Seek the Lord and Live

We continue to see that the prophet Amos was not some hillbilly country bumpkin but a skilled orator, writer, and convicting prophet sent from God. Never judge a book by its cover. In Amos 5, the prophet writes a lamentation over Israel, which would be an ancient funeral dirge. 

Amos 5:1–2 (ESV) Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: 2 “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.”

The prophet is predicting the end of Israel. And in the next verse, he sheds more light on the trouble to come. 

Amos 5:3 (ESV) For thus says the Lord GOD: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

Now these words were fulfilled later, but at the time of their statement, they must have sounded like nonsense. Even one chapter earlie,r we heard about the "cows of Bashan" who lived in luxury and the "vibrant" worship at the sacred shrines Israel had established. They seemed fine on the outside, but the outer realities can mask the inner sickness of God's house. God is not fooled. 

Then Amos tells them, in the midst of this prediction, that hope remains if they forsake their vain religious festivals and practices to truly seek the Lord. 

Amos 5:4–6 (ESV) For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live; 5 but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.” 6 Seek the LORD and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,

God calls the nation to seek Him. Will they? Not all of them. In fact, not many of them. Perhaps only 10 out of 100 and 100 out of 1000, as verse 3 specifies, concerning their soon-to-come destruction. The point? Even in the darkest of times for God's people, there is always a remnant of faithful saints who hear His voice and return to Him. 

 

To seek the Lord is described by the prophet Isaiah as follows:

Isaiah 55:6–7 (ESV) “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

We seek God when we forsake our sin and evil thinking. Paul calls us to do the same in the New Testament:

2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV) We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Philippians 4:8 (ESV) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Amos tells them to stop with their phony spiritual exercises at the sacred shrines set up at Bethel and Gilgal. There was ONE place to worship in Jerusalem, and that Temple was outfitted with one entrance by which they could meet with God. So too, in Christ, we have the ONE WAY to the Father by which we can be saved. 

Amos makes clear that this is not some regional god like the nations around Israel worshipped. He is the creator and sustainer of all things. 

Amos 5:8–9 (ESV) He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name; 9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

Pleiades and Orion are very bright constellations that the ancients believed brought spring and fall seasons to bear on the Earth. The Lord was putting such nonsense in perspective. He created them. Nothing works without the Lord. 

In this text, we are invited by Amos not to consider our well-being as a sign that we are spiritually alright. To renounce our evil thoughts and seek the Lord from whom and through whom all things exist.