Amos 5:18-27--Let Justice Roll Down

Amos 5:18-27
English Standard Version

Let Justice Roll Down
18 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,
19     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.
20 Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?

21 “I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 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.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

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Many thought they desired the day of the LORD because they thought that they would automatically be on the side that inherited the blessings prepared for the people of God because they were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The LORD tells them they should not desire this, because in that day justice will be done and the wicked will receive their reward in full, and most of these people are wicked.  When that Day comes, there will also be an end to choosing which side you are on.  You will receive judgment or blessing and you will forever remain in that state--eternal life or an eternity in the Lake of Fire prepared fro the devil and his angels.

An end to this world is not going to be an end to pain and suffering for the rebellious.  We hear many today that speak and think like this--that their relatives are "at peace" and "are no longer suffering" (especially if they died because of a disease that was painful like cancer).  That's just not true!  The Bible is clear that when the wicked die, their souls are taken to a place of torment that is worse than anything they faced while they are alive.  It's so bad that they want to return to tell their family members to repent so that they won't have to face it, and yet, that is not the worst of the punishment that is in store for them, for even that place that we call Hell will one day be thrown into the Lake of Fire that was prepared as the eternal place of punishment and separation from all of God's blessings that was prepared for the devil and his angels.  Do not wish an end to this life for those that are still spiritually dead, because they will step into an eternity that is far worse than anything they faced during their short lifetime.

Though the people were going through the motions of being religious and celebrating the required feasts and sacrifices, and assembling together at the required times, this worship was deplorable and unacceptable to the LORD.  Why?  Because the people did not give their hearts to the LORD.  To obey is better than to sacrifice.  The people tried to honor Him with their lips while their hearts were far from Him, and the LORD was not deceived by the show they were putting on for everyone to see how spiritual and religious they were.  This is the issue when we make the goal of the LORD's covenant purely external (to make us "good" people who don't do certain things and do other things).  Our behavior is a byproduct of what is in our hearts and minds or as Jesus would say later the issue is with the root of the tree, and the tree will bear fruit that is consistent with the nature of the root.  The people of Israel have a "root" problem, not just a "fruit" problem.

The LORD tells the people to go away and stop singing their worship songs to them.  They are nothing but noise now because they do not mean what they say.  They can stop playing their harps and other instruments for Him, because He is no longer listening.  This will not change until they do justly and love mercy.  They need to have a change in heart where they start to love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates.  They need to see themselves as wicked and wretched and in need of a new heart that only the LORD can provide.  There are no works they can do to get them back into right standing with God--there never were.

The LORD is going to execute judgment against them and neither their king nor their idols will be able to save them.  He is going to send them into exile in a land far away, beyond the borders of the Promised Land (Damascus actually lies within the boundaries of the Abrahamic Covenant, so they will be sent totally outside of the Land promised to Abraham and his descendants).  Then and only then will they begin to realize that the LORD is the LORD of Hosts (the Lord of heaven and earth and all that is in them).  His dominion is not limited to territorial boundaries, but his dominion is without boundary of space or time.