Chapter 8 begins with a new vision to Amos, and in it God told Amos that He “will not defer their punishment again”. (Verse 2). We don’t know how long Amos prophesied, but he never mentioned Jeroboam’s death but only that his lineage would be ended with a sword. That happened in 752 BCE when his son, Zechariah, was killed.
God’s message was serious. “The riotous sound of singing in the Temple will turn to weeping then. Dead bodies will be scattered everywhere. They will be carried out of the city in silence.” (Verse 3). This message was given 30 or more years before the destruction of Samaria in 722 BCE. Perhaps this temple was one built for all the gods of Israel, but the people were not too interested in worship. “. . .you who long for the Sabbath to end and the religious holidays to be over. . .” (Verse 5). They were religious but not in God’s eyes.
In verses 7-10, Amos mentions again what God said, “I won’t forget your deeds.” Why? Because they abandoned the two principles of the Ten Commandments: (1) to love God with all their hearts, and (2) to love their neighbor as themselves.
But were these people any different than many church people today. It is always a temptation to desire more than we need. We may think that church attendance, tithing or some other activity will put us in God’s good graces but is our heart really in it. Some people get burned out doing things in church like teaching Sunday School, but after years they are unfulfilled.
In Psalm 50, God went through a litany of things we do to try to please Him, and He said these are all great, but we are missing what He really wants. He ends the Psalm with the answer we need to hear: “But true praise is a worthy sacrifice; this really honors Me.” Do we lift our minds and hearts and maybe our hands and voices to offer praise to God daily. If not, we can become cold and indifferent to God.
So what happens if we don’t offer praise? We become cold and indifferent, and we wind up feeling like God described in verses 11-14. We seek a word from the Lord, but we receive nothing. “Beautiful girls and fine young men alike will grow faint and weary, thirsting for the word of God.”