◄ Amos 5:18 ►
Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.
Study Bible
Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD!
This phrase serves as a warning to those who eagerly anticipate the Day of the LORD, a term often associated with divine judgment and the establishment of God's kingdom. In the context of Amos, the Israelites believed this day would bring victory and vindication for them. However, Amos challenges this assumption, suggesting that their understanding is misguided. The term "woe" is a prophetic lament, indicating impending doom or disaster. This reflects the broader biblical theme where the Day of the LORD is a time of reckoning, as seen in other prophetic books like Joel 2:1-2 and Zephaniah 1:14-18. The Israelites' longing for this day without understanding its true nature reveals their spiritual complacency and misunderstanding of God's justice.

What will the Day of the LORD be for you?
This rhetorical question emphasizes the personal and unexpected nature of the Day of the LORD for the Israelites. It challenges their assumptions and invites introspection about their spiritual state. Historically, the Israelites were confident in their covenant relationship with God, assuming it guaranteed their safety. However, Amos highlights that their unfaithfulness and injustice have consequences. This question echoes the broader biblical narrative where God's people are called to self-examination, as seen in passages like 2 Corinthians 13:5. It underscores the importance of genuine repentance and righteousness over mere ritualistic observance.

It will be darkness and not light.
This phrase contrasts the expected outcome of the Day of the LORD with its actual reality for the unrepentant. Darkness symbolizes judgment, calamity, and the absence of God's favor, as seen in Exodus 10:21-23 during the plague of darkness in Egypt. In the ancient Near Eastern context, light often represented life, prosperity, and divine presence, while darkness signified chaos and death. Amos uses this imagery to convey the severity of God's judgment on Israel due to their moral and spiritual failings. This theme of darkness as judgment is echoed in other prophetic writings, such as Isaiah 5:30 and Zephaniah 1:15. The unexpected reversal from light to darkness serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Amos
A prophet from the southern kingdom of Judah, called by God to deliver a message of judgment to the northern kingdom of Israel during a time of prosperity and moral decay.

2. Israel
The northern kingdom, which was experiencing economic prosperity but was spiritually and morally corrupt, leading to God's impending judgment.

3. The Day of the LORD
A prophetic term used throughout the Bible to describe a time of divine intervention, judgment, and salvation. In this context, it refers to a day of judgment for Israel.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Day of the LORD
The Day of the LORD is not merely a future event to be anticipated with joy; it is a time of judgment that requires self-examination and repentance.

False Security
Many in Israel believed they were secure because of their religious practices, yet their hearts were far from God. We must ensure our faith is genuine and not just ritualistic.

Call to Repentance
Amos's warning is a call to repentance. We should regularly examine our lives and turn away from sin, seeking God's mercy and grace.

Spiritual Readiness
Just as the Day of the LORD was unexpected for Israel, we must live in a state of readiness for Christ's return, maintaining a vibrant and active faith.

Light vs. Darkness
The imagery of darkness versus light serves as a reminder that without true faith and obedience, what we expect to be light (blessing) may turn out to be darkness (judgment).
Bible Study Questions
1. What misconceptions did the Israelites have about the Day of the LORD, and how can we avoid similar misunderstandings in our own spiritual lives?

2. How does the concept of the Day of the LORD in Amos 5:18 challenge our understanding of God's judgment and mercy?

3. In what ways can we ensure that our religious practices are not just rituals but are rooted in a genuine relationship with God?

4. How do the descriptions of the Day of the LORD in other scriptures (e.g., Joel, Zephaniah, 1 Thessalonians) enhance our understanding of Amos 5:18?

5. What practical steps can we take to live in readiness for the return of Christ, as urged by the New Testament teachings on the Day of the LORD?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Joel 2:1-2
This passage also speaks of the Day of the LORD as a day of darkness and gloom, emphasizing the theme of judgment.

Zephaniah 1:14-15
Similar to Amos, Zephaniah describes the Day of the LORD as a day of wrath and distress, reinforcing the idea of divine judgment.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-3
The New Testament echoes the sudden and unexpected nature of the Day of the LORD, urging believers to be prepared.
Sermons
Avengers of a Broken CovenanHomiletic MagazineAmos 5:18-19
On False Hopes in DeathAnon.Amos 5:18-19
The Day of the LordT. Horton, D. D.Amos 5:18-19
People
Amos, Joseph
Places
Beersheba, Bethel, Damascus, Gilgal, Gomorrah
Topics
Alas, Dark, Darkness, Desire, Desiring, Ho, Longing, Purpose, Sorrow, Wherefore, Woe
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Amos 5:18-20

     4812   darkness, God's judgment
     5395   lordship, human and divine
     9140   last days
     9220   day of the LORD

Amos 5:18-24

     9250   woe

Library
April 15 Morning
Their Redeemer is strong.--JER. 50:34. I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins.--I have laid help upon one that is mighty.--The Lord. . . thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.--Mighty to save.--Able to keep you from falling.--Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.--He is able . . . to save them …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

The Sins of Society
'For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye Me, and ye shall live: 5. But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought. 6. Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el. 7. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, 8. Seek Him that maketh the seven stars …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Evidences Internal and Experimental.
1. The external evidences of revealed religion are, in their proper place and sphere, of the highest importance. Christianity rests not upon theory, but upon historical facts sustained by an overwhelming mass of testimony. It is desirable that every Christian, so far as he has opportunity, should make himself acquainted with this testimony for the strengthening of his own faith and the refutation of gainsayers. Nevertheless, many thousands of Christians are fully established in the faith of the gospel …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Whether, by Penance, Man is Restored to his Former Dignity?
Objection 1: It would seem that man is not restored by Penance to his former dignity: because a gloss on Amos 5:2, "The virgin of Israel is cast down," observes: "It is not said that she cannot rise up, but that the virgin of Israel shall not rise; because the sheep that has once strayed, although the shepherd bring it back on his shoulder, has not the same glory as if it had never strayed." Therefore man does not, through Penance, recover his former dignity. Objection 2: Further, Jerome says: "Whoever …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Kingdom of Judah.
II K. 18-25; II Chron. 28-36. Note: This period covers the time from the fail of Israel to the fall of Judah. It begins in the sixth year of the reign of Hezekiah, whose name is given as the first king of the period since most of his reign was in this instead of the former period. The Kings of this Period. 13. Hezekiah, 2 K. 18:1-20-21; 2 Chron. 29:1-32:33. Reigned 29 years and died. 14. Manasseh, 2 K. 21:1-18; 2 Chron. 33:1-20. Reigned 55 year and died. 15. Amon, 2 K. 21:19-26; 2 Chron. 33:20-25. …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

The Greater Prophets.
1. We have already seen (Chap. 15, Nos. 11 and 12) that from Moses to Samuel the appearances of prophets were infrequent; that with Samuel and the prophetical school established by him there began a new era, in which the prophets were recognized as a distinct order of men in the Theocracy; and that the age of written prophecy did not begin till about the reign of Uzziah, some three centuries after Samuel. The Jewish division of the latter prophets--prophets in the more restricted sense of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Whether the Old Law Should have Been Given to the Jews Alone?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law should not have been given to the Jews alone. For the Old Law disposed men for the salvation which was to come through Christ, as stated above ([2065]AA[2],3). But that salvation was to come not to the Jews alone but to all nations, according to Is. 49:6: "It is a small thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to convert the dregs of Israel. Behold I have given thee to be the light of the Gentiles, that thou mayest be …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Degrees of Sin
Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. He that delivered me unto thee, has the greater sin.' John 19: 11. The Stoic philosophers held that all sins were equal; but this Scripture clearly holds forth that there is a gradual difference in sin; some are greater than others; some are mighty sins,' and crying sins.' Amos 5: 12; Gen 18: 21. Every sin has a voice to speak, but some …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Books of the Old Testament as a Whole. 1 the Province of Particular Introduction is to Consider the Books of the Bible Separately...
CHAPTER XVIII. THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AS A WHOLE. 1. The province of Particular Introduction is to consider the books of the Bible separately, in respect to their authorship, date, contents, and the place which each of them holds in the system of divine truth. Here it is above all things important that we begin with the idea of the unity of divine revelation--that all the parts of the Bible constitute a gloriously perfect whole, of which God and not man is the author. No amount of study devoted …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Ripe for Gathering
'Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. 2. And He said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon My people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. 3. And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence. 4. Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Arguments Usually Alleged in Support of Free Will Refuted.
1. Absurd fictions of opponents first refuted, and then certain passages of Scripture explained. Answer by a negative. Confirmation of the answer. 2. Another absurdity of Aristotle and Pelagius. Answer by a distinction. Answer fortified by passages from Augustine, and supported by the authority of an Apostle. 3. Third absurdity borrowed from the words of Chrysostom. Answer by a negative. 4. Fourth absurdity urged of old by the Pelagians. Answer from the works of Augustine. Illustrated by the testimony …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Journey to Jerusalem. Ten Lepers. Concerning the Kingdom.
(Borders of Samaria and Galilee.) ^C Luke XVII. 11-37. ^c 11 And it came to pass, as they were on their way to Jerusalem, that he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee. [If our chronology is correct, Jesus passed northward from Ephraim about forty miles, crossing Samaria (here mentioned first), and coming to the border of Galilee. He then turned eastward along that border down the wady Bethshean which separates the two provinces, and crossed the Jordan into Peræa, where we soon …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Prophecy of Obadiah.
We need not enter into details regarding the question as to the time when the prophet wrote. By a thorough argumentation, Caspari has proved, that he occupies his right position in the Canon, and hence belongs to the earliest age of written prophecy, i.e., to the time of Jeroboam II. and Uzziah. As bearing conclusively against those who would assign to him a far later date, viz., the time of the exile, there is not only the indirect testimony borne by the place which this prophecy occupies in …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Lord Coming to his Temple
The LORD , whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple; even the messenger of the covenant in whom ye delight: Behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like a fuller's soap, -- and he shall purify the sons of Levi -- that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. W hereunto shall we liken the people of this generation? and to what are they like? (Luke 7:31) …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Scriptures Showing the Sin and Danger of Joining with Wicked and Ungodly Men.
Scriptures Showing The Sin And Danger Of Joining With Wicked And Ungodly Men. When the Lord is punishing such a people against whom he hath a controversy, and a notable controversy, every one that is found shall be thrust through: and every one joined with them shall fall, Isa. xiii. 15. They partake in their judgment, not only because in a common calamity all shares, (as in Ezek. xxi. 3.) but chiefly because joined with and partakers with these whom God is pursuing; even as the strangers that join …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

An Exhortation to Love God
1. An exhortation. Let me earnestly persuade all who bear the name of Christians to become lovers of God. "O love the Lord, all ye his saints" (Psalm xxxi. 23). There are but few that love God: many give Him hypocritical kisses, but few love Him. It is not so easy to love God as most imagine. The affection of love is natural, but the grace is not. Men are by nature haters of God (Rom. i. 30). The wicked would flee from God; they would neither be under His rules, nor within His reach. They fear God, …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Being Made Archbishop of Armagh, He Suffers Many Troubles. Peace Being Made, from Being Archbishop of Armagh He Becomes Bishop of Down.
[Sidenote: 1129] 19. (12). Meanwhile[365] it happened that Archbishop Cellach[366] fell sick: he it was who ordained Malachy deacon, presbyter and bishop: and knowing that he was dying he made a sort of testament[367] to the effect that Malachy ought to succeed him,[368] because none seemed worthier to be bishop of the first see. This he gave in charge to those who were present, this he commanded to the absent, this to the two kings of Munster[369] and to the magnates of the land he specially enjoined …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

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