I Hate Your Festivals - The Meaning of Amos 5:21

In this post we will tackle the meaning of God's words spoken to the prophet Amos.

"I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me." -Amos 5:21

The easy way to read this passage in Amos is to connect the despised religious festivals with the Biblical holidays. Pastors and Bible commentaries will tell you verses like these are proof that even God doesn't like the Bible holidays like Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles, so of course he doesn't expect his people to celebrate them today. You can see the logic, why should we do something if God despises that thing?

While there's logic to a view like this, pulling this one verse out of context with the book that it's in (not to mention the rest of the Bible) leads us to an extremely incorrect understanding of this Bible verse. Amos 5:21 is not about YHWH despising his own holidays that he invented and then commanded his people to keep. If that were true, that would be rather confusing to have God go back and forth about what he thinks of the holidays. But if we take a look at the book of Amos, and the context in which it was written, we will see that this is not the case.

The first thing we need to know about the context of Amos was that it was written to the northern kingdom of Israel after the unified kingdom of Israel had been split into two under the reign of King Solomon's son, Rehoboam. This matters because after the split, YHWH consistently has a specific grievance against the northern kingdom. Over and over, Scripture tells us that Israel's kings continued to follow in the sins of Jeroboam, who first ruled Israel after it was divided. The sins of Jeroboam were especially offensive to YHWH.

What were the sins of Jeroboam? For as much as they get brought up, they are not what you would expect. He didn't turn his back on YHWH and go on genocidal rampages. He didn't tell the people to worship Baal or other idols. He simply changed how the people worshipped YHWH. 

God traced the blame for Israel's sins to this man for generations.

One of the adjustments Jeroboam made was changing when the Biblical holidays happened.

Amos was written many generations after Jeroboam, but the northern house of Israel was now ruled by another king who "did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam" (2 Kings 14:23). Fittingly, he was called Jeroboam II (the two weren't related, but had a spiritual connection). Given this context, knowing that an on-going sin in Israel had to do with not abiding by the directions God gave for the Biblical holidays, we should be able to see Amos 5:21 in a different light.

It was bad enough for Jeroboam to change the holidays in the first place, but more than 137 years later, you can imagine the game of 'telephone' that had been played regarding the commandments for the holidays (and surely most other areas of life). A century of sin later, the Israelites would have been even further removed from the correct ways to worship and how YHWH wanted his feasts to be kept and celebrated.

The festivals that God hates in Amos 5:21 are not his. They had been badly twisted and perverted by thirteen dysfunctional kings. Scripture doesn't tell us exactly what they were doing on these holidays, but it wasn't what God had told them to do. Under the reign of the original King Jeroboam, the northern kingdom of Israel had stopped following Biblical instructions for their religious celebrations. This was despised by the YHWH.

If we look at the context when these words were spoken and written we will see that the northern house of Israel was not diligently keeping the Biblical holidays in the times and ways that God had directed them. In fact, they had departed so much from the instructions that he had given that he did not recognize them as his own. That's why he called them your festivals. The holidays that YHWH hates in Amos are not the ones he made or told his people to celebrate.

Related posts:
What Were the Sins of Jeroboam?
The Two Houses: Israel and Judah in Scripture
Why the Biblical Holidays are for All Believers

What the Laws and Rulings of Ezekiel 20:25 Mean

Ezekiel 20:25 is quite the notorious verse that can be seen as contradictory, confusing, or as a smoking gun that God doesn't like his own law, and that the commandments are now done away with. But what is the real meaning of this Old Testament verse? Let's examine this Scripture to see for ourselves that this is not talking about Biblical law or the commandments.

Let's take a look at what it says in the common NIV version:

"I gave them other statutes that were not good, and laws through which they could not live." -Ezekiel 20:25

This is an easy verse to pull out to say that the law is not good. Pastors and Bible commentary alike will use this verse as some sort of once and for all statement that Biblical law was not a good thing (God himself is talking in this passage!), and that, therefore, we are now free from the commandments.

But shouldn't this interpretation give us pause? God is talking here and he says that he gave us something that wasn't good? Does that mess with our "God is good, all the time" theology? Doesn't it sound like God is just being mean here? Didn't Jesus have a parable about not giving bad gifts? Why would YHWH give his people something that was not good?

If we look at other versions of this verse. We will see slightly different wording, that makes a significant difference.

"I gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live." -Ezekiel 20:25 NKJV

I gave them up to, reads very differently from I gave them. This is not talking about laws or statutes from the Living God, but something else entirely. If we back up and take a look at the context we will have a better idea of what is meant by this statement.

The bulk of Ezekiel 20 is YHWH himself speaking. Early on in this passage (in verse 5), he brings up Israel in Egypt. He goes on to say (verse 7) that when he brought the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, he told them to throw away all idols and abominations. "But they rebelled against me and would not obey me." Up until verse 25, the whole chapter is about Israel rejecting God's laws in order to serve idols. In Ezekiel 20:24 it says, "They had not done my right rulings, they rejected my laws, and profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were on their fathers' idols."

Because of this context, we can see that the laws and rulings referred to in verse 25 don't mean Biblical law or the Levitical priesthood laws. If we read verse 25 as a stand alone verse, you could make the argument that laws of men - whether religious or governmental - fit the bill, but that's not the point either. The laws and rulings were about the power of idols and the corrupted nature of human flesh. These were what God gave his people up to. This passage is absolutely not saying that Biblical law was bad or that it took away life. It's saying that the paths of idolatry and serving our own flesh cannot lead to life.

We know for sure Ezekiel 20:25 isn't talking about Biblical law and the commandments because of verse 11.

"I gave them my laws and showed them my right rulings, which if a man does, he shall live by them." -Ezekiel 20:11

YHWH said that if a man does his laws, he shall live by them. This is the opposite of verse 25's laws, by which people cannot live. Both verses cannot be talking about the same laws. We see that this whole chapter is about his people willingly choosing to participate in idol worship, in spite of express warnings he had given them about this. This fits with the words of Romans.

"Therefore God gave them over to the sinful desires of their hearts to disrespect their bodies among themselves, who changed the truth of Elohim into lies, and worshipped and served the created rather than the Creator...because of this God gave them over to degrading passions." -Romans 1:24-26

Here is a New Testament passage that agrees with the idea that God let his people pursue their own desires and that his people chose to worship things besides the Creator. These are the things that don't lead to life...not the word of God or his instructions for living.

Psalm 81:9-12 echoes this idea as well.

"You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me. I am YWHH your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices."

Once again, idolatry and pursuing our own desires at the expense of God's word is what is not good, and which doesn't lead to abundant life. Ezekiel 20 tells us that not only are the rulings and laws of God right, but they help us to live! Not only do the words of Ezekiel 20:25 not mean that Biblical commandments are bad or cumbersome, but this passage fits with the rest of Scripture, from Old Testament writings to the words of the Messiah and the letters of Paul, in that it calls for humanity to do what God says.

"I am YHWH your God. Walk in my laws. Guard my rulings and do them, and set apart my Sabbaths." -Ezekiel 20:19-20

More on understanding the Old Testament:
Four Distinctions We Need to Make to Understand Scripture
What You Should Know about the Levitical Priesthood
What Were the Sins of Jeroboam?

Biblically Clean Slow Cooker Recipes

These are recipes for Biblically clean meals that can be made in a slow cooker. These warm and cozy meal ideas are a perfect way to have an easy meal ready for dinner, and they all fit within what the Bible says about what we eat. Using a slow cooker or crock pot can be a helpful way to getting dinner on the table on a busy day, or make one of these meals for the Sabbath day so that you have more time to rest! If you don't want to keep the slow cooker on overnight, just assemble the ingredients in the crock the day before, and the next day take it out of the fridge and turn on the slow cooker a few hours before you'd like to have your meal.

As always, these recipes contain no pork or shellfish, and they are great for a Biblically clean diet!

Queso Chicken Chili from Pinch of Yum

Mom's Slow Cooker Beef Stew from Ambitious Kitchen

Super Easy Veggie Crockpot Lasagna from Pinch of Yum

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs from Salt and Lavender

Quinoa Black Bean Stuffed Peppers from Pinch of Yum

Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Oatmeal from This Healthy Table

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken from Salt and Lavender

Slow Cooker Tortellini Vegetable Soup from Half Baked Harvest

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken from Well Plated

Thai Butternut Squash Lentil Soup from Ambitious Kitchen

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Turkey Chili from This Healthy Table

Coconut Tandoori Inspired Chicken from Pinch of Yum

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry from Well Plated

Crockpot Chipotle Pot Roast Tacos from Half Baked Harvest

Greek Crock Pot Sloppy Joes from Well Plated

The Best Detox Crockpot Lentil Soup from Pinch of Yum

Crockpot Roast Beef from Well Plated

Crockpot Red Lentil Curry from Pinch of Yum

Related posts:
How to the Bible Defines Food
Five Reasons Why Believers Today Should Keep the Food Laws
Biblically Clean Soups

Things You Should Know about the Levitical Priesthood in the Bible

The Levitical priesthood...how did it start? Was it cruel to animals? Why did God want animals to be sacrificed? Did it end? Is it forever? What is the meaning of this ancient Biblical priesthood that started in Exodus? What is the difference between the Levitical and Aaronic priesthood? Does it matter to us today?

To help us better understand the character of God, and his word, we need to understand the Levitical priesthood. What comes to mind when you think of that? I used to picture it as a foreboding and scary thing, where an angry God demanded innocent animals to be punished so that in his anger he didn't kill the people instead. But that paints an incorrect picture of this priesthood.

Note that the Levitical priesthood is sometimes referred to as the Aaronic priesthood. This is the same priesthood, under two different names. Not all Levites were permitted to serve as priests, only those who had descended from Aaron. Other members of the tribe of Levi were able to perform different duties in the Tabernacle, but not the priestly jobs. We can think of this like a staff for a professional sports team. It takes many people, from coaches to ticket sellers to trainers to travel agents to make the team 'work,' but only a few people actually get to play on the field. This was the origin of the conflict with Korah in Numbers 16. Also note that the Levitical priesthood is different from the Melchizedek priesthood.

How did the Levitical priesthood start? This priesthood was instituted after the sin of the golden calf in Exodus 32. Up until that point in Scripture, we see a different priesthood operating (such as in Genesis 14 when the priest Melchizedek appeared), and we see individuals able to perform many priestly duties themselves (such as the Passover lamb sacrifice in Exodus 12). In Exodus 19:6 it says that initially God's plan was for all of his people to be priests, but the specifications of the Levitical priesthood became necessary after the people chose to disobey Biblical law and idolized the golden calf.

YHWH then provided the Levitical priesthood as a means for the people of Israel to have relationship with him, even though they had greatly sinned. This priesthood was not a punishment, but rather meant as a gift to God's people that enabled them to continuing being part of God's family after choosing to commit idolatry and serve other powers.

Here are a few things you should know about the Levitical priesthood:

-It wasn't the first or only priesthood in the Bible. 

Many people believe that the idea of a priesthood was some sort of backup plan that YHWH invented at the sin of the golden calf in Exodus 32, but Abraham encountered someone identified as Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God much earlier, back in Genesis 14:18.

-The animals were not being punished.

The most troubling idea of the Levitical priesthood for most people is the idea that animals were being suffering in our place as some sort of punishment, but this is not the case. Absolutely nowhere in Scripture is there a verse about the animals that were sacrificed being punished or being treated cruelly.

-The animals that were sacrificed were then eaten by priests.

The Levitical system did kill plenty of animals, but we need to understand the context of this. Most of the animals were then eaten by the priests and their families. We often imagine that the animals were killed and then burnt up entirely, as if God was saying, "These animals are going to die for no reason now," or "These are just for me, I don't care about providing for my people." Their sacrifice wasn't just for God's benefit, the entire tribe of Levi was fed and provided for this way. With that in mind, the Levitical priestly order seems much less draconian. If we wouldn't hesitate to eat meat today, we certainly can't object to this system where what is sacrificed then gets to benefit others.

-The priests did things besides kill animals.

There was a lot more to the happenings in the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, than just animal sacrifice. Grain, oil, and wine were also offered to YHWH, as well as incense. Levites were tasked with caring for the Tabernacle and doing things like baking the showbread offering. Priests were also responsible for checking for signs of leprosy, and going to homes if there were problems with mold, and giving directions for cleansing. The Levitical priesthood was connected with the liberation of debt and restoration of land in the Jubilee year. They settled disputes between others. Significantly the priests were tasked with teaching the difference between the common and the profane, and often read Scriptures to the people as a mean to teach them God's word and law. Most importantly, the priests sang songs of praise and thanks to YHWH each morning and evening.

-It didn't last forever.

And it wasn't supposed to either. Many people insist that animal sacrifice and the priesthood of Levi will continue into eternity, but that overlooks a heavy truth. The Levitical priesthood stopped operating nearly 2,000 years ago. It certainly wasn't functioning after the Romans burned the Temple in 70 AD, but honestly, it wasn't operating the day Jesus died. I don't mean that in an abstract sense. Even if we consider Caiaphas to be the legitimate high priest (which is a stretch), the tearing of his robes disqualified him from officiating that year's Passover sacrifice (Leviticus 21:10). And that's to say nothing of addressing corruption and idol worship that Ezekiel and other prophets talk about happening in the Temple system. Instead of literally forever, the Levitical priesthood was always supposed to be for a set time and purpose. It's simply not appropriate to translate the word 'olam' used in Exodus 27:21 and other passages to mean for all time or eternity, when that hasn't been the case.

-It was a foreshadow of the Messiah.

Hebrews 10:1 tells us this, and we see this played out by the Messiah. Jesus called his body the true Temple, and said that he was bread and light - references to the showbread offering and the lit menorahs in the Tabernacle. We also know that he cleansed lepers, and their was a cleansing pool at the Tabernacle. The actions of the priests and how the services were operated all have analogies to the Gospel.

-It was not the end-goal of God's plan.

This is not to say that it didn't work as YHWH expected it to. It was simply a temporary means for the people to have relationship with him, even as they were under the powers they had idolized. The Messiah's death was able to truly set the people free from the sin of idolatry, and God once again calls all people to be part of the Messiah's Melchizedek priesthood. Because this was the goal all along, this is why the New Testament references changes in priesthood, and "the old fading away" (Hebrews 8:13). 

-It is not the priesthood of the Messiah.

Psalm 110 and the book of Hebrews tell us that the Messiah's priesthood is of the order of Melchizedek. This means that while Jesus is now the High Priest, he is not directing operations for the return of the Levitical system with its animal sacrifices and so forth. The Messiah's priesthood is different in that all his followers are called to serve as priests (unlike the Levitical system which was limited to males of a certain age within a certain family line), and that instead of needing to slaughter animals over and over, his death was once and for all.

There is a lot to learn about the significance of the Levitical priesthood in the Bible! The New Testament tells us that all of Scripture is useful for teaching about God, and that includes the instructions and details he gave about the Tabernacle operations. Many things about this priesthood point to or foreshadow the work of the Messiah and the promises of God. We can be grateful that YHWH used this as part of the story of Israel's redemption, even as we are now under the Messiah's Melchizedek priesthood. 

Related posts:
Key Differences Between the Melchizedek and Levitical Priesthoods
Why We Don't Sacrifice Animals
Understanding the Book of Hebrews