Biblical Commentary

INVESTIGATION
God charged Amos with the task of announcing His judgment on Israel. This judgment would come in the form of an invading army that would overrun the nation and force the Israelites into exile (Amos 3:11, 5:27). Although Amos probably would have preferred to tend his flocks and sycamore trees rather than carry out this assignment (Amos 7:14–15), he was faithful to God in the midst of an unfaithful people.

The fact that Israel was chosen by God did not make them immune to His judgment (Amos 3:2). As His covenant people, Israel was expected to obey God and be an example for the other nations of the world. Yet the Israelites had failed miserably, worshiping God in an unworthy manner, indulging in immorality and materialism, and oppressing the poor.

Amos called on Israel to repent, to seek God and live. Repenting at this point would not spare Israel from the coming judgment. However, if Israel sought God, at least a remnant of His chosen people would survive (Amos 5:15; 9:11–15).

IMPORTANCE
This passage of Scripture is important for students because it emphasizes that People are God’s Treasure. In spite of the Israelites’ continued rebellion, God offered them the chance to return to Him once again. “Seek me and live,” God said. The Hebrew word for “live,” transliterated chayah, not only implies living, but living prosperously, living forever, and being restored to health. In His great love for His children, God provided a way for them to regain a fruitful life, in spite of the judgment that would come as a result of their actions.

We can also see God’s valuing of people in the way He admonished the Israelites for oppressing the poor. Amos 5:7 accuses the Israelites of turning “justice to bitterness,” and vs. 11 accuses them of “trampl[ing] on the poor.” God elevated those who were despised to a place of value. Israel would feel God’s judgment because of their abuse of the poor and downtrodden.

This passage reminds us that God expects His people to be righteous and just, emulating His character. This passage also touches on the Essential Truth that God Is.

INTERPRETATION
Amos 5:4–6 The Israelites might have argued that they were already seeking God. After all, they regularly journeyed to Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba to worship at their shrines. They proudly brought their sacrifices and tithes (Amos 4:4–5). But God was offended by their ritualistic worship and repulsed by their idolatry (Amos 5:21–27). This idolatry can be traced to Jeroboam I, Israel’s evil king who made two golden calves and consecrated priests who were not Levites (1 Kings 12:19–31). Soon the Israelites would no longer be able to make these pilgrimages. The shrines would be destroyed when the enemy invaded the land (Amos 3:11). Israel was forced into exile (5:27).

The word seek appears three times in these verses, but it is used in two different ways. In verses 4 and 6, to seek God means to pursue the true God through worship and prayer. In verse 5, when the Israelites are advised not to seek Bethel, the word means “to resort to, frequent” (Brown, 2001). The Israelites had resorted to worshiping something less than the one true God as they frequented their religious shrines. To seek God would require more of the Israelites than offering a sacrifice at a shrine. Seeking God would mean embracing the covenant again.

“Seek God and live,” Amos proclaimed. These words stand in stark contrast to the opening lament of this chapter (vv. 1–3), which was essentially a funeral dirge for Israel. This was not a promise that God would refrain from judging Israel if they sought Him. The Hebrew word for live can also mean “revive, recover, or preserve.” If Israel sought God, He would revive His people spiritually. As they recommitted themselves to the covenant, they would recover their unique identity as His chosen people. If they sought God, Amos held out hope that God in His mercy would preserve a remnant of the nation (Amos 5:15).

The “house of Joseph” refers to the northern kingdom of Israel. This region was dominated by the tribe of Ephraim, Joseph’s second son. Earlier, Moses had warned Israel they should be careful not to forget the covenant or make idols for themselves because their God was a consuming fire and a jealous God (Deut. 4:23–24). Moses also said that the Lord would go ahead of the Israelites like a consuming fire as they entered the promised land, destroying their wicked enemies (Deut. 9:3–6). Now that same consuming fire would spread throughout Israel to rid the land of the wickedness of God’s own people.

Amos 5:7 The Hebrew word for justice carried the idea of equal participation in the community regardless of one’s social status. It referred particularly to equal access to the court system. Israel had literally turned justice into bitterness.

Righteousness comes from being in a right relationship with God. Abraham believed the Lord, and He credited Abraham with righteousness (Gen. 15:6). Moses told the Israelites that, if they were careful to obey the covenant, then that would be their righteousness (Deut. 6:25). Because Israel had failed to a live in a right relationship with God, their relationships with their neighbors were devoid of righteousness.

Justice and righteousness are paired in Scripture many times, since both were covenant responsibilities. Amos linked justice and righteousness three times (5:7, 5:24, 6:12), the context in each case being the condemnation of Israel’s counterfeit worship of God that substituted rituals for right actions. Justice and righteousness, which should have flowed like water from God’s chosen people (Amos 5:24), had all but dried up in Israel.

Amos 5:8–9 Amos interrupted his condemnation of Israel with this doxology. Just as he did in the previous chapter, Amos reminded Israel that God is Creator of the universe, who can turn day into night (Amos 4:13). The reference to two constellations reminds us of the Lord’s words to Job: “Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion?” (Job 38:31). How powerless humans look in contrast to the Lord. Even Israel’s fortified cities would not be able to withstand God’s destructive wrath.

Amos 5:10 Amos resumed his critique of Israel with another reference to the nation’s perverted system of justice. In Israel, court was held at the city gate. This entrance to the fortified town had rooms where public gatherings could take place. The judicial system was dependent on the integrity of the citizens, rather than professional judges or attorneys.

Amos 5:11–12 The Israelites rebuked those who came to the courts to speak the truth as witnesses. The citizen judges demanded bribes of grain and prospered at the expense of the poor who had come to the court seeking justice. Since the wealthy Israelites had acquired their mansions and vineyards through unjust means, God would not permit them to enjoy them (Amos 3:15).

Amos 5:13 The word translated as “prudent” can also mean “prosperous.” The latter meaning makes more sense in light of Amos’s condemnation of the wealthy (Smith, 2001). Those who became wealthy through unjust means weren’t going to raise their voices to protest the oppression of the poor.

Amos 5:14–15 Moses told the Israelites that, if they obeyed the covenant, they would be doing “what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God” (Deut. 12:28). Seeking good, simply put, meant obeying God. Moses told Israel that obedience to God would lead to life and prosperity, while disobedience would lead to death and destruction. So Israel should choose life (Deut. 30:15–20).

Despite the certainty of the coming judgment, Amos offered a glimmer of hope. If Israel sought the Lord and all that was good, perhaps the Lord would be gracious and spare a few of Joseph’s descendants so that a remnant of the nation of Israel could survive. To show grace means “to stoop in kindness to an inferior,” which is an apt picture of what happened when God reached down to extend mercy to His disobedient children.

IMPLICATIONS
Israel had a choice to make. Would the people seek the Lord, or would they continue to live in rebellion, practicing oppression and playing at worship? Old habits are hard to break. Sometimes we reform our behavior only when we think it will spare us disastrous consequences. In Israel’s case, judgment was certain, so why should they seek God? Seeking God was their only hope—as individuals and as a nation. If they sought God, they would find the strength to live through the difficult days ahead, and a remnant of Israel would be preserved.
Each one of us has a choice to make when we turn away from God. Will we seek God and commit to turn from the sinful behavior that separated us from Him, even if we still have to suffer the consequences of our sins? As this passage makes clear, seeking God means a lot more than simply observing religious rituals, like attending church or saying grace at mealtimes. Seeking God is a daily vocation that requires our best energy and attention. Seeking God means worshiping God corporately and individually. Seeking God means engaging in a running conversation with Him through prayer. Seeking God means studying His Word and then obeying it.

If we are seeking God, then His priorities of justice and righteousness will become our own. We will be advocates for the poor and the oppressed. We will pursue all that is good and turn from every form of evil. Are you seeking God with your whole heart? Are His priorities your priorities? Are you seeking opportunities to do good in Jesus’ name? As long as you have breath, it’s not too late to become a seeker. Seek God and live.

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