Love God and Establish Justice

Sunday, June 14, 2015
Amos 5:14-15, 18-27 KJV 

14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. 15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. ... 

18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end [is] it for you? the day of the LORD [is] darkness, and not light. 19 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. 20 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? 21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. 22 Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept [them]: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. 23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. 24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. 25 Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? 26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. 27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name [is] The God of hosts.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What does the prophet of God counsel the people to do and what may happen if they obey? (5:14-15)
2) What does the prophet tell those who desire "the day of the Lord"? Why? (5:18-19)
3) What does the Lord say about the offerings of His people? Why? (v.20-23)
4) What does the Lord proclaim about judgment and righteousness? (v.24)
5) What transgression had the people of God committed against Him? (v.25-26)
6) How would He judge them? (v.27)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
7) Do you know of an individual, church, or nation that rebelled against the Lord to worship idols? If so, how has the Lord judged the idolater(s)?


LIFE LESSONS
8) The Lord chastens those who willfully exalt anything or anyone above Himself.