When Amos prophesied to Israel, God was sick and tired of the way Israel was living. Bribes had replaced justice, the poor and needy were oppressed and violence and robbery were commonplace. It was if they did not know to do right.

It was to these people that God sent Amos to speak these words:

Take away from Me the noise of your songs,
For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
Amos 5:23 NKJV

Why did God not want to hear their songs? Read the rest of the chapter and you will find that the people were still acting out worship but were not backing it up with their lives. They were living a double life. For six days, they lived unrighteously and when it was time to worship, they were all smiles.

God saw beyond the hypocrisy of the Israelites and also sees through our own. But we can be thankful that God wants us to repent of our sin and return to Him. While it is possible to sing songs of worship with a bad heart it is also possible to get things right this morning before we enter the church building.

Think about that before you open your hymnal today. Get your heart ready first and then you will be able to sing to the Lord who knows your heart already. Then you can be sure that He will love your singing today.