Daily Devotions
Amos
"For this you love"
Text: Amos 4:5
AN ACTIVE RELIGIOUS PROGRAM
At both Bethel and Gilgal, an active religious program had been planned and maintained.
“‘Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,
Proclaim and announce the freewill offerings;
For this you love,
You children of Israel!’
Says the Lord GOD.”
Amos 4:5
1. “A sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven”
a) The problem lay with what the people worshipped.
b) Jeroboam had boldly proclaimed.
“Here are your gods, O Israel,
which brought you up from the land of Egypt!”
1 Kings 12:28
c) The thanksgiving offering was made to these golden calves.
d) Israel had forgotten how Moses destroyed the golden calf that Aaron had made (Exodus 32).
2. “Proclaim and announce the freewill offerings”
a) Tithes were given every three days.
b) Freewill offerings were promoted too.
c) These offerings were presented to the golden calves as their deities!
3. “‘For this you love, you children of Israel!’ says the Lord GOD”
a) Erring Israel actually “loved” these religious programmes.
b) They happily participated in the things planned by the “priests” who looked after them.
WHAT WERE THE TRANSGRESSIONS?
Amos declared that Israel had transgressed grievously against the Lord. What were these transgressions? Four may be highlighted here.
1. The first commandment broken
There were to be no other gods worshipped! (Exodus 20:3).
2. The second commandment broken
a) No graven images were to be made for worship purposes.
b) God was not to be represented in any idolatrous form (Exodus 20:4-6).
3. The third commandment broken
To declare that the golden calves were the deities who led Israel out of Egypt was to take the name of God in vain (Exodus 20:7).
4. The appointment of people into the priesthood was a violation of God’s laws concerning the Levitical priesthood (Exodus 28)
God gave a covenant to Levi to safeguard the ministry of the priests (Malachi 2:4-6).