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 18 Woe to you who long
       for the day of the LORD!
       Why do you long for the day of the LORD ?
       That day will be darkness, not light.

 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
       only to meet a bear,
       as though he entered his house
       and rested his hand on the wall
       only to have a snake bite him.

 20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light—
       pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

 21 “I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
       I cannot stand your assemblies.

 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
       …

 7 You who turn justice into bitterness
       and cast righteousness to the ground

 8 (he who made the Pleiades and Orion,
       who turns blackness into dawn
       and darkens day into night,
       who calls for the waters of the sea
       and pours them out over the face of the land—
       the LORD is his name-

 9 he flashes destruction on the stronghold
       and brings the fortified city to ruin)
Amos is calling Israel to repent of their sins, describing them as casting righteousness to the ground… and he goes on to describe righteousness, it turns out that it is God whom they have casted to the ground.

God is the embodiment of righteousness.

When God is crediting …

 12 Sow for yourselves righteousness,
       reap the fruit of unfailing love,
       and break up your unplowed ground;
       for it is time to seek the LORD,
       until he comes
       and showers righteousness on you.
This gets back to Ezekiel 18 - The Fruits of Righteousness. It lists a bunch of actions show a man to be righteous.  However, we then went to Ezekiel 33 - Grace is by faith, not works, in the OT, which basically says that a man living in wickedness, who then lives out his remaining life in righteousness …

 18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
       with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air
       and the creatures that move along the ground.
       Bow and sword and battle
       I will abolish from the land,
       so that all may lie down in safety.

 19 I will betroth you to me forever;
       I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
       in love and compassion.

 20 I will betroth you in faithfulness,
       and you will acknowledge the LORD.

 21 “In that day I will respond,”
       declares the LORD—
       “I will respond to the skies,
       and they will respond to the earth;

 22 and the …

It just so happens that my pastor is going through the fruits of the spirit on Sunday mornings.  Well, my study on righteousness has brought me today to Ezekiel 18, which “coincidentally” discusses the fruits of righteousness:
 5 “Suppose there is a righteous man
       who does what is just and right.

 6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines
       or look to the idols of the house of Israel.
       He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
       or lie with a woman during her period.

 7 He does not oppress anyone,
       but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
       He does not commit robbery
       but gives his food to the hungry
       and …

 1 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. 2 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 3 “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great …

 1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I …

Recall Ecc. 7:3, where it talks about the refining value of sorrow.  Well, eventually our sorrow will end, for we will be refined and in His presence… 

17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,
       and silver in place of iron.
       Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
       and iron in place of stones.
       I will make peace your governor
       and righteousness your ruler.

 18 No longer will violence be heard in your land,
       nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
       but you will call your walls Salvation
       and your gates Praise.

 19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
       nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
       for …

Obama Should Listen to Leviticus: Don’t Confuse Justice and Charity

Isaiah 5 tells a parable of a vineyard that was created with hard work and sweat, but for some reason produced only sour grapes.  In this parable, God is the owner of the vineyard…
 7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty
       is the house of Israel,
       and the men of Judah
       are the garden of his delight.
       And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
       for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
The interesting thing is that God of all the ingredients of righteousness, He wasn’t looking for belief or obedience.  He wasn’t looking for purity in relationship.  He wasn’t looking for any of the things that make one righteous.  No, He was looking for the characteristics that demonstrate that …