The Pulpit Commentary — Amos — Section 100

the eye for the sins of others is so much keener than the eye for their own, that coming good is unconsciously allocated to themselves and coming evil to others, and so Divine judgments desired which ca.n only destroy them when they come. 2. Bravado. The prophets who foretold the coming of God's day rebuked tbe people's ein on account of which it was to come. Put on their mettle by the rebuke, many would affect to ridicule the prophecy. Like others (,Ter. xvii. 15; 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4), they would say, wHh an affectation of unbelief, "You are trying to frighten us with a bugbear. Let your talked-of judgment fall, and then we will believe it." The delay of God's judgment, which means that when it comes it shall be the more terrible, is often taken as meaning that it is not coming at all (Ezek. xii. 22, 27). 3. Vindic- tiveness. Some would deem themselves less criminal than others-their enemies, it may be, and oppressors. On these they would expect the heaviest strokes to fall, and to bring this about they would suffer more or less themselves. There are Samsons among sinners who would run the risk of perishing themselves in order to secure the -destruction of others. To all three classes "the day of the Lord is darkness, and no brightness in it." Evil will come none the less surely because it is good that is expected, and it will come all the more sharply on those who to their other sin have 3dded malice against men and mockery of God. Vers. 21-23.-The autograph of the unreal. Wicked Israel, strange to 88.Y, was worshipping Israel still. Theirs was sanctimonious sinning. It was done more or less in a religious connection. It was accompanied, and attempted to be covered, by .an unstinted dressing of pietislic cant. But it only smelled the more rank to Heaven. Unreal worship is no mitigation, but only an aggravation, of the guilt of unholy living. I. INSINCERITY IS OFTEN SCRUPULOUS AROUT ALL THE CIRCUMSTANTIALS OF WORSHIP. This is natural. It builds on the form as a substitute for the spirit, and on the obser- vance of the ordinance thus as a substitute for a godly life. Going through religious forms costs nothing in the way of crucifying the flesh. Accordingly, the scrupulosity -0f Israel seemed to be great in proportion to their hypocrisy. 1. They kept the feasts. "Feasts" (ver. 21) means the annual feasts. There is no hint that these, or any of them, were neglected or overlooked. 'l'he routine of celebration went mechanically on. 'They were observed without purpose and without heart, but they were observed. 2. They performed the a-cts of worship. "The assemblies" (ver. 21) were probably the meetings for worship (Lev, xxiii. 36) appointed to be held at the feasts. These as a. dass, no exception to which is indicated, are spoken of as having been held. "Then 'songs,' no doubt of Zion, and inspired by God, were duly sung, and the accompaniment played on harps,-instruments almost exclusively consecrated to the service of God" (Pusey). 3. They offered the usual gifts. The "burnt offering,'' the "meat offering," and the "peace offering," which are all voluntary offerings, were regularly made, so far as appears: They were made, moreover, with fatlings-beasts the best of their kind, and such as the Law prescribed. So far, therefore, as form went, their worship was scrupulously correct. And the ee.me is generally true of hollow and unspiritual worship. Being purely formal, it will seem excellent in proportion as it is elaborate. The absence of the spirit is attempted to be compensated for by the exaltation of the letter. Worship can no more be appraised by its fulness, and fairness of outward form, .than the dietary value of a fruit by its size and colour. !I, lNBINOERITY IS OHARACTERISTIC NO LESS IN WHAT IT OMITS THAN IN WHAT TT' -OBSERVES. No mention is made of the "sin offering" or the" trespass offering." Yet these were both compulsory, whereas the three observed were optional. Hence it appears that: 1. To the formalist that is least acceptable which is most Divine. He has no true respect for God's authority. He is a self-pleaser first of all and most of all, and will find the ordinance most acceptable into the observance of which there enters mosl; of his own will and least of God's. On this principle the optional in worship will be preferred to the prescribed (Isa. i. 12), a.nd the unauthorized to either (Mark vii. 9). 'l'he illustration of this in the countless vagaries of the Romanist and Rilualist is easy to trace. Practical attention to the various details of worship by the unspiritual almosl; seems to be inversely ns their Divine authority. 2. To the formalist that is most distasteful which most closely connects him with his sin. The sin offering was an .acknowledgment, and involved a remembrance, of guilt. This is distasteful to thtt 100 THE BOOK OF AMOS. [cH, V, 1-27.