Amos 5:15

"Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say."

Key Reflection

Amos 5:15 exhorts the people to seek good over evil in order to find life and divine favor. This verse reflects a profound call for ethical living and justice, rooted in the ancient understanding that living righteously was not merely moral duty but also the path to God’s presence and blessing. The phrase "the LORD, the God of Armies" underscores the severity and power of Yahweh, emphasizing that his intervention is both formidable and necessary if the people are to experience his favor.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Hate the evil and love the good -Man will not cease wholly to “seek evil,” unless he “hate” it; nor will he “seek good,” unless he “love” it. Jerome: “He ‘hateth evil,’ who not only is not overcome by pleasure, but hates its deeds; and he ‘loveth good,’ who, not unwillingly or of necessity or from fear, doth what is good, but because it is good.” Dionysius: “Evil of sin must be hated, in and for itself; the sinner must not be hated in himself, but only the evil in him.” They hated him, who reproved them; he bids them hate sin.

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