Friday, June 6, 2008

Amos 5, 4-7

4. God tells Israel that if they seek Him, they will not be destroyed, will not be subject to judgment.

5. God tells the people that there is no other way to escape His judgment. If they try to escape by fleeing to the cities of Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba, it will not do them any good, because God's judgment will come upon them there.

"Gilgal will certainly go into captivity, and Bethel will come to trouble."

6. God calls upon Israel again to "seek the LORD that you may live." If they do not, then the LORD will "break forth like a fire...and it [will] consume with none to quench it."

God will destroy Israel and, in particular, Bethel (a site of false worship).

7. God's judgment will come upon Israel because there is no justice in Israel and because the people themselves are unrighteous. I suppose this means that the strong harm the weak and the legal system of Israel fails to do anything about it.

The people "turn justice into wormwood [i.e. something bitter] and cast righteousness down to the earth."

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