“Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.” Amos 5:14-15
Amos sings a funeral dirge over impenitent Israel, for the Lord is soon to come in judgment against the nation for abandoning the covenant.
“Seek good” … the prophet pleads with Israel to return to God and avoid the judgment He otherwise would bring upon them.
“With you, as you say He is” is a reminder that during the days of the patriarchs, the Lord had made promises to be with people at both Beersheba and Bethel. Incredibly, those showing utter contempt for the Lord and His covenant during Amos’s time were still claiming this promise as their own.
“Maintain justice” was in stark contrast to what was happening in Israel. Notice the literary structure of these verses … seek good, hate evil, love good.
“Remnant of Joseph” are words that look beyond the impending destruction of the Northern Kingdom at the hands of the Assyrians. They indicate a faithful few will be preserved and restored, leaving a mere remnant. Amos’s last oracle similarly speaks of God restoring the faithful remnant in Chapter 9.
The Lord’s judgment still threatens all that would place anyone or anything above Him. At the same time, God remains merciful. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather wishes to see the wicked turn from his evil way and live in Him.
God’s blessings on your day…