“Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! Wherefore would ye have the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings. I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a might stream. Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts.” Amos 5:18–27

Israel always looked longingly for the great day of Jehovah to come. That would be the great day in which God’s people would be justified. Regardless what men might think of them or do to them, God would vindicate their honor on that day. Especially in times of distress this longing would be very pronounced. In New Testament times we have something similar. The prayer for the return of Jesus is never stronger than in the days of persecution. Evil will be vanquished and the right will triumph on the day of Jehovah.

In the days of Amos the people of Israel also longed for the day of Jehovah to make its appearance. True, it was a time of prosperity. Yet, Israel considered the day of Jehovah to be so much better than their own days that they hoped it would soon come. This seemed to be an indication of a high spiritual level.

         

             

The prophet Amos, however, does not consider this desire to be an indication of true spirituality, but of gross ignorance. What will the day of Jehovah be like? That day will not come, first of all, to vindicate the honor of the people, but rather to vindicate the honor of God! Woe to the sinners on that day! For the sinners it will be a day of darkness and not light. Israel’s sins have been described. For Israel it will be a day of darkness unless they repent. The day of Jehovah will be the blackest of days for the unrepentant.

The description which Amos gives of that day for unrepentant Israel is very vivid. He pictures a man flceing for his life and not able to escape. A man is being pursued by a lion. He flees for his life and finally escapes the lion’s jaws. However, when he has left the lion behind him he meets a bear. His life is again endangered. Again he must flee. He succeeds in eluding the bear and comes to a hunter’s hut in the forest. Being wearied because of his flight from the lion and bear, he leans his hand against the wall of the hut. Has he escaped danger? No, for as he leans his hand against the wall, a small serpent, hidden in a crack of the wall, bites his hand and sends its deadly venom into his blood stream. There is no escape. So shall it be on the day of Jehovah. It will be a very dark day withol1t any brightness. Surely, only those who do not understand will long for that day to come.

Will that day not be a day of light for the people of God? Most certainly. Does Israel not reveal itself as a very religious people? Is the worship of God not central in their lives?

The churches, so to speak, arc filled to overflowing in Israel. The people contribute liberally. The songs of Zion are heard everywhere. Music, dedicated to the praise of God, fills their temples.

What does the prophet have to say about the religious fervor in Israel? He says: God despises your feasts and doesn’t care for your assemblies. Not all worship is good. A church full of people is not necessarily an indication of spiritual life. God even hates these feasts. They bring their sacrifices as God has commanded, but he will not accept them. Their singing is judged to be noise. He doesn’t care for their instrumental music. What’s wrong? Is he never satisfied? They have been zealous in observing all his laws regarding worship. Now he doesn’t want it!

The simple answer to all the questions which may arise in the minds of the Israelites is that they have done one thing commanded them but have neglected that. which was more important. Justice and righteousness have been neglected. No amount of sacrifices will cover this neglect. As long as this situation is not remedied their religious exercises are of no use—they are sin. Justice should roll down as waters. Righteousness should 80w as a never-drying stream. When these things have regained their rightful place, their offerings will be acceptable and the day of Jehovah will be light.

How important are the sacrifices? Of course, they may not be neglected. But when Israel looks back into its own history, which it loves to do, they will discover that there were times when sacrifices were not brought. Amos refers to the years spent in the wilderness. No doubt some sacrifices were brought at that time, but it was impossible for them to bring all the sacrifices prescribed by law. Even the sacrament of circumcision had been neglected (Joshua 5:5–7). Amos does not now consider their responsibility in regard to this matter. However, sacrifices have not always been brought, but justice and righteousness are always demanded.

Verse 26 is difficult to translate properly. The translation we have points to the past. They have, in the past, borne the tabernacle of their king and the shrine of their gods. This is not correct. They will bear these things. The tense here is future. Israel worships Jehovah but it also worships idols. They put a measure of trust in these idols. The idols referred to are the gods of the Babylonians. These gods will not be able to give help in the day of Jehovah. These gods too will be borne into captivity, for they are no gods.

Because of all the evil found in the house of Israel, the people will go into captivity beyond Damascus, to the realm of Assyria. What a disappointment! They were longing for the day of Jehovah to come when all their enemies would be defeated and they would enjoy the fulness of life. Instead, their enemies will take them captive. The enemy will triumph and they will be defeated. This day of Jehovah is certainly dark!

Appearances can be deceiving. Everything looked favorable in Israel. But he who sends the day of Jehovah is the God who looks within the heart of man. There he finds only evil The forms of godliness are maintained, but its power is broken. God demands justice and righteousness. Obedience is still better than sacrifice.

Questions for discussion:

1. What was the significance of the “day of Jehovah”?

2. Why will that day be darker than others for the ungodly?

3. Does our church life today reveal a deep piety? Discuss.

4. Was Israel punished for its neglect of sacrifice in the wilderness?