Amos 5:22

My Notes

What Does Amos 5:22 Mean?

"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." God rejects Israel's worship — ALL of it. The burnt offerings? Not accepted. The grain offerings? Not accepted. The peace offerings of the finest animals? Not even REGARDED — not looked at, not glanced at, not given a moment's attention. The worship is technically correct and spiritually rejected. The offerings are proper. The offerers are corrupt.

The phrase "I will not accept" (lo ertzeh — I will not be pleased with, I will not accept favorably) means the offerings are REFUSED: the Hebrew ratzah means to accept with pleasure, to receive favorably. God says: I will NOT be pleased. The offerings that should produce divine pleasure produce divine rejection. The gifts are returned. The sacrifices are unwanted.

The "neither will I regard" (lo abbit — I will not look at) adds visual rejection: God won't even LOOK at the peace offerings. The finest animals — the fattest, the most expensive, the premium offerings — are beneath God's gaze. The 'not regarding' means God averts His eyes. The offerings are so offensive to Him that He turns away rather than looking at them.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Is your worship technically correct but spiritually empty — and is justice the missing ingredient?
• 2.What does God not even LOOKING at your best offerings teach about the relationship between worship and ethics?
• 3.How does rejection of ALL categories of worship (burnt, grain, peace) describe total spiritual failure?
• 4.What would 'judgment running down as waters' (verse 24) look like in your context?

Devotional

Your burnt offerings? Rejected. Your grain offerings? Refused. Your peace offerings of prime animals? I won't even LOOK at them. God rejects every category of worship Israel brings — not because the offerings are wrong but because the OFFERERS are wrong. The worship is technically perfect and spiritually worthless.

The 'I will not accept' is the most devastating response a worshiper can receive: you brought the offering. You performed the ritual. You followed the instructions. And God says: NO. Not accepted. Not wanted. Not pleasing. The offering that should produce divine favor produces divine refusal. The sacrifice is returned unopened.

The 'neither will I regard' adds the VISUAL rejection: God won't even LOOK at the premium offerings. The fattest beasts — the most expensive, the most carefully selected — are beneath God's gaze. He won't glance at them. He averts His eyes. The offering you're most proud of, the sacrifice that cost you the most, the worship that should be most impressive — God won't even look.

The context (verse 21 — 'I hate, I despise your feast days') explains the rejection: the WORSHIP is rejected because the JUSTICE is absent. Verse 24 gives the alternative: 'Let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.' God doesn't want offerings from people who deny justice. The worship without the righteousness is performance without substance. The sacrifices without the justice are empty rituals.

Is your worship technically correct but spiritually rejected — and is the missing ingredient JUSTICE?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture