When God Hates Worship
April 13, 2013
God hates worship. God hates offering. God hates the noise of praise-filled songs. This bold prophetic condemnation comes from the Biblical prophet, Amos.
The prophet’s indictment against worship as a disgrace before God has strong merit. Within the culture of the day, there were extreme abuses of power and religious authority. Much of the culture of Amos’ day failed to live up to God’s demand for equality, fairness, and right living so God condemns Israel for the abuses.
Israel promoted severe economic abuse. The poor and economically underprivileged of the community were subject to unfair commerce, greedy profiteering, and flagrantly inflated price structures designed only to allow a few to get rich at the expense of the poor.
Social injustice prevailed as those with the least political or social power were trampled by the leadership and pushed out of the way for the selfish, powerful, and arrogant gain of the leadership and aristocratic class of society.
Sexual abuse and an unholy exploitation of the powerless also permeated the culture of the day. The weak were used to gratify the sexual satisfactions of the powerful and the beauty of God’s gift of sexuality became a means of promoting power over others. Women, in particular, were subject to being the sexual slaves of promiscuous men.
The religion was shallow and selfish. Honesty and integrity gave way to favoritism and corruption. Those with religious power exercised it for personal gain and prestige. The religion had ceased being a means to bring people into relationship with God. Rather, it had become a means of exerting control over others and prescribing tyrannical power in the lives of others.
Yet, God’s hatred has nothing to do with the act of worshipping God. Rather, it is a condemnation of the hypocrisy of the worshippers! God hated the fact that those who would greedily exploit the poor, trample on those without social power, exploit women for sexual gratification, make worship a means of arrogant self-fulfillment, or turn religion into a means of selfish control would, in turn, would have the presumptive pride to praise God in worship.
Amos confronts a society that turns a blind eye to injustice, inequality, flagrant profiteering, sexual exploitation, social injustice, discrimination, and economic abuse only to ascribe praise and worship to God.
“Let
justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream!”
This prophetic call from
Much like the dry arroyos of the Southwest, Israel was very familiar with the dusty wadis, of the land. They may remain waterless for years. Yet, once a massive thundershower unleashed its torrent up stream, the wadi would instantly be filled with a flash flood and the devastating torrent of water that would drown and destroy everything in its path.
In contrast to the dry wadi, Israel was also very dependent on the everflowing streams of the many natural springs that dotted the landscape. Providing an unending source of drinking water, it was these everflowing springs of life.
For Amos, the illustration was powerful and simple. God will only allow injustice in God’s name for so long. Ultimately, God’s justice will roll down like a devastating flash flood and set everything right. Then, in its place, an everflowing stream of God’s true, life-giving faith will nourish and sustain the people of God. Yet, a question remains, how will the Christians of today respond to God’s prophetic warning from Scripture?
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