Idle Songs Series

Third, in 5:23 and 6:5 Amos mentions singing songs and playing instruments as part of worship and a relationship with God. Are songs or instruments a big part of worship for the Israelites? I am going to say ‘yes’ based on the fact that the book of Psalms, the largest book of the Bible, is 150 worship songs used in connecting with God. There are many examples of songs being written when people were thankful to God or wanted to remember what God did (Exodus 15, Judges 5, Luke 1) in the Bible and not just the psalms.

Not only that, 1 Chronicles 25 tells us that King David organized musicians so that instruments and singing would always be present at worship to God in the tabernacle and then later in the temple of God. 1 Chronicles 25 tells us:

READ 1 CHRONICLES 25:5-8 (ESV)

“All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer, according to the promise of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6 They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the House of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king. 7 The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to the Lord, all who were skillful, was 288. 8 And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike.”

Lastly, and I have to include this because Amos does, the Israelites prepared in a particular manner. They all wanted to look good all the while they did all the worshipful things and prepared that way. Amos 6:6 in the midst of talking about songs and instruments, mentions lying on “beds of ivory” (verse 4), drinking “wine from bowls” (verse 6), and anointing “themselves with the finest oils” (verse 6). The inclusion of this shows more about the heart of the people than anything else. We don’t see any of this in other parts of the Bible. People were to wash themselves and be prepared to worship the Lord… absolutely… but this seems like a different type of preparation. We have current slang words for the way the Israelites wanted to worship or be seen worshipping according to the Prophet Amos: boujee, posh, fancy dancy.

SUMMARY & ISSUE

Many of the items that Amos mentions in these two passages connected with song and music and worship are lined out in Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and many other passages in the Bible. They were supposed to do these things as part of their practice of showing God how much He was worth to them. That is what “worship” means… “worth ship.” The People of God were to show God how much He was worth by: feasts and gathering at certain times, offering sacrifices, singing songs and playing instruments, and preparation.

And yet… there is an issue! The Israelites were feasting and gathering at certain times, offering sacrifices, singing songs and playing instruments, and preparing, but God was not pleased. How do we know God is not pleased?

* 5:21: ““I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.”