A Call To Accountability II
ac•count•abil•i•ty \ə-ˌkau̇n-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun
1794: the quality or state of being accountable especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions 〈public officials lacking accountability〉
Presumptuous Expectation (5:18–20)
The first “woe” is pronounced against those who desired for the day of Yahweh to come. They wrongly interpreted that day to be a day of judgment upon the heathen. They anticipated that in that day Israel would be vindicated and exalted. This day of Yahweh theology may have been based on a misapplication of Joel 2:32. Amos challenged this presumptuous doctrine by asking a rhetorical question: “Why would you have the day of Yahweh?” (5:18a).
Amos declared that the day of Yahweh would be a day of darkness and not light for Israel. That day would bring them harm and destruction, not vindication, prosperity and salvation. “Darkness” here may be literal as well as figurative (5:18b).
Amos drove home the truth that no sinful person could escape the judgment of the day of Yahweh. A man flees from a lion, then encounters a bear. He rushes into the house, leans breathlessly against the wall, and is bitten by a serpent. One danger after another would befall the wicked. Just when they thought they might have escaped disaster, they would experience a fatal calamity (5:19).
A second rhetorical question reinforces the view of the darkness of the day of Yahweh. “Shall not the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light, even very dark, and no brightness in it?” Here Amos uses stronger words for darkness and light. The darkness would intensify with the passage of time. There would not even be a ray of light (nogah). That would not be a day for the sinners of Israel to anticipate (5:20).
Amos now returns to the theme of the unacceptable worship in Israel. He makes three charges against that worship.
1. Unacceptable gatherings.
The worship gatherings were unacceptable. Yahweh declares, “I hate, I despise your feasts.” Outward formal worship will not avert the danger nor secure the favor of God in the day of visitation. God hated these feasts—Passover, First Fruits, Tabernacles, et al.—for three reasons: (1) The festivals failed to comply with the law of a single sanctuary; (2) the golden calf symbol was unauthorized and in fact had become an idol; and (3) the celebrations of these festivals tended to get out of hand especially as regards drunkenness (5:21a).
Yahweh also declared “I do not delight in your solemn assemblies” (‘atsarot). The word appears in the plural only here. It refers to the times of worship at the festivals, particularly at Passover and Tabernacles (Lev 23:36; Num 29:35; 2 Chr 7:9). The term “delight” literally means “smell.” Yahweh would not smell with satisfaction, i.e., accept, the offerings which were presented to him at the festivals (5:21b).
2. Unacceptable offerings.
Their worship offerings were unacceptable. The burnt offering symbolized complete consecration of the worshiper. For these hypocrites to offer this offering was an abomination. The meal offering primarily expressed thanksgiving to Yahweh. Thanksgiving must be translated into thanks-living or it too is abomination. The peace offering was an expression of the communion between the worshiper and God. Light and darkness, however, can have no fellowship. Amos made no mention of the sin offering. These people, apparently, did not see themselves as sinners before God! (5:22).
Unacceptable music.
Their worship music also came under the condemnation of this prophet. The temple singing was a wearisome noise (hamon) to God, clashing sounds. The objection here is not to the music in worship, but to the entire worship of which music was a part. Instrumental music was no more acceptable than their singing. Yahweh declares: “I will not hear the melody of your harps.”
Dearth of Justice (5:24)
Israel’s worship was devoid of application. Instead of elaborate ritual, God wanted justice and righteousness to prevail in the land. Martin Luther King, Jr. was fond of quoting Amos 5:24 during the civil rights movement of the 1960’. This may well be the golden text of Amos: “But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.” These words are more likely an exhortation than a threat.
“Justice” goes beyond fairness. It is that correct moral practice in daily personal and social life which is clearly observable to others. “Righteousness” is mainly internal. It is that disposition to do what is right. Righteousness expresses itself in society as justice. God wants an abundance of both qualities rather than the formalistic and corrupt worship of the northern kingdom. In a water-starved country, a perennial stream was a delight. Righteousness and justice are such a delight to God (5:24).