Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 2 · Section 21
VERSE 21, 22, 23.
I hate and despise your feast-dayes, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
Though yee offer me Burnt-offerings, and your Meat-offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the Peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
Take thou away from me the noyse of thy Songs, for I will not hear the melody of thy Viols.
WEE are now come to the Fourth and last part of this Chapter, which contains,
1 A Reproof. 2. A Commination of these hypocritical Israelites, who confided in their Services, and Sacrifices, in their Festivals and Songs, conceiting that the bare performance of those external Rites (though separated from internal obedience) were highly pleasing unto God; and that he would never destroy a People that served him as they did. This their folly the Prophet confutes in the following Verses, where he tells them, that all their services were odious unto God, and so farre from appeasing him, that they incensed him the more against them; and that because they were unsound
For Man.
For Matter.
For Manner.
1 The Sacrificers were grand Apostates and Idolaters. They rested in the work done, and in their Ceremonious observances, and bodily worship, devoyd of all faith or true obedience, and so became abominable to God.
2 They failed in the Matter of their Worship, it was not of Divine institution, but of their owne invention, and therefore it is so oft Emphatically called, yours. I hate your feasts. They went directly contrary to Gods command, for he commanded them to worship at Ierusalem, in his Temple there, but they left the Temple, and went a whoring after Calves and Idols at Bethel, Gilgal, Dan, and Beersheba. Thus they changed the place of Gods Worship, 1 King. 12.29. then they changed the time, vers. 31. and the Priests, vers. 31, 32. no wonder then if God reject their services.
3 They failed in the Manner, they should have performed all these duties singly and sincerely, in obedience to Gods command, but they meerly sought themselves in all they did, hypocritically resting in their external observations of Feasts and Sacrifices, of Songs and Musick in their Temples, thinking by this means to expiate their sins. In this Verse therefore we have a Prolepsis, or preventing and anticipating of an Objection, whereas they boasted that they were the people of God, and did service to him. To this the Prophet brings in the Lord, saying, I hate and abhor your Services, since they come from such wicked persons, who are my profest enemies, and what you doe, hath no foundation in my Word, but is a meer will-worship of your owne inventing.
In this and the two next Verses we have,
1 The particulars of their worship, they had
1 Feastivals, as
Sabbaths.
New-Moons.
Solemn Assemblies.
2 Sacrifices, as
Burnt-offerings.
Meat-offerings.
Peace-offerings.
3 Singing,
1 Vocal.
2 Instrumental.
2 Here is Gods abhorrency of all these Services, exprest in variety of words, as
1 I hate them.
2 I abhor them.
3 I will not smel them.
4 I will not accept them.
5 I will not regard them.
6 Away with them.
3 Here is the reason of this abhorrency, and that is because they are,
1 Your Feasts.
2 Your Sacrifices.
3 Your Songs.
They are none of mine, either for matter or manner, but they are of your owne inventing and appointing, and therefore I abhor them.
I hate, Maas, contempsit, repulit cum fastidio tanquam vile & contemptum quid.I despise your Feast-dayes; or, I hate and reject your Feastivals with much disdain, as vile and contemptible things, you think you highly please me with them, and think to pacifie me by them, but your thoughts and mine differ much, for I tell you plainly, I hate and abhor both your persons and performances; till you mend your manners, and execute Justice and Righteousness in the earth, all you doe is odious to me,Reprobavi festivitates vestras. Chald. Paraph. and I look upon it with the greatest displicency imaginable; you think that I should delight in your solemnities as you doe, but my stomack loathes them, and turns at every dish and duty. The Stomack closeth with wholsome food and turns to it, but that which is unwholsome the stomack turns at the very sight and sent of it. When people feast sincerely, God useth (in a sense) to feast with them, and their wine cheers him, Iudg. 9.13. it is an hyperbolical speech, and imports, that God is delighted with the sacrifices of his Servants, and highly approves of their obedience in them. But the hypocrisie of these Israelites, like Coloquintida in the pot, spoyled their feasts, and made the Lord to loathe them, as we doe meat which is burthensome to the stomack, which makes us sick till we have rid our stomacks of it; as Christ threatned to doe with luke-warm Laodicea, Rev. 3.16. I hate, I despise, the doubling of the word is emphatical, and shewes the greatness of Gods indignation against them for their hypocrisie, for of all sins God most abhors that, as being most directly opposite to his Nature, who is a God of Truth and Righteousness. I hate your feasts, or feastival Sacrifices, the word which we render …easts, signifies both a Feast, and the Sacrifices which were offered on those Feast-dayes.Chaggechen, festivitates vestras, à chagag, salta…e, festum celebrare, hinc …hag, dies festus, & laetus in quo homines ed int, bibu…t & saltant, & synecdochicè hostia quae die fes…o offerebatur. Hence some render it, I hate your sacrifices, so the word is used, Exod. 23.18. Ps. 118.27. Isa. 29.1. The fat of my feast, i. e. of the Lambe which was sacrifized at my Feast, shall not be kept untill the morning; so that it imports, that God hated both the feastivals, and the sacrifices which they offered at those feasts.
But our reading is good, I hate your Feasts, for the despising of their Sacrifices follows in the next verse. The Iewes had many Feasts, they had Sabbaths, New Moons, the Feast of Tabernacles, Pentecost, Trumpets, and the Jubilee. But the Lord tells them, That he will not smell in their solemn assemblies. It is a Meiosis, q. d. I greatly loathe them; meet as oft. as you will, but I will not meet you there, nor once smell in your assemblies. To smell a sweet savour, signifies Gods favourable acceptation and approbation; thus when Noah offered a Burnt-offering to the Lord, it is said, the Lord smelt a sweet savour which pleased him well, Gen. 8.21. so Levit. 26.31.
In diebus interdicti vestris. Heb.I will not smell in your dayes of restraint or prohibition, so the words are in the fountain; that is, I delight not in your Feastival dayes, wherein people are restrained and prohibited their ordinary labours, Levit. 23.7, 8, 36. Ioel 1.14. when they offered sacrifice in a right manner, then God esteemed them as a sweet smelling sacrifice, Exod. 29.18. Levit. 1.9, 13, 17. Ezek. 20.40. they were very grateful and acceptable to him, being types of Christ, in whom he is well pleased. The burning of the Sacrifice in it self yeelded no such sweet smell, but the faith and obedience of the person being in Christ, this made it so delightful to God.
The people when they brought their Offerings, they brought Frankincense with them,V. Moses unvailed. ff. 29. p. 108. to burn for a sweet savour to the Lord, Exod. 30.34. Levit. 2.1, 2. & 16.12. Numb. 16.14. Deut. 33.10 Psal. 66.15. Ezek. 16 18. the better to represent the sweet odours of our Saviours Sacrifice,Non ex opere operato, nee ex opere operantis, non ex merito offerentis, nec ex merito operis, sed ex solo merito Christi gratum est. Ephes. 5.2. But these Formal…sts resting in the bare doing of the work without faith and obedience, their sweetest incense was as noysome dung in the nostrils of God, Isa. 1.13. Mal. 2.3. this may be more truly said of all Popish Incensing in their Idolatrous Mass.
Obj. But did not the Lord institute and appoint Sacrifices, how then is he said to hate them?
A. It is true, the Lord for good ends did command them, as 1. To keep up the publick assemblies of the faithful in their meetings to serve the Lord, which else would quickly have decayed. 2. To mind them of Christ and his Sacrifice, of which these were shadows. 3. Hereby they made an open confession of their faith to the world, testifying what God they served,See Binchius Mellif. Theolog. Part 3. p. 23, &c. and in whom they beleeved. 4. Hereby they testified their thankfulness for mercies received. 5. They served for the maintenance of the Ministery, and by consequence to further the Worship of God, 1 Cor. 9.13.
The Lord therefore doth not simply condemn Sacrifices, and religious services, but the formal and hypocritical performance of them when men fail both in man, matter, and manner, as these did. So that when the Scripture seems to condemn Sacrifices,Loquitur non foreign, sed foreign, & secundum quid. See Dr. Gouge on Heb. 10.5. ss. 16 p. 434. & M. Patrick on Micah 6.8. See my Schools-Guard, Rule 32 and sayes, I require not Sacrifices; this must not be taken Absolutely, but comparatively, q. d. It is not so much the outward sacrifice, as the sacrifice of an humble and contrite heart which God requires, Psal. 51.16, 17. so Matth. 9.13. I will have mercy and not sacrifice, i. e. mercy rather than sacrifice. God requires both inward and outward obedience, but that which he chiefly delights in, is the inward.
OBSERVATIONS.
1 External Sacrifices, and Services separated from internal obedience, are odious to God.
Many think they highly please him by such hypocritical,Hypocritae quasi sub Ajacis clypeo occultant sua scelera, sub suis Caeremon…is. Calvin. outside services, when they never more displease him. Of the hypocritical Iewes (who did yet partake of the Sacraments) it is said, that with many of them God was not well pleased, i. e. he was highly displeased. It is a Meiosis, 1 …or. 10.5. Circumcision without obedience, is uncircumcision, Rom. 2.25, 26.
There is scarce any sin in all the Scripture that hath harder terms given it than this▪ See D. Bolton on Isa. 58.2, p. 26…, folio.See Isa. 1.11. to 16. & 57.6. & 58.2. &c. Prov. 7.14, 15. Ier. 6.20. & 7.8, 9, 10, 11. & 11.15. Ezek. 20.28, 39. Hos. 8.13. Micah 6.6, 7, 8. Mal. 1.10. see what an heap of disliking expressions are here.
1 To what purpose are your Sacrifices?
2 I delight not in them.
3 Who required them at your hands?
4 Bring no more vain Oblations.
5 They are an abomination to me.
6 Your Feastivals I cannot away with.
7 They are iniquity.
8 My soul hates them.
9 They are a trouble to me.
10 I am weary of them.
11 I will hide mine eyes from you.
12 I will not hear your Prayers.
See more before on Amos 4.4. & 5.5. and in my Com. on 2 Tim. 3.5.All their Sacrifices were as the offering of a Dogge, or a Swine, in Sacrifice, which had been a hainous crime in the time of the Law; yea the Lord accounts it as Idolatry and Murder, Isa. 66.3. It is to no purpose for Israel to cry, My God we know thee, unless they doe the thing that is good, Hos. 8.2, 3. The Scribes and Pharisees went farre in externals. Hence we read of the strict, accurat, exquisite Sect of the Pharisees, Acts 26.5. but our righteousness must exceed theirs. It is obedience that God preferres before all the Sacrifices in the world, Psal. 50.8, 9, 14, 25. & 51.16, 17. hence Samuel tells Saul, that obedience is better than sacrifice, 1 Sam. 15.22. it is more Spiritual,See this Point fully and learnedly proved, by Mr. Patrick on Micah 6.8. p. 98 to 131. and in his Jewish Hypoc. ch. 16 p 247. Noli extrins… cus pecus, aurum, arie'em quarere, habes in te quod occidas. Si te excelsum feceris, longinquabitur à te, si te humiliaveris, propinquabit ad te. Aug. Adverbia apud Deum praevalent verbis, ut in naturalibus forma est decentier materiâ; sic in moralibus plus commendatur modus, quàm actio. Luther. and so more pleasing to God. A wicked man may sacrifice a Beast, but a good man offers himself in sacrifice, Rom. 12.1. now the more difficult the service, the more acceptable it is to God, and all good men. A zealous David loves not cheap, out-side services, he will not offer to his God of that which cost him nothing; the service which God delights in, is spiritual service, Ioh. 4.23, 24. and this Gods servants delight to give him, Rom. 1.9. As they desire that God should not put them off with shewes and shadowes, and shelles of duties; so they desire not to serve him by halves, but to doe what they doe for him, and to him, with all their hearts, and with all their might. Luther was wont to say, that God preferred Adverbs before Adjectives, and loved bene better than bonum; he looks to the manner as well as the matter of our services. This may convince any sober man, that the Popish Religion is a false religion, because it is such a Ceremonious, out-side religion; all for Bowing, Ringing, Singing, Saying, Knocking, and the traditions of men: and in these outside performances they exceed the godly; as an Harlot in painting and outward attire may excel an honest Woman; but the Kings Daughter hath an internal excellency, she is all glorious within, being adorned with all the graces of the Spirit, Psal. 45.13.