HATE EVIL, LOVE GOOD

Passage: Amos 5:14-27

Key verse: 24

NIV

14 Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.(A)
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil,(B) love good;(C)
    maintain justice in the courts.(D)
Perhaps(E) the Lord God Almighty will have mercy(F)
    on the remnant(G) of Joseph.

16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says:

“There will be wailing(H) in all the streets(I)
    and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers(J) will be summoned to weep
    and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing(K) in all the vineyards,
    for I will pass through(L) your midst,”
says the Lord.(M)

The Day of the Lord

18 Woe to you who long
    for the day of the Lord!(N)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?(O)
    That day will be darkness,(P) not light.(Q)
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
    only to meet a bear,(R)
as though he entered his house
    and rested his hand on the wall
    only to have a snake bite him.(S)
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,(T) not light—
    pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(U)

21 “I hate,(V) I despise your religious festivals;(W)
    your assemblies(X) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(Y) and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.(Z)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.(AA)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.(AB)
24 But let justice(AC) roll on like a river,
    righteousness(AD) like a never-failing stream!(AE)

25 “Did you bring me sacrifices(AF) and offerings
    forty years(AG) in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
    the pedestal of your idols,(AH)
    the star of your god[a]—
    which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile(AI) beyond Damascus,”
    says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.(AJ)

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Footnotes
  1. Amos 5:26 Or lifted up Sakkuth your king / and Kaiwan your idols, / your star-gods; Septuagint lifted up the shrine of Molek / and the star of your god Rephan, / their idols
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

14 (A)Seek good, and not evil,
    that you may live;
and so the Lord, (B)the God of hosts, will be with you,
    as you have said.
15 (C)Hate evil, and love good,
    and establish justice (D)in the gate;
(E)it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
    will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore thus says the Lord, (F)the God of hosts, the Lord:

“In all the squares (G)there shall be wailing,
    and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
    and (H)to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
    for (I)I will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord.

Let Justice Roll Down

18 Woe to you who desire (J)the day of the Lord!
    Why would you have the day of the Lord?
(K)It is darkness, and not light,
19     (L)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 (M)Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?

21 (N)“I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 (O)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 (P)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 (Q)“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 (R)You (S)shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 (T)and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is (U)the God of hosts.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Perhaps the LORD will have mercy (14-17) Amos exhorted the Israelites to seek and love what is good and hate evil. Loving good especially meant to maintain justice. If they did, perhaps the LORD would have mercy on them. But the LORD knew they would not repent. Anguish, mourning and wailing would come on the Israelites when the LORD passed in their midst. 2. God desires justice and righteousness (18-27) The Israelites wrongly assumed the day of the LORD would be a happy day because they were God's chosen people. In reality, because of their empty religious practices, idolatry and mistreatment of others, it would be a day of darkness and death. God desired repentance that resulted in justice and righteousness that flowed like a never-failing stream. Because the people did not repent, God would send them into exile.

Prayer: Lord, we are surrounded by injustice and unrighteousness. Help me to love what is good and hate what is evil.

One Word: God loves justice and righteousness