Some Israelites may think they are safe from any judgment because they regularly go to the temple to worship God. To counter this false conclusion, Amos imitates a priest calling the people of Israel to come to the temple (cf. Ps. 100:4; Joel 1:13–14). He sarcastically invites them to sin (4:4–5), because that is what they do when they go to their temples for worship. Instead of encouraging them to come once a year to sacrifice, which was the normal practice (cf. 1 Sam. 1:3), Amos sarcastically invites them to prove how superspiritual they are by coming ever…
Baker Publishing Group, The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, by Gary M. Burge