Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard. Even though you offer MeThis phrase indicates a conditional action on the part of the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "offer" is "qarab," which means to bring near or present. In the context of ancient Israel, offerings were a means to draw near to God, symbolizing devotion and seeking favor. However, the phrase "even though" suggests a disconnect between the act of offering and the heart behind it. Historically, offerings were central to Israelite worship, yet God emphasizes that mere ritual without genuine repentance and righteousness is insufficient. burnt offerings and grain offerings
Burnt offerings, or "olah" in Hebrew, were completely consumed by fire, symbolizing total dedication to God. Grain offerings, or "minchah," were offerings of flour, oil, and frankincense, representing the fruits of human labor. These offerings were part of the sacrificial system established in Leviticus, intended to express worship and gratitude. However, Amos highlights that these acts, when performed without true devotion, are meaningless. The historical context reveals that Israel was engaging in idolatry and injustice, rendering their offerings hollow. I will not accept them
The Hebrew word for "accept" is "ratsah," meaning to be pleased with or to favor. God's refusal to accept the offerings underscores His desire for sincere worship and ethical living over ritualistic practices. This rejection serves as a divine indictment against superficial religiosity. In the broader scriptural context, God consistently prioritizes obedience and justice over sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22, Micah 6:6-8). I will have no regard for
The phrase "no regard" translates from the Hebrew "nabat," meaning to look upon or consider. God's lack of regard signifies His disapproval and rejection of the offerings. This reflects a broader biblical theme where God looks at the heart rather than outward appearances (1 Samuel 16:7). The Israelites' failure to align their lives with God's standards rendered their offerings unacceptable. your peace offerings of fattened cattle
Peace offerings, or "shelamim," were meant to symbolize fellowship and thanksgiving, often shared between the offerer, the priests, and God. "Fattened cattle" indicates the best of the herd, suggesting that the Israelites were offering valuable sacrifices. However, the emphasis here is on the futility of such offerings when justice and righteousness are absent. Historically, peace offerings were communal and celebratory, yet Amos points out that without a foundation of justice, these offerings are void. This critique aligns with the prophetic call for social justice and genuine piety throughout the Old Testament. Persons / Places / Events 1. AmosA prophet from the southern kingdom of Judah, called by God to deliver a message of judgment to the northern kingdom of Israel. His ministry occurred during a time of prosperity and religious formalism. 2. IsraelThe northern kingdom, which had fallen into idolatry and social injustice despite outward religious observance. 3. Burnt Offerings, Grain Offerings, Peace OfferingsThese were central elements of Israelite worship, prescribed in the Law of Moses. They symbolized devotion, thanksgiving, and fellowship with God. 4. God's RejectionThe event of God rejecting these offerings signifies His displeasure with Israel's insincere worship and moral corruption. 5. JudgmentThe overarching theme of Amos, where God warns of impending judgment due to Israel's failure to live righteously. Teaching Points True Worship Requires SincerityGod desires genuine devotion and righteousness over mere ritualistic observance. Our worship must reflect a heart aligned with God's values. Righteousness Over RitualThe heart of worship is not in the external acts but in living a life that reflects God's justice and mercy. Self-ExaminationBelievers should regularly examine their motives in worship and service to ensure they align with God's desires. Social Justice and WorshipTrue worship is inseparable from how we treat others. Our relationship with God should manifest in justice and compassion towards others. Repentance and RestorationWhen we recognize insincerity in our worship, we must repent and seek to restore a right relationship with God. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Amos 5:22 challenge our understanding of what God values in worship? 2. In what ways can we ensure that our worship is sincere and pleasing to God, according to Amos and other scriptures? 3. How do the themes of justice and righteousness in Amos 5:22 relate to Jesus' teachings in the New Testament? 4. What practical steps can we take to align our worship with God's desire for justice and mercy in our communities? 5. Reflect on a time when your worship might have been more about ritual than relationship. How can you change that moving forward? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 1:11-15Similar to Amos, Isaiah speaks of God's rejection of insincere sacrifices, emphasizing that God desires righteousness over ritual. Micah 6:6-8This passage highlights what God truly requires: justice, mercy, and humility, rather than mere ritualistic offerings. Matthew 23:23Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness, despite their meticulous observance of religious rituals. People Amos, JosephPlaces Beersheba, Bethel, Damascus, Gilgal, GomorrahTopics Accept, Animals, Ascend, Beasts, Behold, Bring, Burned, Burnt, Burnt-offerings, Cause, Cereal, Choice, Fat, Fatlings, Fatted, Fellowship, Grain, Meal, Meal-offerings, Meat, Meat-offerings, Nothing, Oblations, Offer, Offerings, Peace, Peace-offering, Peace-offerings, Pleased, Pleasure, Presents, Regard, Though, Yea, YesDictionary of Bible Themes Amos 5:22 7364 fellowship offering Amos 5:18-24 9250 woe Amos 5:21-22 7328 ceremonies Amos 5:21-23 6109 alienation Amos 5:21-24 5360 justice, God
5943 self-deception
6603 acceptance, divine
8311 morality, and redemption Amos 5:21-27 7316 blood, OT sacrifices Amos 5:22-24 8345 servanthood, and worship 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 PathThe 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 Links Amos 5:22 NIVAmos 5:22 NLTAmos 5:22 ESVAmos 5:22 NASBAmos 5:22 KJV
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