Is the Day of the Lord a Day of Joy or Sorrow? | Amos
By Rev. Jeremiah Cheung
From Amos 5:16-27
5:16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says: “There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail. 17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the Lord.
18 Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. 20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light— pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
25 “Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? 26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god— which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.
Amos 5:17 “… I will pass through your midst, says the Lord.” When the Lord passes through our midst, it means that the day of the Lord has come. However, verses 16-17 tell us that when the Lord passes through, the whole earth will be full of mourning, weeping, and wailing. In Amos 5:18, the prophet proclaimed with sarcasm, “Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord?”
Don’t the Israelites long for the Messiah to come? Do we not often pray for the Lord’s return, too? But do we really understand what the day of the Lord is, the true significance of the second coming of the Lord? The day of the Lord is significant for two different reasons. Yes, it is the day of God’s salvation and when He comes again, it will be the day of salvation for the whole earth. However, it will also be the day of judgment. So the prophet says, woe to you.
Why would the day of the Lord mean woe for Israel? In Amos 5:21-23, the Lord declared to Israel through the prophet, “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not regard your choice fellowship offerings, nor listen to the music of your harps.” Why? We find the answer in Amos 5:25-26. “Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god—which you made for yourselves.” All the religious ceremonies and rituals they performed were basically in the worship of idols. Externally, they were worshipping the Lord, but in their hearts, they were worshipping idols. What the Lord truly wanted was worship which poured forth from their hearts, that is why He said, “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
A person who truly worships the Lord will uphold justice and righteousness. The man who does so is the one who truly worships the Lord. Such a man is also a man who is ready to meet the Lord. The day of the Lord signifies salvation for them, but for the others, the day of the Lord means judgment. Which kind of person are you? Will the second coming of the Lord Jesus mean salvation or judgment for you?
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耶和華的日子是喜? 是憂? | 阿摩司書
張國強牧師
阿摩司書 5:16-27
5:16 主耶和華萬軍之神如此說, 在一切寬闊處必有哀號的聲音, 在各街市上必有人說, 哀哉, 哀哉, 又必叫農夫來哭號, 叫善唱哀歌的來舉哀。17 在各葡萄園必有哀號的聲音, 因為我必從你中間經過, 這是耶和華說的。
18 想望耶和華日子來到的, 有禍了, 你們為何想望耶和華的日子呢? 那日黑暗沒有光明, 19 景況好像人躲避獅子又遇見熊, 或是進房屋以手靠牆, 就被蛇咬。20 耶和華的日子, 不是黑暗沒有光明麼? 不是幽暗毫無光輝麼?
21 我厭惡你們的節期, 也不喜悅你們的嚴肅會。22 你們雖然向我獻燔祭和素祭, 我卻不悅納, 也不顧你們用肥畜獻的平安祭。23 要使你們歌唱的聲音遠離我, 因為我不聽你們彈琴的響聲。24 惟願公平如大水滾滾, 使公義如江河滔滔。
25 以色列家阿, 你們在曠野四十年, 豈是將祭物和供物獻給我呢? 26 你們抬著為自己所造之摩洛的帳幕和偶像的龕, 並你們的神星。27 所以我要把你們擄到大馬色以外, 這是耶和華名為萬軍之神說的。
5:17 ⋯⋯我必從你中間經過, 這是耶和華說的。神從我們中間經過, 意思就是耶和華的日子來到了, 但 16-17卻告訴我們, 當耶和華經過的時候, 全地卻充滿了哀聲, 哭聲與哀號。5:18先知更發出一種諷剌的聲音說, 想望耶和華日子來到的, 有禍了, 你們為何想望耶和華的日子呢?
以色列人不是渴望彌賽亞來嗎？我們也不是常常祈禱主再來嗎？但我們真的明白什麼是耶和華的日子, 主第二次再來的意思嗎？耶和華的日子有二層的意思。首先這是神拯救的日子。這沒有錯, 祂再來的時候是拯救全地的日子, 但是也是審判的日子。所以先知說, 你們有禍了。
為什麼耶和華的日子會成為以色列人的禍患呢？5:21-23神藉先知向以色列人說, 我厭惡你們的節期, 不喜悅你們的嚴肅會。不接納你們的獻燔祭和素祭, 也不顧你們用肥畜獻的平安祭, 也不聽你們讚美我的聲音。為什麼？5:25-26就是答案, 「以色列家阿, 你們在曠野四十年, 豈是將祭物和供物獻給我呢? 你們抬著為自己所造之摩洛的帳幕和偶像的龕, 並你們的神星。」 他們所作的一切宗教的儀式, 禮儀根本是在敬拜偶像, 他們在外表是敬拜神, 但內心卻是敬拜偶像, 神真正要的是從他們心裡出來, 所以神說: 惟願公平如大水滾滾, 使公義如江河滔滔。
一個真實敬拜神的人, 他的生命有公平有公義, 這樣的人才是真實的敬拜者, 這樣的人也是預備好迎見神的人, 耶和華的日子對他們來說是拯救, 但對其他人來說, 耶和華的日子卻是審判; 你是那一種人呢? 主耶穌第二次再來對你來說, 是拯救或是審判呢？