Amos Teaches About Worship

AMOS 4:4

ONE of the gross sins of Israel against which Amos warned the nation was the worship of gods other than Jehovah. This was a direct violation of the commandment, “Thou shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exod. 20:3) But when the ten tribes of Israel separated from the two tribes and chose their own king, they almost immediately began the worship of heathen gods.

This was done under the direction of their new king Jeroboam. He set up two golden calves at Bethel and commanded the people to worship them, saying, “Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (I Kings 12:26-33) The Israelites had great respect for the God who delivered their nation from Egyptian bondage, hence Jeroboam’s claim that the golden calves he set-up represented the “gods” which accomplished this miraculous feat was a clever way of diverting their minds from Jehovah.

This false worship was established at Bethel, therefore when Amos said to the Israelites, “Come to Bethel, and transgress,” it was somewhat in the spirit of irony, reminding them of their sin in turning away from their God. It is like saying, Let your transgressions come to the full.

AMOS 5:4-9, 14, 15, 21-24

Here the prophet admonishes the Israelites to seek the Lord, and not Bethel, nor Gilgal, nor Beer-sheba, for the gods they worshiped at these places could not help them. “Seek the Lord, and ye shall live,” is the message Amos gave to Israel. This was true of Israel as a nation, and it is true of individuals. The Law promised the Israelites life if they could keep it perfectly. Nevertheless, it served to emphasize the need of a Redeemer, and now those who seek the Lord through Christ can thereby obtain life.

Centuries before this, Moses had set before Israel the great issue of life and death, saying, “choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Deut. 30:19) The only way they could choose life was by deciding to serve the Lord with their whole heart. It is interesting to note that the Israelites were never asked to choose between life and eternal torture. Death is the antithesis of life.

Some advance the false argument that if there is a heaven there must be a hell, but this is not the scriptural proposition; for in the Bible the alternatives are life and death. True, some—the church, who prove their faithfulness during this age—will be given life in heaven; others will enjoy everlasting life on the earth. But those who fail, through willful disobedience, to gain life at all, will go into what the Bible terms, the “second death.” They will be “destroyed from among the people.”—Rev. 20:6,14; 21:8; Acts 3:23

The only hope of life the Israelites had in the days of Amos was through obedience to the Law. Being members of the fallen race they could not have kept the Law perfectly; but had they tried earnestly, they would have gained for themselves a “good report,” and proved worthy of a “better resurrection.” (Heb. 11:39,35) They would also have preserved the life of their nation. As it was, the nation was destroyed, and as individuals they will come up in the resurrection as those who “have done evil,” and will be subjected to the stripes and disciplines of that day of trial and judgment.—John 5:29

“Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live.” (Verse 14) This is the simple law of God which all will have to obey in order to gain life on any plane. We call it a simple law, and it is, but when it is put into practice it affects every viewpoint and activity of life. To seek good means that our motive in life is to do good, and not evil. It may not always be possible to accomplish all the good we seek, but if our motive is to do good, our course of life will be in that direction, and will lead eventually to life.

When the Lord told the Israelites that he despised their “feast days” and their “burnt offerings,” it was not with the thought of condemning these ceremonies which he had instituted for them through Moses. What the Lord despised was the people’s attitude in connection with them.

The typical sacrifices and the feast days, etc., were intended by the Lord to be outward expressions of an inner righteousness and godliness. When this was true, they were pleasing to him, but when they were observed to cover up their corrupt deeds, the Lord hated them. Thus in admonishing Israel to return to the worship of the true God, he stressed that the desire for such worship must issue from their hearts, and that their lives must be brought into conformity with their professions.

QUESTIONS

What was one of the gross sins of Israel against which the nation was warned by Amos?

Why is Bethel mentioned in connection with Israel’s transgressions?

Is there any way to gain life except through obedience to the Lord?

Why did the Lord hate the burnt offerings of the Israelites, and their observance of feast days, etc.?

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