Amos 4:5

And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim [and] publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

And offer {H6999} a sacrifice of thanksgiving {H8426} with leaven {H2557}, and proclaim {H7121} and publish {H8085} the free offerings {H5071}: for this {H3651} liketh {H157} you, O ye children {H1121} of Israel {H3478}, saith {H5002} the Lord {H136} GOD {H3069}.

burn leavened bread as a thank offering; brag in public about your voluntary offerings; because that's what you love to do, Isra'el!" says Adonai ELOHIM.

Offer leavened bread as a thank offering, and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings. For that is what you children of Israel love to do,” declares the Lord GOD.

and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill-offerings and publish them: for this pleaseth you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah.

Amos 4:5 delivers a powerful, sarcastic rebuke from the Lord GOD to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It highlights their deeply flawed and hypocritical religious practices, where outward show and personal gratification replaced genuine devotion and obedience.

Context

The prophet Amos ministered during a period of relative prosperity for the Northern Kingdom of Israel under King Jeroboam II. However, this economic success was accompanied by rampant social injustice, oppression of the poor, moral decay, and widespread religious apostasy. While outwardly maintaining religious rituals, the people had embraced idolatry, worshipping golden calves at cultic centers like Bethel and Gilgal, and blending their worship of Yahweh with pagan practices. Amos's message is a stark warning of impending judgment due to their spiritual and moral corruption. In this chapter, God lists a series of past judgments (famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war) that failed to bring Israel to repentance, setting the stage for this sarcastic command.

Key Themes

  • Hypocritical Worship: The core of the verse is God's scathing indictment of Israel's empty rituals. They diligently performed sacrifices and offerings, but their hearts were far from God. Their worship was self-serving, designed to please themselves rather than honor the Lord.
  • Divine Sarcasm and Irony: The phrase "for this liketh you" drips with irony. God is essentially telling them, "Go ahead, do what you love doing – your showy, self-gratifying worship." This highlights that their religious activities were driven by personal preference and tradition, not by a desire to truly please God or adhere to His commands for justice and righteousness.
  • Outward Ritual vs. Inward Reality: Israel focused on the external performance of religious duties, such as offering sacrifices and proclaiming free-will offerings, while neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. This resonates with God's consistent call for obedience over sacrifice and mercy over burnt offerings.

Linguistic Insights

The mention of "leaven" (Hebrew: chametz) in the "sacrifice of thanksgiving" is significant. While leaven was strictly forbidden in many offerings (e.g., burnt offerings and grain offerings) due to its association with corruption or sin (Leviticus 2:11), it was permitted, and even required, in the bread accompanying certain peace offerings or thanksgiving offerings (Leviticus 7:13). The irony here is not in the leaven itself, but in the context of God's sarcastic tone. They were performing the rituals correctly on the surface, but their heart attitude and the overall spiritual state of the nation were deeply corrupted, much like leaven can spread through dough. God is pointing out their eagerness to fulfill the visible aspects of worship, even those with leaven, while their broader spiritual life was riddled with impurity and injustice.

Practical Application

Amos 4:5 serves as a timeless warning against superficial religiosity. For believers today, it prompts critical self-examination:

  • Examine Your Motives: Are our acts of worship, giving, or service truly for God's glory, or are they driven by a desire for recognition, tradition, or personal comfort? True worship stems from a heart devoted to God, not merely from outward performance.
  • Beware of Hypocrisy: It is easy to go through the motions of faith while neglecting the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and humility in our daily lives. God desires a transformed heart and life that reflects His character, as emphasized in Micah 6:8.
  • Authenticity Over Show: This verse reminds us that God sees beyond the outward display. He desires genuine relationship and obedience more than elaborate rituals or public pronouncements.

The message of Amos 4:5 calls us to a faith that is deeply rooted in truth and lived out with integrity, prioritizing God's pleasure above our own.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Leviticus 22:18

    Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever [he be] of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;

  • Leviticus 22:21

    And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish [his] vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.

  • Hosea 9:10

    I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: [but] they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto [that] shame; and [their] abominations were according as they loved.

  • Psalms 81:12

    So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: [and] they walked in their own counsels.

  • Leviticus 7:12

    If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.

  • Leviticus 7:13

    Besides the cakes, he shall offer [for] his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.

  • Matthew 6:2

    Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

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