Amos 5

Jehovah

LORD (Jehovah) — the eternal I AM, the covenant God of Israel

For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: Amos 5:4–6

Jehovah promises life to those who seek Him rather than the idol shrines at Bethel and Gilgal. Latter-day Saints see in this the voice of the premortal Christ, the source of life for all who come to Him.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4)

Creation by Christ

The LORD — Jehovah

Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name: Amos 5:8–9

The One Israel should seek made the stars and commands the seas; His name is the LORD, Jehovah, the premortal Christ who created the heavens and the earth. The phrase 'turneth the shadow of death into the morning' is a soft echo of His power over death.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4)

• alludes to Job 9:9 — God 'maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades.'
• the same title in Amos 9:6 — He 'calleth for the waters of the sea ... The LORD is his name.'
• the same title in Mosiah 3:8 — Jesus Christ, 'the Creator of all things from the beginning.'

Lord of Hosts

LORD of hosts — Jehovah, Lord of the armies of heaven

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Amos 5:14–15

If Israel seeks good, the LORD of hosts will be with them and show grace to the remnant of Joseph. The God who is 'with' His people and gracious to a remnant is Jehovah, the premortal Christ.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4)

Second Coming

Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. Amos 5:18–20

Amos warns that the day of the LORD will not be a happy day for the wicked. In Amos's time it meant Assyria's coming judgment, but the prophets use 'the day of the LORD' for the great day of the Lord's coming, which Latter-day Saints understand as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

• the same event in Malachi 4:5 — 'The great and dreadful day of the LORD.'
• the same event in D&C 110:16 — 'The great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.'
• the same event in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 — 'The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.'

Sacrifice as similitude

I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21–24

Jehovah refuses sacrifices offered without righteousness. The offerings were meant to point hearts to Him and His coming sacrifice; performed by people who oppress the poor, they lost their meaning.

• the same title in Micah 6:6-8 — The same teaching: the LORD requires justice, mercy and humility rather than mere offerings.

Jehovah

The God of hosts — Jehovah, Lord of the armies of heaven

Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? Amos 5:25–27

Jehovah reminds Israel that even in the wilderness they carried idols alongside His worship, and He names Himself the God of hosts. Stephen quoted these words when testifying of Jesus before the council.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4)

• quoted by Acts 7:42-43 — Stephen quotes Amos 5:25-27 in his witness before his martyrdom.