Amos 6 (Author’s translation)
 
1 Oiy, woe, alas to those who are at ease feeling secure in Zion, and to those who trust in the mountain of Samaria, and the appointed heads of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes. 2 Pass over to Chalneh from there to Chamat then go down to the great Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, with greater territory than your territory? 3 Do you put away the day of evil, and draw near a seat of cruelty? 4 Those who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the fattened cattle, 5 Who make up nonsensical chants upon the face of the pitcher (jug), for David they esteem, and they invent of themselves songs, 6  Who drink in bowls of wine and anoint their heads with oils—yet they have not grieved over the shattering of Joseph. 7 Therefore, they will now go into captivity at the head of the exiles, and the feasting cry of those who stretch out (lounge) will depart. 8 The Lord YHVH has sworn by His soul, YHVH the God/Judge Who goes warring has declared: “I abhor the majesty of Yaakov, and his palaces I hate; and I will deliver up a city and all that is in it.” 9 And it will come to pass, if ten men are left in one house, they will die. 10 And a man’s uncle will lift him up and burn him, and bring out bone substance from the house, and say to the one who is at the sides of the house, “Is anyone else with you?” And that one will say, “None.” Then he will answer, “Hold your tongue!” For the name of YHVH the Lord is not remembered. 11 For behold, now, pay attention YHVH the Lord has commanded and will smite the great house into fragments and the little house to rubble. 12 Do horses run on rocks? Or does one yoke them with oxen for ploughing? Yet you have turned judgement into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (bitterness), 13 You who rejoice in Lodebar (nothing), and say, “By our strength have we not taken Karnayim?” 14 “For behold, now, pay attention, I am going to raise up upon you, house of Israel,” declares YHVH (Mercy) the Lord God/Judge the One Who goes warring, “A nation, and they will oppress you from the entrance of Chamat to the wadi (river bed) of the wilderness.”
 
Amos 6 (Line Upon Line)
 
1 Ho Oiy, woe, alas hasha’ananiym to those who are at ease feeling secure betziyon in Zion (parched place), vehabotechiym and to those who trust behar in the mountain of Shomeron Samaria (guardians), and nekuveiy the appointed (to pierce) reishiyt heads of hagoyim the nations, uvau lahem beiyt Yisrael to whom the house of Israel comes.
 
1 Oiy, woe, alas to those who are at ease feeling secure in Zion, and to those who trust in the mountain of Samaria, and the appointed heads of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes.
 
Both Judah (Zion being the seat of king David’s power) and Israel (the northern tribes whose kings held court in Samaria) are being warned concerning their idolatrous faith in their own strength.
 
Zion is used in Scripture to describe both the mountain located in Jerusalem and the entire land and or, people of Israel. Therefore, it is possible that Zion is used here as being synonymous with Israel, however, given that Amos is of Judah and that while the focus of his prophecy has been on the northern kingdoms there has nonetheless been earlier rebuke of Judah, it is most likely that both kingdoms and therefore all twelve tribes are being called out for their idolatrous behaviour, and the sin of trusting in their own strength rather than trusting in God.
 
Regardless, the latter clause “those who trust in the mountain of Samaria, and the appointed heads of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes.” Is specifically addressed to the northern tribes who gather at the mountain city of Samaria under the northern king and in order to practice apostate worship in an intentional act of defiance against the appointed place of worship, Mt Zion in Jerusalem.
 
The phrase “appointed heads of the nations” is a reference to the fact that the northern tribes had made agreements with the nations they perceived to be strong and thus trusted not only in their own strength but also in the added strength of alliances with godless nations.
 
The Targum understands the phrase “appointed heads of the nations” somewhat differently, paraphrasing the text to read:
 
"put the name of their children, as the name of the children of the nations;''
 
While this seems an unlikely interpretation, it does nonetheless point to the coming exile by inferring that Israelis will give their children foreign names during the future captivity in order to make their lives easier as strangers in a land not their own.
 
2 Ivru Pass over to Chalneh (fortress of Anu: Assyrian/Babylonian) misham from there to Chamat (fortress, upper Syria) rabah uredu then go down to the great Gat-Pelishtiym (wine vat of immigrants) Gath of the Philistines. Hatoviym min-hamamlachot haeileh Are they better than these kingdoms, im-rav with greater gevulam territory migevulchem than your territory?
 
2 Pass over to Chalneh from there to Chamat then go down to the great Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, with greater territory than your territory?
 
In short, “Go and take a tour around the region, as far east as Chalneh in Babylon, north to the great city of Chamat located between Damascus and the Mediterranean sea, and finally south to Gath, the pride of the Philistines. Do Chalneh, Chamat, and Gath, exceed the grandeur, wealth and strength that the kingdoms of Israel and Judah have been given?”
 
The answer is of course “No”. God had given Israel a land rich with produce and grandeur and yet she had looked elsewhere, not satisfied with the gift of YHVH.

3 Hamnadiym Do you put away leyom the day of ra evil, vatagiyshun and draw near shevet a seat of chamas cruelty?
 
3 Do you put away the day of evil, and draw near a seat of cruelty?
 
“Do you put away the day of evil” means, “Based on your belief that you are strong of yourselves and the delusional view that the day of the LORD will be one of light for you, you have put the day of the LORD out of your thoughts, a day that for you will be a day of evil in the sense of darkness, torment and destruction.”
 
“and draw near a seat of cruelty” means, having rejected the warning of the prophets and having chosen to turn their backs on God, they have instead entered into an intimate relationship with vile acts of cruelty, the oppression of the poor, the rape of women, the murder of those who threaten their worldly ambitions and so on.
 
The translation “seat of violence” is not accurate, given that in and of itself violence is neither good nor evil but is informed by good or evil. Therefore, “cruelty” better conveys the Hebrew “chamas”. A prophetic and poignant translation given the modern terrorist organisation Hamas, whose modus operandi is cruelty even in the treatment of those they claim to be freeing from the so called tyranny of the modern state of Israel.
 
4 Hashocheviym Those who lie al-mitot on beds shein of ivory, useruchiym and stretch out al-arsotam on their couches, ve’ocheliym and eat kariym lambs mitzon from the flock, va’agaliym and calves mitoch from the midst marbek of the fattened cattle,
 
4 Those who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the fattened cattle,
 
Once again the imagery depicts the rulers, uber rich and uncaring aristocracy of the northern tribes. Ivory was a valuable commodity and the act of lounging on beds made from it accentuates the palpable disregard for matters of justice and right action. This is coupled with gluttony, the consumption of the best of Israel’s cattle, some of which should have been offered in Jerusalem according to Torah, but was nonetheless being eaten by the upper class, who had decided that they themselves were the deities who deserved these offerings.
 
The phrase “eat the lambs from the flock” contains a remez (hint) at deeper meaning. Israel is the flock of HaShem and the wicked among the rich upper class were devouring the innocent lambs of Israel, both physically and metaphorically as the analogy applies to apostasy and the leading astray of the vulnerable young.

5 Haporetiym Who make up nonsensical chants al-piy upon the face hanavel of the pitcher (jug), kedaviyd for David chashevu they esteem, invent lehem of themselves shiyr songs,
 
5 Who make up nonsensical chants upon the face of the pitcher (jug), for David they esteem, and they invent of themselves songs,
 
This is essentially saying that those in question invented their own nonsensical chants and psalms and attributed them to or gave them equal status to the Psalms of king David. This is utterly abhorrent because it not only misappropriates David’s name but more importantly makes the false inference that their words are inspired by the Holy Spirit.
 
Once again this is a chilling indictment on modern Christian worship music which so often claims to be inspired by the Holy Spirit and yet is worded in such a way as to express the nonsensical emotion of the fallen nature.
 
6 Hashotiym Who drink bemizrekei in bowls yayin of wine vereishiyt shemaniym yimshachu and anoint their heads with oils— velo yet they have not nechlu grieved al-sheiver over the shattering Yosef (Yah adds) of Joseph.
 
6  Who drink in bowls of wine and anoint their heads with oils—yet they have not grieved over the shattering of Joseph (Yah adds).
 
The wine drunk in sacred bowls is an allusion to the worship of deities accredited with the grape harvest, and the oils, in part made from the life sustaining olive oil of the land, are perfumed and hoarded at the expense of the poor. Thus, oil that might have feed the poor is used to adorn the rich for no other reason than to make them smell nice.
 
We do the same today when we use perfume made in the sweatshops of foreign countries where the poor are kept under a cycle of oppression in order to sustain western demand for perfumed commodities.
 
“yet they have not grieved over the shattering of Joseph (Yah adds).” The plain meaning regards the sin of the brothers of Joseph in selling him into slavery, this ancient sin being committed in another form against the destitute of the northern kingdom during the time of Amos.
 
The rulers and wealthy elite have shown a lack of care for the well-being of all Israel, indulgence having given birth to complacency, and a hardening of heart. Joseph (Yah adds) is used here as a synonym for Israel and hints (remez) at the disregard shown for the fact that YHVH has added blessing to Israel.

7 Lachein Therefore, atah they will now yiglu go into captivity berosh at the head goliym of the exiles, vesar mirzach seruchiym and the feasting cry of those who stretch out (lounge) will depart.
 
7 Therefore, they will now go into captivity at the head of the exiles, and the feasting cry of those who stretch out (lounge) will depart.
 
Those who have been guilty of the aforementioned oppression of the weak and vulnerable will be the first to go into exile. Just as they share in the guilt of selling Joseph into slavery so too they will be punished by being made slaves.
 
The text is a type of Hebrew word play which places the roshiym (heads) of Israel at the rosh (head) of the line leading into captivity. This is an ironic twist on the “first shall be last”. Here the “first shall be last by being first”.
 
8 Nishba Adonay The Lord (Master) YHVH (Mercy) has sworn benafsho by His soul, neum YHVH (Mercy) Eloheiy the God/Judge tzevaot Who goes warring has declared: “Metaeiv anochiy I abhor et-ge’on the majesty of Yaakov (follower), ve’armenotayv and his palaces saneitiy I hate; vehisgartiy and I will deliver up iyr a city umeloh and all that is in it.”
 
8 The Lord YHVH has sworn by His soul, YHVH the God/Judge Who goes warring has declared: “I abhor the majesty of Yaakov, and his palaces I hate; and I will deliver up a city and all that is in it.”
 
HaShem swears by Himself, His soul, character, essence, being, because there is none greater than He. He swears these things in mercy, which proceeds from His holiness. He swears as God and Judge, and as He Who goes warring to save His people from a fate worse than death, that is the second death (eternal punishment).
 
To YHVH belongs all majesty, therefore, the majesty which Yaakov (Israel) has manufactured for herself He despises.
 
The Hebrew text does not say “the city” as many wrongly translate but “a city”. Thus, for the purpose of disciplining His beloved children in order to return them to life everlasting, He will deliver up each and every city of Israel into the hands of the Assyrians, and subsequently into the hands of the Babylonians.
 
9 Vehayah And it will come to pass, im-yivateru asarah anashiym if ten men are left bevayit echad in one house, vametu they will die.
 
9 And it will come to pass, if ten men are left in one house, they will die. 
 
Those who are left of the northern kingdom, who are not taken into captivity, will die.
 
10 Unesa’o dodo umesarefo And a man’s uncle, will lift him up and burn him, lehotziy and bring out atzamiym bone substance min-habayit from the house, veamar and say la’asher beyarketeiy habayit to the one who is at the sides of the house, “ha’od imach Is anyone else with you?” veamar And that one will say, “Afes Zero, none.” Veamar Then he will answer, “Has Hold your tongue!” Kiy lo lehazkiyr besheim YHVH For the name of the Lord is not remembered.
 
10 And a man’s uncle, will lift him up and burn him, and bring out bone substance from the house, and say to the one who is at the sides of the house, “Is anyone else with you?” And that one will say, “None.” Then he will answer, “Hold your tongue!” For the name of YHVH the Lord is not remembered.
 
The bodies of Israel’s dead are to be interred in order to await the physical resurrection and Yom haDin (the Day of Judgement: Day of the LORD). The burning of an Israeli body is an abhorrent violation, but it will be the only option for those who remain, because the dead and rotting corpses of Israel will be so prolific and the remnant so few that they will not be able to bury them, thus leaving burning as the only means of preventing the spread of diseases associated with corpses. This is why the “uncle” asks “is anyone else with you?” The answer is “No one”. There is no one to help. The Targum says “they have all perished”.
 
“Then he will answer, “Hold your tongue!” For the name of YHVH the Lord is not remembered.” This is interpreted in a number of ways. Here are three possibilities:
 
a.“Be silent, because while the one we are burying was alive he never called on the Name of YHVH.”
b.“Why bother calling on the Name YHVH, He has brought this upon us, He has firmly established this.”
c.“They say ‘Don’t bother crying out to the gods we thought would save us, they can’t save’. They say this because they have long since neglected to remember the One True God YHVH Who is able and willing to save those who repent and call on Him.”
 
The Targum reads:
 
"he shall say, remove (the dead), since while they lived they did not pray in the name of the Lord.''
 
11 Kiy For hineih behold, now, pay attention YHVH (Mercy) the Lord metzaveh has commanded vehikah and will smite habayit hagadol the great house, resiysiym into fragments vehabayit hakaton and the little house beki’iym to rubble.
 
11 For behold, now, pay attention YHVH the Lord has commanded and will smite the great house into fragments and the little house to rubble.
 
The judgement of God that will enact justice has been firmly established against the perpetual sin of the northern tribes.
 
The great house can be understood to refer to the king of the northern tribes and the little house to the common people. It may also be a reference to two distinct houses of apostate worship in the north.
 
Alternatively, if the Targum’s rendering is correct, it refers to the northern kingdom as the great house (having the majority of tribes) and the southern kingdom of Judah as being the little house (Judah & Benjamin).
 
“he will smite the great kingdom with a mighty stroke, and the little kingdom with a weak stroke.” – Targum Yonatan (2nd Century C.E. Aramaic)
 
12 Hayrutzun basela susiym Do horses run on rocks? Im yacharush babekariym Or does one yoke them with oxen for ploughing? Kiy hafachtem lerosh mishpat Yet you have turned judgement into poison, uferiy and the fruit tzedakah of righteousness lela’anah into wormwood (bitterness),
 
12 Do horses run on rocks? Or does one yoke them with oxen for ploughing? Yet you have turned judgement into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (bitterness),
 
These are of course rhetorical questions. These examples expose the immoral practice of swapping good for evil and vice versa. Israel had made poison of her judicial practices and had polluted the fruit of the righteous with vile acts of debauchery.

13 Hasemeichiym lelo davar You who rejoice in Lodebar (no word, thing), haomeriym and say, “Halo vechazekeinu By our strength have we not lakachnu lanu taken Karnayim (horn, a town of the region of Bashan)?”
 
13 You who rejoice in Lodebar (nothing), and say, “By our strength have we not taken Karnayim?”
 
Lo debar was a city southeast of the Kinneret (Galilee) in Gilead not far from Mahanaim, north of the Jabbok river (2 Samuel 9:4–5). Karnayim, also in the territory of Gilead, was directly east of the Kinneret (Galilee). It had been taken by Manasseh and was at the time a badge of honour reflecting their perceived strength.
 
The meanings of the names of these two locations speaks of how God will turn Israel’s strength into weakness, just as they have sought to turn morality on its head.
 
Lo Debar literally translates as “No thing (word)” and Karnayim “Horns (strength)”, the message being “There will be no strength in your words”, and “You will reap nothing from your strength!”
 
14 “Kiy For hin’niy behold, now, pay attention, I am going to meikiym raise up aleiychem upon you, beiyt Yisrael house of Israel,” neum declares YHVH (Mercy) the Lord Eloheiy God/Judge Hatzevaot the One Who goes warring, “Goy A nation velachatzu And they will oppress etchem you milevo from the entrance of Chamat (fortress, upper Syria) ad-nachal to the wadi (river bed) ha’aravah of the wilderness.”
 
14 “For behold, now, pay attention, I am going to raise up upon you, house of Israel,” declares YHVH the Lord God/Judge the One Who goes warring, “A nation, and they will oppress you from the entrance of Chamat to the wadi (river bed) of the wilderness.”
 
This is prophetic of the Assyrians and subsequently the Babylonians. Yet again Mercy the Judge goes warring to save His children. He will do so through discipline, sending the invading armies through the entire land of Israel from Chamat (part of the northern border of the land (Numbers 34.1–9), all the way down to the desert stream bed in the south that borders the wilderness of Sinai. This links the coming exile to the ancient captivity of Egypt. It will be a return to bondage which reflects Israel’s turning away from God and His life giving instruction (Torah), and toward the bondage of idolatry, sin and death. However, there is hope of redemption ahead.
 
Copyright 2022 Yaakov Brown

Amos 5:16-27 (Author’s translation)
 
16 Therefore thus says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord God/Judge Who goes warring, the Master (Lord): “In all inner city streets there is wailing and in all highways they say, ‘Oiy va voiy! Oh no, alas!’ And they call a ploughman to mourning and those who know (are skilled in) lamentation to wail. 17 And in all vineyards mourning, because I will pass through the inner part of you,” says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord. 18 Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord, for what is it to you? The day of the Lord it will be darkness and not light; 19 Like when a man flees from the face of the lion and is met by the bear, and goes to the house and leans his hand on the wall and is bitten by the snake. 20 Will it not be darkness, the day of the Lord instead of light, and gloom with no brightness? 21 “I hate, I reject your festivals, and I won’t smell your sacred assemblies. 22 Because though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your freewill grain offerings, I will not accept; and peace offerings of your fat beasts I will not look at. 23 Turn aside from Me on to the ground the noise of your songs; and the melody of musical instruments I will not listen. 24  But let judgement run down as waters, and righteousness like a torrent of water in the wadi (stream bed) that is never ending. 25 “Did you present Me with sacrifices and freewill grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? 26 But you have carried the tent of your king Molech and an idol of the god Saturn, your images (idols) of your star gods which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will make you go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord, God/Judge Who goes warring is His Name.
 
Amos 5:16-27 (Line Upon Line)
 
16 Lachein Therefore koh-amar thus says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord Eloheiy God/Judge tzevaot Who goes warring, Adonay the Master (Lord): “Bekhol In all rechovot inner city streets mispeid there is wailing uvekhol-chutzot and in all highways yomeru they say, ‘Ho-ho Oiy va voiy! Oh no, alas!’ Vekareu And they call ikar a ploughman el-eivel to mourning umispeid el-yodeiy nehiy and those who know (are skilled in) lamentation to wail.
 
16 Therefore thus says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord God/Judge Who goes warring, the Master (Lord): “In all inner city streets there is wailing and in all highways they say, ‘Oiy va voiy! Oh no, alas!’ And they call a ploughman to mourning and those who know (are skilled in) lamentation to wail.
 
Therefore thus says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord God/Judge Who goes warring, the Master (Lord):
 
Mercy, the God and Judge of all, Who goes warring to save His people.
 
“In all inner city streets there is wailing and in all highways they say, ‘Oiy va voiy! Oh no, alas!’
 
In every part of the northern kingdom the people will be terrified and cry out “alas, woe is me”! This as a result of their un-abating evil practices. The Assyrians will leave people dead on the streets of the towns and cities and on the highways throughout the territories of the northern tribes.
 
This firmly establishes what was said previously concerning the diminishing numbers of Israel’s cities and towns.
 
And they call a ploughman to mourning and those who know (are skilled in) lamentation to wail.
 
This Chapter began with a song of lament. Therefore, it makes sense that the weight of the Word of God which is carried upon the people of Israel within His prophet, will move the people to call on every member of the community, from the simple ploughman to the professional mourner (Jer. 9:17; Matt. 9:23), to wail in the face of the death and destruction that is about to come against Israel as a just consequence of her perpetual sin.
 
The calling of the ploughman to mourning by necessity means he will not be ploughing in order to plant crops and as a result famine will ensue.

17 Uvekhol And in all keramiym vineyards mispeid mourning, kiy-e’evor because I will pass bekirbekha through the inner part of you,” Amar says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord.
 
17 And in all vineyards mourning, because I will pass through the inner part of you,” says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord.
 
Vineyards produce sweet grapes and wine, wine being a symbol of sweet abundance, and celebration of God’s goodness and provision. It is drunk in rejoicing at Israel’s festivals, and yet here it will be turned to mourning because God will “pass through the inner part” of all the people. This appears to be an allusion to the passing through of the messenger of death in Egypt (Ex. 12:12). This means that only the righteous remnant living in the northern kingdom will escape unscathed (albeit, taken into captivity as the result of the judgement against the entire northern kingdom).
 
18 Hoy Woe to you hamitaviym who are longing for et-yom YHVH the day of the Lord, lama-zeh for what is it lechem to you? Yom YHVH the day of the Lord hu choshekh it will be darkness velo-or and not light;
 
18 Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord, for what is it to you? The day of the Lord it will be darkness and not light;
 
Isaiah the prophet, whose ministry converged with the latter part of the ministry of Amos wrote:
 
18“Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it! 20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!” -Yishayahu (Isaiah) 5:18-23 KJV
 
Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord, for what is it to you?
 
This is an indictment against those who claim to follow YHVH the God of Israel and yet syncretise (combine) pagan practices with their worship of Him. For all intents and purposes they believed they were godly and walking rightly before God in spite of the fact that they were contradicting His Word.
 
So confident were they that they were right with God that they would proclaim their excitement about the coming day of the LORD, promoting it as a day of prosperity and celebration when their lifestyle would be approved of by the presence of God’s light. How chillingly familiar this is. It could easily be read today to the modern body of believers, as a description of the words and practices of popular Christianity and its love affair with predictive eschatology (study of the end times). God’s answer to this hypocrisy is:
 
The day of the Lord it will be darkness and not light;
 
In the context of the writings of Amos, the day of the LORD is first fulfilled in the attack of the Assyrians, then in the invasion of the Babylonians, however, the phrase “Day of the LORD” has far-reaching and yet to be fully filled manifestations.
 
There will eventually be a final “Day of the LORD” called Yom Ha-Din “The Day of Judgement”. And whether this day is 24 hours or a thousand years the result will be the same. To the wicked, the hypocrite, the willfully unrepentant, the one who claims to know the LORD but does not, it will be a day of darkness and not light (John 3:19).
 
Eschatological knowledge (knowledge of the end times) will not save the hypocrite from what is coming.

19 ka’asher Like when yanus iysh a man flees mipeneiy from the face of ha’ariy the lion ufegao and is met hadov by the bear, uva habayit and goes to the house vesamach and leans yado his hand al-hakiyr on the wall uneshacho and is bitten by hanachash the snake.
 
19 Like when a man flees from the face of the lion and is met by the bear, and goes to the house and leans his hand on the wall and is bitten by the snake.
 
These three examples are examples of the terror experienced by the ancient Israelite when faced with circumstances that will result in certain death. There were no hospitals or anti-venom treatments in ancient Israel. Each of these examples of animal attacks were fatal and an unexpected surprise for their victims.
 
Therefore:
​
“1Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” -1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 NIV
 
“42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” -Yeshua: Matthew 24:42-44 NIV
 
The message here is that death will come suddenly and that each person should be prepared beforehand to face death and what comes after death. Believers are not instructed by Scripture to predict Messiah’s coming but are admonished not to bother with such nonsense, knowing that they cannot know when Messiah is coming, in the same way they cannot know if a thief will break into their homes on any given night, or whether they will be bitten by a snake, or to put it in a modern context, whether one might be hit by a car or in a car accident caused by another driver etc.
 
I recall the foolish predictions of so called godly leaders only a few years ago, who based on blood moons and the Hebrew calendar predicted catastrophic events, the end of this world and the coming of the Messiah. On the back of blood moons books were sold, videos made and profits soured. However, the events predicted did not occur, the world did not end and the Messiah did not return, and yet the majority of those leaders remain unchallenged to this day, and many continue to make eschatology their god.
 
God does not instruct us to focus on predicting the Day of the LORD, but on being prepared for His coming so that we might be found faithful.
 
20 Halo-choshech yom YHVH velo-or Will it not be darkness, the day of the Lord instead of light, ve’afeil and gloom velo-nogah with no brightness?
 
20 Will it not be darkness, the day of the Lord instead of light, and gloom with no brightness?
 
In true Hebrew poetic repetition the darkness that will come to the wicked on the Day of the LORD is firmly established against the wilfully unrepentant.
 
21 “Saneitiy I hate, ma’astiy I reject chageichem your festivals, velo and I won’t ariyach smell be’atzeroteiychem your sacred assemblies.
 
21 “I hate, I reject your festivals, and I won’t smell your sacred assemblies.
 
We note that it is not the festivals God has established for Israel that He hates, but the festivals Israel has created by syncretising pagan ritual and modifying the festivals of God to be practiced outside of the centre He appointed in Jerusalem (Deut. 12:11-21; 16:2-11; Deut. 26:2 etc.). He says, “I reject Your festivals”.
 
The phrase “I won’t smell your sacred assemblies” is a counterpoint to the well-known phrase “A pleasing aroma to the LORD”, which is found throughout the Torah in reference to the aroma of the sacrifices which are offered to God according to His instructions (Ex. 29:18, 25, 41; Lev. 1:9, 13, 17 etc.).
 
22 Kiy Because im-ta’alu-liy though you offer up to Me olot burnt offerings uminchoteiychem and your freewill grain offerings, lo ertzeh I will not accept; veshelem and peace offerings meriyeiychem of your fat beasts lo abiyt I will not look at.
 
22 Because though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your freewill grain offerings, I will not accept; and peace offerings of your fat beasts I will not look at.
 
Because the offerings in question, which are three of the primary offerings prescribed by Torah, are offered according to apostate rituals and in syncretism with pagan worship, God will not so much as look at them (an idiom denoting God’s rejection of the offerings).
 
Israel was offering God gifts with someone else’s name on them. A modern example might be gifting a present to someone who then opens it to find that someone else’s name is engraved on it.

23 Haser Turn aside mei’alay from Me on to the ground hamon the noise shireycha of your songs; vezimrat and the melody of nevaleycha musical instruments lo eshma I will not listen.
 
23 Turn aside from Me on to the ground the noise of your songs; and the melody of musical instruments I will not listen.
 
There is nothing wrong with godly worship songs, however, there is something wrong with godly worship songs being sung by ungodly people. There is also something wrong with worship songs that combine the lies of pagan or secular beliefs with the truth of God’s word.
 
How sickening it is to realise that a large number of modern Christian worship songs fit this description. God is not listening to them.
 
When our motivation for writing songs of celebration, praise and worship to God is to ensure that they’re worded in such a way as to reach as wide an audience as possible; when we intentionally craft the lyrics to lessen the offense of the Gospel, or make our worship songs sound like ambiguous love songs, we are guilty of the same syncretism that the ancient northern kingdom was guilty of. We must Repent!
 
24 Veyigal kamayim mishpat But let judgement run down as waters, utzedakah and righteousness kenachal eiytan like a torrent of water in the wadi stream bed that is never ending.
 
24  But let judgement run down as waters, and righteousness like a torrent of water in the wadi stream bed that is never ending.
 
The common translation “Let justice run down like a river” is acceptable but does not necessarily relay the full meaning here. It is justice in the form of Mishpat “judgement” that is being alluded to. Justice results from God’s judgement.
 
The resulting justice will have an unending affect like the transforming affect that the torrential rainfall in the desert wadis has on the valleys of Israel.
 
The water of that floods the wadis, represents life, however it is devastating to those caught in it. Today, when these torrential rains occur in Israel out of season, it is often the case that hikers and IDF companies out on patrol are caught in the landslides created by the rain which causes flooding in the wadis, resulting in unforeseen deaths and severe injuries. Even in the spring months when torrential rain is not expected a seasoned guide taking hikers through the desert lands of Israel will avoid wadis and dangerous zones surrounding them, because he is aware of the potential disaster.
 
The imagery here is that of an unseasonal torrential rain fall that causes the water of life to become the agent of death for those caught unaware. Once again the emphasis is on preparedness.
 
In an ironic and poignant twist, it is the tradition of certain Moroccan Jews* living in Israel to gather the waters of unseasonal rains like that described and to drink them in order to be healed from sicknesses. While this is a superstition, it is nonetheless a living mashal (parable) which teaches that the same waters which bring death to the wicked will also bring life to the righteous.
 
*(I know this because we were having Shabbat with the Moroccan family of one of our Israeli sons following Pesach and during unseasonal rain).
 
25 “Hazevachiym uminchah higashtem-liy Did you present Me with sacrifices and freewill grain offerings vamidbar in the wilderness arbaiym shanah for forty years, beiyt Yisrael house of Israel?
 
25 “Did you present Me with sacrifices and freewill grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? 
 
This does not mean that Israel offered no sacrifices during her forty year sojourn. After all, the Torah records the sacrifices offered (Ex. 24:5; Lev.8:1; Num. 7:12). While the regular offering of sacrifices was not as prolific during the period of wandering, neither was it none existent.
 
What this verse means is that there were a number among the people of Israel who during that forty year period offered sacrifices to false gods outside the camp and practiced superstitions contrary to God’s instruction. In other words, “Did you offer sacrifices to Me? No, you offered them to demons, or worse, you offered them to Me and to demons at the same time.” This is affirmed by the following verse.
 
26 Unesatem But you have carried et sikut the tent malkekhem of your king Molech ve’eit kiyun and an idol of the god Saturn, tzalmeiychem your images (idols) kochav eloheiychem of your star gods asher asiytem lachem which you made for yourselves.
 
26 But you have carried the tent of your king Molech and an idol of the god Saturn, your images (idols) of your star gods which you made for yourselves.
 
This description of heinous syncretism is heart breaking. Malkekhem “your king (other than God)”, is a reference to Molech and a word play incorporating the kings of the northern tribes. Molech was a Canaanite deity to which children were sacrificed.
 
The Hebrew sikut translated “tent” also reflects the name of a Mesopotamian astral deity and is used as an aural pun which likens his name to Shikutz a Hebrew word meaning “detestable things”. The allusion to carrying the “tent” of their “king (Molech)” is a sad indictment against their rejection of the One true King YHVH and His mishkan “Tent of Meeting”.
 
The Targum Yonatan reads:
 
“You (pl.) have borne the tabernacle of your priests, Khiyun (Mesopotamian astral deity) your image, the star your god, which you have made to yourselves.”
 
Israel’s rejection of the appointed place of worship symbolised by the “tent” and her syncretism with Molech is only a small part of her apostacy. Numerous false gods were added to the pantheon of the apostate, including but not limited to the god Saturn (kiyun) and various other star deities each purported to aid in certain areas of life (ref. Jer. 7:18).
 
“Which you made yourselves” is a reminder that they were worshipping things they created rather than worshipping the God who created them.
 
We are no different. Many modern believers syncretise pagan practices with their worship of God. Some mix fortune telling with prophecy and call it godly. Some mix cultural superstition with their faith in Messiah. Some use unproven herbal remedies which have been passed on from the ancient and superstitious worship of earth deities found within animistic cultures, some practice forms of exercise that involve positions named for the worship of false gods, and in doing all these things we claim that they are gifts of God for health, healing and enlightenment.
 
Anything or anyone we allow pride of place in our lives is a false god. We were created worshipping, everything we think, do and say is an act of worship, we are either worshipping God or we are worshipping something or someone else.
 
The first Messianic Jewish martyr Stephen, a Grecian Jew,  quoted Sefer Amos when he called his Jewish brothers and sisters to repentance:
 
“42 Then Elohim turned, and gave them up to worship the host (stars and planets) of the heavens; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘You house of Israel, did you offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness? 43 Behold, you took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which you made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’” -Acts of the Sent Ones 7:42-43 (Author’s translation)
 
27 Vehigleiytiy etchem Therefore I will make you go into captivity meihalah beyond ledamasek Damascus,” amar says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord, Eloheiy God/Judge tzevaot Who goes warring shemo is His Name.
 
27 Therefore I will make you go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says YHVH (Mercy) the Lord, God/Judge Who goes warring is His Name.
 
This speaks of the coming Assyrian, and by extension, Babylonian captivity. Once again God is named “Mercy, the God and Judge, Who goes warring to save His people”!
 
Copyright 2022 Yaakov Brown