Amos Sermon 2: Genuine and False Religion

Amos  5  contains  the  third  message  of  judgment  against  Israel,  which  addresses  the  problem  of  formal  religion  void  of  sincerity  and  true  meaning.  The  chapter  begins  with  a  prophetic  lamentation  over  the  house  of  Israel  that  grieves  over  the  inevitable  disaster  that  will  come  as  a  result  of  the  conditions  within  the  nation  (5:1-3).  Normally  "laments"  are  appropriate  at  funerals  as  an  expression  of  grief  over  the  death  of  a  relative,  friend,  or  leader.  Here,  Amos  lamented  before  the  tragedy  even  occurred  because  judgment  was  certain.  This  lament  would  have  had  a  profound  effect  upon  the  hearers,  much  like  reading  your  own  obituary  in  the  paper.  The  problem  was  not  that  Israel  had  no  religion.  The  problem  was  that  Israel's  religion  was  empty,  characterized  by  heartless  ritualism,  and  lacking  true  righteousness.