English
Português
Español
Français
Answer
The prophet Amos was summoned to deliver this message to the northern kingdom of Israel: the Lord God Almighty would arrive to judge the nations that had defied Him. Israel would face punishment and near destruction for abandoning its covenant with Him, yet God would safeguard a remnant of those who repented among the people. At the core of Amos’s speech, we encounter these words of encouragement extending a glimmer of hope: “Seek good, not evil, so that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you claim He is. Detest evil, cherish good; uphold justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will show mercy to the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5:14-15).
Scripture declares, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech” «The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the froward mouth, do I hate. », (Proverbs 8:13). However, the vast majority of God’s people in Amos’s era had stopped hating evil and loving good. Israel had twisted justice and righteousness «Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, », (Amos 5:7), defying the truth, mistreating the innocent, and oppressing the poor (Amos 5:10-13). They believed God was on their side, yet they were deceived «The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up. », (Amos 5:18).
(Amos 5:2). “Pure and genuine religion,” as explained by James, “involves caring for orphans and widows in their distress and resisting the corruption of the world” «Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.», (James 1:27, NLT). Israel had forsaken the true worship of God. Their sole chance of avoiding judgment was to heed God’s call to repentance, to turn away from evil and amend their conduct—to pursue good, shun evil, love good, and detest evil.
Amos’s appeal to “hate evil, love good” echoes the plea of the psalmist, “You who love the Lord, hate evil! He guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the grasp of the wicked” «Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of his saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. », (Psalm 97:10, NLT). God urges us to detest evil because it yields no good, only harm. However, the most direct reason for us to hate evil is that God Himself detests evil (Deuteronomy 12:31;Deuteronomy 16:22;Psalm 5:4-6;11:5;Proverbs 6:16-19).
Those who do not believe in God “hate what is good” «without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, », (2 Timothy 3:3, NLT), whereas the children of God cherish goodness. God Himself is inherently good and the origin of all goodness Psalm 86:5; Psalm 119:68; 1 Chronicles 16:34; Mark 10:18. Everything God creates is “very good” «And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.», Genesis 1:31. Loving goodness is a lifestyle that seeks God and His goodness, that selects what God values as good, and that rejoices in the triumph of goodness «Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.», Psalm 23:6. When we love goodness, our lives mirror the goodness found in God’s heart.
God’s Son, Jesus Christ, “loved righteousness and hated wickedness” Hebrews 1:8-9, establishing the example for how His disciples should react to good and evil. Just as God detests evil and loves what is good, His followers are instructed to “hate what is evil” and “cling to what is good” « Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. », Romans 12:9. In 1 Thessalonians 5:22, the apostle Paul urges believers to “reject every kind of evil.” We abhor evil because it is the adversary of all that is good. It is crucial to distinguish between hating or rejecting evil actions and hating individuals. Believers should never reject or hate sinful people, only their immoral or evil actions. Jesus instructs us to love our enemies and do good to those who mistreat us Luke 6:27-36. Paul advises, “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good” «Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.», (Romans 12:21, NLT).
Through the prophet Micah, God instructs His people to cherish goodness, practice righteousness, show mercy, and walk humbly with their God: «He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? », (Micah 6:8, NLT). The teacher affirms that “All who fear the Lord will hate evil,” stating: «The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the froward mouth, do I hate. », (Proverbs 8:13, NLT). Responding to Amos’s call, we are called to resist the prevailing immorality by upholding justice, detesting oppression and ungodly conduct, and exemplifying love, mercy, integrity, and righteousness.
Believers who embrace goodness and abhor evil can echo King David’s commitment: “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me” «I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; It shall not cleave to me. », (Psalm 101:3, NLT). We love goodness because God embodies goodness and delights in it. Conversely, we detest evil because it contradicts the nature of God, who abhors evil.
