Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 2 · Section 14
VERSE 14.
Seek good and not evil, that yee may live, and so the Lord the God of Hosts shall be with you, as yee have spoken.
THe Prophet once more renewes his Exhortation to Repentance, he had called on them thrice before, Seek, seek, seek; he comes now with a fourth Quaerite (if by any means he might work upon them) Seek good and not evil.
In the words we have
1 A Precept.
2 A Prohibition.
3 A Promise.
1 We have a Precept, Seek good, viz. such as is prescribed by God in his Word: q. d. You have formerly followed evil and the Devil the father of it, in worshipping Idols which are oft called Devils; but now return to the Lord, seek good, especially seek God who is the fountain of goodness, that you may live indeed.
Judicious Calvin following the Chalde Paraphrase, renders it,Quaerere bonum n…hil aliud est quam dare operam beneficentiae. Calvin in locum. Seeke beneficence, (at salva reverentia tanto viro dignissima) I conceive this Exposition to be too strait, for by seeking of good is here properly meant, seeking of God, as appears by comparing this place with vers. 4, 6. To seek God is to seek good, and to finde life, for with him is the fountain of life Psal. 36.9.
2 I do not find the word Tob to signifie beneficence in any place of Scripture, but it is rendred good, pleasant, profitable, fair, sweet, joyous; all which are very desirable things, and therefore should quicken our endeavours after them.
3 Yet I deny not but beneficence may be one branch of that good which is here called for; seeing they had been given to violence and rapine, now he calls upon them to return, and by beneficence and works of mercy to break off their trade of cruelty, and to seek God, and all manner of good contained both in the first and second Table,Quaerere bonum & non malum …st studiose sectari bonum, à malo vero abhorrere; atque adeò est resipiscere, pietati & bonis operibus studere, & vitam sanctam agere. Ravanel. that so they might live.
2 Here is a Prohibition, Seek not evil any longer, to which you have been addicted for so many years, Amos 2.4. If you will be mine (saith the Lord) you must give your sins a Bill of divorce,Rang, malum, in q…um, durum. for no man can serve two such contrary Masters. Shun evil, i. e. all manner of sin without exception, for Sin and Evil are Synonyma's in Scripture, Rom. 7.19, 20. that which the Apostle calls evil in one verse, he calls it sin in the next. Sin is truly called evil, 1. Formaliter & per se. 2 Effective. 1. It is evil in its owne nature, it is a transgression of Gods Law, and is directly opposite to him who is the chiefest good. 2. It is the cause of all the evil of punishment both in this life and the next, Rom. 6.2…. Sin is the cause of Gods Wrath, and Gods Wrath brings destruction and misery with it; so that sin being Causa causae, must needs be Causa causati. 3. It comes from the Devil, that evil one, and leads to him, and so may well be called evil, 1 Job. 3.8.
3 Here is a double promise to incourage them to set upon the duty. 1. You shall live, of which before, vers. 4. 2. The Lord of Hosts will be with you; if you will but return, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance▪ you shall be secured from wrath to come, and received into Gods favour, he will dwell in the midst of you, and bless you. There is an Emphasis and weight in that little word, So, Seek good and not evil, and when you are so qualified, fitted, and prepared by holiness for communion with an holy God, and your wills are made conformable to Gods will, then he will be with you, by his Wisdome to direct you, by his Power to protect you, by his Mercy to pardon you, by his goodness to provide for you, so as you shall want nothing that may be for your good, according to those precious promises, Levit. 26.12, 13. 1 King 6.13. Psal. 84.11. Thus when the people were called to the Passeover, they are commanded to prepare themselves, and so to come, 2 Chron. 35.6.
4 Here is the manner how the Lord will be with them, and that is, Even as yee have spoken, q. d. you boast and brag that you are my people, my peculiar, my inheritance, my Children, and that I will direct you, defend you, and provide for your safety, but these are but your owne vaine dreams and delusions, for you cannot be my people, so long as you walk contrary to my commands, persecuting my Prophets, trampling upon my Poor, hating righteousness, and loving iniquity. But if you will be my people indeed, then walk as becomes my people, Seek good, and not evil; returne sincerely unto me, and then the Lord will be with you indeed, as you have spoken. You shall finde him really present with you, to assist and comfort you, but till this be done you cannot expect his favour, two cannot walk together till they be agreed, Amos 3.3.
Others read it thus; So the Lord shall be with you as you desire, q. d. It is your desire and prayer that God should abide with you, doe you seek and serve him faithfully, and then you shall finde it true that yee have spoken. But the former reading is most genuine. The sum of all is this, Hitherto your life, O yee men of Israel, hath been a series of iniquity, you have followed Idols and evil, but not good; you have contemned God despised his Prophets, despited his Spirit, opprest the poor, multiplied sin; and yet you promise your selves peace and prosperity, life and happiness, beasting that the Lord is your God, and you are his Covenant-people, and therefore you need no fear. But if you will indeed live, then hearken to my counsel, Turne from your Idols, Worship the Lord in sincerity, amend your lives, and give up your selves to God, walking in paths of piety and obedience before him, and then the Lord will be with you indeed, and you shall live in his favour for ever.
OBSERVATIONS.
1 The destruction of wicked men is from themselves, Hos. 13.9.
See Mr. Obad. Sedgwick on Isa. 55.1. p. 397, 402, &c. See Fenner on Wilful Impenitency.The fault is not in God, for he calls upon them here again, and again, to return and live, and swears that he desires not the death of sinners, Ezek. 18.31, 32. & 33.11. he gives them hopes of pardon if they will but come in, and lay down the armes of their rebellion. God is not to be blamed, it is mens owne wilful impenitency that ruines them.
2 Obs. Such as seek God shall find good.
Before he called upon them to seek God, and now he explaines himself, and tells them what that is, it is to seek good. Good is the object of our desires, now there is none good but God, he only is Essentially, infinitely, absolutely, and independently good; all the good that is in the Creature it is finite, dependent, derivative, and is found eminently only in God. All the goodness that is scattered up and down in the Creature meets eminently in him, so that have him, and have all. The Devil, the World, and Sin promise men good, but there is no reality in those promises. They make golden promises, but leaden performances; they promise joy, but bring forth sorrow▪ they promise liberty, but they bring men into thraldome. But God is better than his word to his people, and doth for them above all that they can speak or think. Seek therefore him,See a nine-fold good in God, Mr. Obad. Sedgwick on Isa. 55.2. ch. 11. p. 441. and you shall finde all manner of good for soul and body, for this life and a better; and after all changes you shall experimentally conclude with David, It is good for me to draw near to God, Psal 73. ult.
3 Obs. It is not sufficient that we seek good, but we must also turn from evil.
God hath oft joyned them together, and we may not seperate them, Psal. 34.14. & 37.27. Isa. 1.16, 17. Matth. 3.10. Luke 13.7, 8. Ephes. 4.22, 23. Colos. 3.9, 10.1 Pet. 3.11. It is not sufficient that we turne from evil, but we must doe good. A negative Christian is no Christian. Dives did not rob Lazarus, yet is condemned for not releeving him. So those, Matth. 25▪ 42, 43. &c. Many would have God and their sins too like the Samaritans that served God, and their Idols too 2 King 17.33, 34 but he that turns to God, must give a bill of divorce to his former sins, he must forget his kindred and his fathers house, Psal. 45.10, 11. we that were sometimes slaves to sin, must now become servants to God, and it must be as natural and delightful to us to serve him, as ever it was to sin against him. As a vessel that is full of poyson must bee emptied of it, before it can bee filled with better liquor; so our hearts must be purged from corruption, before they can be filled with grace. Most pretend that they are the Lords people, and that they belong to him; but if we be his, he saies to us; as Iehu said to the men of Samaria when they complemented with him, and told him they were his servants, and would do all that he should bid them. If you will be mine, (saith Iehu,) then cut off the heads of your Masters sons, and send them to me, 2 King. 10.5, 6. So if we be the Lords real servants, we must cut off not the heads of our sons, but of our sins; nor sacrifice our children, but our selves to God, mortifying our beloved corruptions, and then he will be our God, and we shall be his people.
4 Obs. The special presence of God with a people, is a choice mercy.
Hence the Church so oft glories in this, Psal. 46.1, 7.11. The Lord of hosts is with us, and the God of Jacob is our refuge; and sadly laments the want of it, Ier. 14.8, 9 as the in-let into all misery, Deut. 31.17. Ier. 6.8. Gods special presence is the glory of a place, Zach. 2.5. God himself will be an impregnable wall of fire to defend his people, and to offend their adversaries, and their glory in the midst of them. Where God comes, peace and plenty, consolation and protection, and all good comes. Hence they are pronounced blessed and happy, that have the Lord for their God, Psal. 144. ult. as I have shewed at large elsewhere.In my Com. on Psal. 73.25. As the residence of a King is the glory of a place, so Gods presence amongst his people makes them glorious. Hence the name of Gods Church, is Iehovah-Shammah, The Lord is there, Ezek. 48. ult. hee is there as the founder, favourer, and preserver of it: It is more to say, The Lord is here, than to say peace and plenty, and all creature-comforts are here, you may make what you duplicate page duplicate page will out of it, for all happiness is summed up in this short promise, I am with thee.
5 Obs. Impenitent sinners may think themselves highly in Gods favour, when he is greatly incensed against them for their wickedness.
These Israelites because they had some priviledges, therefore they concluded that God loved them, and would never punish them for their Idolatry, bribery, cruelty. But they conceited that he would abide still amongst them, as they had vainly said; but the Lord tells them, That he abhorred both them and their services whilst they walked in such irreligious practises, vers. 21, 22, 23. So it was in Iudah, their Judges were corrupt, and their Prophets covetous, yet they lean upon the Lord, and conclude that God was amongst them, and for them still, Micah 3.11. but vers. 12. they found that he was amongst them to their sorrow.