Amos 3:14

Beth-el had been a sanctuary prior to the Israelite occupation of the land. In the days of Amos it was the undisputed religious capital of the northern kingdom (Amos 7:13), whose subjects gathered there for seasons of special worship (Amos 4:1). No doubt the sacred pillar and post which we read of so often in connexion with the high places stood near the altar. The idol to which devotion was paid as the representative of Jehovah was the golden calf set up by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:29). Burnt offerings, thank offerings and meal offerings were presented on the altars (Amos 5:22), and the service was made more attractive by singing and the music of the viol. But all this was vitiated by two faults. First, the god whom the worshippers adored was not the Holy One who alone is worthy, but a mere nature-god, dispenser of corn and wine and oil, of water, flax and wool (Hosea 2:5; Hosea 9:1). And, secondly, the worship was not of a kind to make men better, it was closely associated with immorality and with luxurious eating and drinking (Amos 2:7); it did not promote either justice or generosity to others (Amos 2:8; Amos 5:24). The horns were the most sacred part of the altar: to cut them off was to desecrate it thoroughly.