Amos 5 (5)

Pray Psalm 50.16-21.
But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth,
Seeing you hate instruction
And cast My words behind you?
When you saw a thief, you consented with him,
And have been a partaker with adulterers.
You give your mouth to evil,
And your tongue frames deceit.
You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
These things you have done, and I kept silent;
You thought that I was altogether like you;
But I will rebuke you,
And set them in order before your eyes.”

Sing Psalm 50.16-21.
(Austrian Hymn: Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken)
“All of you My Word despising, who are you to claim My grace?
Praise may from your lips be rising, but you scorn Me to My face.
You approve of all transgressions, scheme against your mother’s son!
I will crush your vain aggressions and destroy what you have done.”

Read and meditate on Amos 5.1-24; meditate on verses 21-24.

Preparation
1. So, how did God really feel about Israel’s worship?

2. What was the problem with their worship?

Meditation
Obviously, the people of Israel were very religious. They kept feast days. Held sacred assemblies. Made burnt offerings and grain offerings and peace offerings. They could sing with the best of ‘em and had all the right instruments to keep the beat and stir the hearts of worshipers. We can see them now, hands waving in the air, smiling faces, bodies moving with the beat. What great worship!

Yeah, Israel had it all. And God considered all of it a waste of time. He hated and despised their worship. He refused to accept their offerings. He regarded their lively music as just so much noise. All these externals thrilled and satisfied the people and gave them a true sense of religion. But it was all worthless in the eyes of the Lord.

And why? Because, like the worshipers God called out in Psalm 50, Israel’s worship was disconnected from life. The people of Israel did not worship and honor God with their lives, as we have seen. They oppressed the poor, let the wealthy have their way, taxed and overtaxed the people to support their lavish lives. In short, there was no justice and no righteousness flowing through the nation of Israel. The mighty stream of God’s grace and truth had run dry. The worship of the people was done more to impress God rather than honor Him.

But God would have none of it. Justice and righteousness are both the fruit and the fertile soil of true worship. All other worship is vain.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
We are certainly not left to wonder how God feels about their worship:
“I hate” and “I despise” it, He stated. In fact, “I do not savor” anything about it (Amos 5.21).
Even though you offer Me what you think is worship, “I will not accept, nor regard” it (Amos 5.22).

And about the faux worship “noise”? “Take it away from Me” (Amos 5.23).

Do we ever stop to wonder how God feels about our worship?

What does God like about His children’s worship of Him? “Justice” and “righteousness” (Amos 5.24).
Hold the hypocrisy.

God said to Micah: I have shown you, O man, what is good. And here is what I require of you:
Behave justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Me (Mic. 6.8). No hoopla required.

The prophet Samuel spoke to Saul about his disobedience and hypocritical worship:
“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He also has rejected you from being king” (1 Sam. 15.22, 23).

God really and truly does not like disobedience.
And He particularly doesn’t cotton to us, being pleased as punch with ourselves, because we did it our way!

“But the hour is coming,” Jesus said, “and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in sprit and truth” (Jn. 4.23, 24). Worship His way.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3.16, 17).
Worship His way.

“Seek Me and live” (Amos 5.4).
“…seek the Lord…for in Him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17.27, 28).
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5.25).

“But let justice run down like water,
And righteousness like a mighty stream” (Amos 5.24).

His way to worship and life. This He will accept and savor.

Reflection
1. What would you say are the Biblical foundations or standards you use in worshiping the Lord?

2. How does your worship—weekly and daily—connect with your daily walk with and work for the Lord?

3. Why is worship so important to God? Why is it so important for us to get it right?

[T]he Israelites deceived themselves, for they believed that God was pacified by their sacrifices: he declares all these to be useless; not only, as I think, because they themselves were impure; but because all their sacrifices were mere profanations. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Amos 5.21-23

Pray Psalm 50.5-15, 22, 23.
Read through these verses in listening prayer. Review your practice of worshiping God—personally and together with your fellow believers. Listen as you review each facet of worship. Where does the Lord commend you? Where does He urge you to change or improve? Sum up your time in prayer, giving thanks to the Lord for helping you worship Him.

Sing Psalm 50.5-15, 22, 23.
(Austrian Hymn: Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken)
“Gather now My children holy, those bound close to Me by blood.”
Let the heav’ns declare His glory, for the LORD Himself is Judge:
“Hear, My people, I will charge you; I alone am God, your God!
I will bring a solemn charge to gain you to Me for your good.

“Not for rituals I accuse you—let your worship to Me rise.
Naught to Me is any use, Who dwells in glory in the skies.
All is mine throughout creation; I your help do not require.
Offer Me no vain oblation, hear what I from you desire:

“Sacrifice of thanks now render; pay to God your solemn vows;
let the troubled, each offender, seek Him in the midst of woes.
In the day of strife draw near Him; He will hear, and He will save.
Honor God, rejoice, and fear Him, give to Him your grateful praise.

“Reckon this, My sinful people, lest My wrath consume you whole:
None shall thwart Me when I seek to crush and break your sin-stiff soul.
He who thanks to Me addressing, follows after what is good,
He shall know the way of blessing coming from the hand of God.”

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.