Seek the LORD and Live

Amos contrasts seeking the LORD with seeking famous shrines: “Seek ye me, and ye shall live,” but do not make Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba the object of confidence. Gilgal’s name is turned into wordplay about exile in Hebrew, reinforcing the reversal. Verses 8–9 interrupt the appeal with Creator language: the LORD made the Pleiades and Orion, turns deep darkness into morning and day into night, calls for sea waters, and overwhelms the strong. The named constellations are astronomy inside a confession of creation, not an invitation to astrology or a hidden “gospel in the zodiac.” The stars belong to God; they do not replace him.