What is the meaning of Amos 8:5? When will the New Moon be over “ ‘When will the New Moon be over…’ ” (Amos 8:5a) • God had commanded monthly New Moon celebrations (Numbers 28:11–14). • The merchants’ question shows boredom with worship and impatience to get back to business, much like Israel’s earlier contempt for holy days (Isaiah 1:13-14; Hosea 2:11). • Their attitude reveals a heart problem: religious observance without love for the Lord (Amos 5:21-24). that we may sell grain • Commerce itself is not condemned—dishonesty is (Proverbs 11:1)—but these traders view holy time as lost profit. • They put profit above obedience, violating the first commandment in practice (Exodus 20:3). • Their mindset warns us not to compartmentalize faith and work (Colossians 3:23-24). When will the Sabbath end “ ‘When will the Sabbath end…’ ” (Amos 8:5b) • The weekly Sabbath was a covenant sign (Exodus 31:13). Treating it as a nuisance indicated covenant-breaking hearts. • Similar disregard appears in Nehemiah 13:15-22, where merchants tried to sell on the Sabbath. • Choosing gain over God leads to judgment, as Amos goes on to detail (Amos 8:7-10). that we may market wheat • They crave the first opportunity to resume trading, revealing that greed rules their schedule (Matthew 6:24). • By placing business ahead of mercy and justice, they ignore the weightier matters of the law (Micah 6:8). Let us reduce the ephah • The ephah was a standard dry-measure for grain (Leviticus 19:35-36). • Shrinking the container lets them give less product while appearing legitimate—hidden theft. • God detests such practices (Deuteronomy 25:13-16). and increase the shekel • The shekel was the standard weight for payment. Inflating it forces buyers to pay more for less. • The same spirit is condemned in Ezekiel 45:10-12, where God demands “honest scales, an honest ephah and an honest bath.” • Exploiting customers breaks the command to love neighbor as oneself (Leviticus 19:18). let us cheat with dishonest scales • The phrase gathers all the shady tactics together—tampered balances, false weights. • Micah 6:11 poses God’s rhetorical question: “Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights?” Answer: No. • Such fraud invites divine wrath; Amos announces that God will “never forget any of their deeds” (Amos 8:7). summary Amos 8:5 exposes merchants who outwardly keep New Moon and Sabbath yet inwardly itch to return to dishonest trade. They plan to shrink measures, inflate prices, and rig scales—breaking both the letter and spirit of God’s law. Their greed eclipses worship, violates covenant commands, oppresses the poor, and provokes certain judgment. The verse warns every generation that genuine devotion honors God in schedule, motive, and marketplace integrity, loving Him above profit and neighbor above self. |
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