“I will extol thee, my God, O King; And I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; And I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, And shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, And of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: And I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, And shall sing of thy righteousness.”
Psalm 145:1-7 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.145.1-7.KJV
Reordering Our Priorities
The northern tribes of Israel in Amos' time seemed like they were doing all the right things. They offered sacrifices to God and were exact in their religious observations. And yet, the book of Amos is written to them as a warning—a warning that destruction that would befall them if they refused to change?
Why?
Because they had neglected the true heart of loving and worshiping God.
While they were doing many of the "right" things, it's what they weren't doing that God wanted to address. They failed to take care of the poor and needy. They turned their eyes away from injustice. Many had turned to idols for help and prayer.
Through Amos, God told the people of Israel that it is just as important to be righteous inwardly as it is outwardly. We cannot say we love God and others when we fail to help people who are within our power to help.
Just as James 1:27 tells us, true religion includes helping orphans, widows, and those who are in distress. James goes on to write ...