April 23, 2026
April 23
Return to Me
[ READ ] Amos 4–6
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
“Seek me and live;
5 but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
6 Seek the Lord and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
7 O you who turn justice to wormwood[a]
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name;
9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
11 Therefore because you trample on[b] the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your transgressions
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and turn aside the needy in the gate.
13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
15 Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:4-15
“Seek me and live;
5 but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
6 Seek the Lord and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
7 O you who turn justice to wormwood[a]
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name;
9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
11 Therefore because you trample on[b] the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your transgressions
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and turn aside the needy in the gate.
13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
15 Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:4-15
Amos is an emotional read for me. Maybe it is for you, too.
Pastor David and I have had a few very memorable conversations where we’ve discussed the idea that people have of “the God of the old testament” versus “the God of the new testament”. Have you ever viewed Him that way?
What people typically mean is that throughout the old testament, Jesus had not yet been born, so the effect is God the Father choosing wrath, anger, vengeance, keeps score against Israel, and so forth; and then when Jesus is born, God the Son (as if suddenly coming into existence, having not been the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End [Revelation 21:6]) is suddenly a new and improved Lord Almighty 2.0. As if the birth and death of Christ transformed the person and character of Yahweh. But if we can all agree and confess that the Word of God has the final say, that it is the authority and truth over all, then we must believe Him when we read in Hebrews 13:8.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Can I get an amen? Praise the Lord that we serve such a compassionate, merciful and loving God!
Here in these chapters of Amos, we read the Lord calling out the sin, the idolatry, and the hypocrisy of Israel. A people who “‘Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings – boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do.’” Amos 4:4-5 NIV
Of course, this is not His permission to go and sin, but to highlight their desires and patterns of choosing what they know is sin and “balancing the scales” with enough offerings to keep sinning. How often do we do the same? Maybe it’s knowing we’re going to go out and indulge a little bit too much on a Saturday night, “but I’m going to church tomorrow so it’s fine.” Maybe it’s losing our temper and self control at our loved ones, or even a stranger, “but if I just pray, God will still love and forgive me.”
Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit with premeditated sin, taking advantage of the compassion He has promised us. He calls us into repentance, and new life. Amos 5 says it three (yes, 3!) times!
5:4-5 …Seek me and live; but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.
5:6 Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel
5:14-15 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
To hate evil is not to plan it and to hope, or even know, that we will be forgiven for it. It is to flee from it. It is to run from it– and not aimlessly toward something less sinful. To Jesus!
The lifegiver! The living water! The bread of life! The One who loves you so much that He saw every sin, every loss, every difficulty, every victory, every joyful moment, and everything in between before your very conception, and called you by name. The One who saw your struggles, addictions, and failures, and says that you were worth dying for. Before you were born.
He is worthy to be praised. He is the same God who was, and is, and is to come. Let us rejoice by running after Him, seeking good, and seeking the One who is good.
Pastor David and I have had a few very memorable conversations where we’ve discussed the idea that people have of “the God of the old testament” versus “the God of the new testament”. Have you ever viewed Him that way?
What people typically mean is that throughout the old testament, Jesus had not yet been born, so the effect is God the Father choosing wrath, anger, vengeance, keeps score against Israel, and so forth; and then when Jesus is born, God the Son (as if suddenly coming into existence, having not been the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End [Revelation 21:6]) is suddenly a new and improved Lord Almighty 2.0. As if the birth and death of Christ transformed the person and character of Yahweh. But if we can all agree and confess that the Word of God has the final say, that it is the authority and truth over all, then we must believe Him when we read in Hebrews 13:8.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Can I get an amen? Praise the Lord that we serve such a compassionate, merciful and loving God!
Here in these chapters of Amos, we read the Lord calling out the sin, the idolatry, and the hypocrisy of Israel. A people who “‘Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings – boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do.’” Amos 4:4-5 NIV
Of course, this is not His permission to go and sin, but to highlight their desires and patterns of choosing what they know is sin and “balancing the scales” with enough offerings to keep sinning. How often do we do the same? Maybe it’s knowing we’re going to go out and indulge a little bit too much on a Saturday night, “but I’m going to church tomorrow so it’s fine.” Maybe it’s losing our temper and self control at our loved ones, or even a stranger, “but if I just pray, God will still love and forgive me.”
Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit with premeditated sin, taking advantage of the compassion He has promised us. He calls us into repentance, and new life. Amos 5 says it three (yes, 3!) times!
5:4-5 …Seek me and live; but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.
5:6 Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel
5:14-15 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
To hate evil is not to plan it and to hope, or even know, that we will be forgiven for it. It is to flee from it. It is to run from it– and not aimlessly toward something less sinful. To Jesus!
The lifegiver! The living water! The bread of life! The One who loves you so much that He saw every sin, every loss, every difficulty, every victory, every joyful moment, and everything in between before your very conception, and called you by name. The One who saw your struggles, addictions, and failures, and says that you were worth dying for. Before you were born.
He is worthy to be praised. He is the same God who was, and is, and is to come. Let us rejoice by running after Him, seeking good, and seeking the One who is good.
[ EXAMINE ] the passage. At this point, answer some questions about the meaning of the text. Take time to reflect:
+ What does the Lord want Israel to see here? Beyond their choice to sin?
+ Why do you think the people of Israel still haven’t learned yet? Do you see yourself in the answer?
+ What does the Lord want Israel to see here? Beyond their choice to sin?
+ Why do you think the people of Israel still haven’t learned yet? Do you see yourself in the answer?
[ APPLY ] the passage to your own life:
+ Is there sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ What does it mean to seek the Lord and live?
+ What is one way you personally can seek good and live today?
+ Is there sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ What does it mean to seek the Lord and live?
+ What is one way you personally can seek good and live today?
[ PRAY ] through the passage and your application, and ask God to change your heart and your life:
(e.g., your family around the dinner table, a friend, co-worker or neighbor- for help join a community group at downtownhope.churchcenter.com/groups)
+ What is my next step?
+ Ask God to reveal where you haven’t sought to bring Him in to your choices.
(e.g., your family around the dinner table, a friend, co-worker or neighbor- for help join a community group at downtownhope.churchcenter.com/groups)
+ What is my next step?
+ Ask God to reveal where you haven’t sought to bring Him in to your choices.
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