of Jacob
 and hate his strongholds,
 and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”— Amos 6:7-8 (ESV) Consider:Israel’s leaders considered themselves first in pr...  Read More

“Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
 and stretch themselves out on their couches,
 and eat lambs from the flock
 and calves from the midst of the stall,
 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
 and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
 who drink wine in bowls
 and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
 but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!”— Amos 6:4-6 (ESV) Con...  Read More

“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
 and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
 the notable men of the first of the nations, 
to whom the house of Israel comes!
 Pass over to Calneh, and see,
 and from there go to Hamath the great;
 then go down to Gath of the Philistines. 
Are you better than these kingdoms?
 Or is their territory greater than your territory,
 O you who put far ...  Read More

“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god, your images that you made for yourselves, and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus, says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.”— Amos 5:25-27 (ESV) Amos concludes this section by exposing what had been hiding beneath Israel’s r...  Read More

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might ...  Read More

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”— Amos 5:24 (ESV) After rejecting Israel’s empty worship, God revealed what He desired. He wanted justice to roll down like waters and righteousness to flow like a stream that never runs dry. God was not asking for another ceremony. He was calling for a transformed life.Biblical justice is more than supporting a...  Read More

“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 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. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.”— Amos 5:21-23 (ESV)“If I speak in the tongues of men and of ...  Read More

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?”— Amos 5:18-20 (ESV) The people of Israel eagerly anticipated “...  Read More

"Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."— Amos 5:14-15 (ESV)"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."— James 4:7 (ESV) Reflect:Seeking t...  Read More

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."— Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV)"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from ab...  Read More

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."— John 4:23-24 (ESV) Reflect:At Gilgal, Israel had ritual without renewal — going through the motions of sacrifice and ceremony while their hearts stayed uncha...  Read More