Chapter 2: The Baal of Mechanical Piety

In this chapter Al Truesdale brings the prophet Amos into the story of Israel’s seduction to false worship. The focus is on an outward, “mechanical piety.” And the sort of mindset that understand worship as something to placate God and gain a reward. Indeed, in this chapter we see clearly how the Northern Kingdom saw their social, political, and economic prosperity as evidence that God was rewarding their impressive ritual of worship.

They seemed to be doing everything right: carefully nurturing the Mosaic tradition by “observing the great sacrificial ceremonies, feasts, and fasts;” teaching the people “the great convictions of Israel’s faith” (37); religion in the Northern kingdom was squeaky clean, not missing a thing. And the people were responding. Both centers of worship were full as people took their worship serious. From all outward appearances, God was responding favorably to the religion of the people.

But that’s when Amos shows up saying that they “completely misunderstood God’s special calling,” that “apart from covenantal faithfulness, election meant nothing” (40). And Israel had abandoned its responsibility to justice. They were “corrupted by opulence,” their greed was unchecked, they “trampled on the heads of the poor.” For all their attention to worship and religion, their “professed faithfulness to Yahweh did not translate into justice executed on behalf of the defenseless” (42). And so Amos declares that God hates and despises their feasts and solemn assemblies; their praise is little more than “hollow songs” (44). What God truly desires is that “justice [will] pour across the land like a flood, and righteousness [will] flow like and unending stream” (44).

I suppose, for me, the take-away thought in this chapter is that in every age we can allow our worship to become something perfunctory and mechanical. When it becomes an end in which we seek to ingratiate God in order to gain an advantage, the worshipers becomes elevated above the one who is worshiped. Control is wrestled from God, who becomes incidental as the worshiper assumes control.

I realize I’m probably opening a can of worms here, but as I read this chapter I couldn’t help but think about all the rhetoric I have heard (mostly from the “religious right”) about how the only way for America to return to its former prosperity is to regain its former practices of worship. I couldn’t help but wonder if this isn’t exactly where the Northern kingdom was coming from.