Albert Barnes Commentary Amos 5:14

"Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say." — Amos 5:14 (ASV)

Seek good and not evil - that is, and “seek not evil.” Amos again takes up his warning, “seek not Bethel; seek the Lord.” Now they not only “did evil,” but they “sought” it diligently; they were diligent in doing it, and so, in bringing it on themselves; they sought it out and the occasions of it. People cannot seek good without first putting away evil, as it is written, “cease to do evil, learn to do well” (Isaiah 1:16–17). “You cannot serve God and Mammon.” He bids them use the same diligence in seeking good which they now used for evil. Seek it also wholly, not seeking at one time good, at another, evil, but wholly good, and Him who is Good. “He seeks good, who believes in Him who says, ‘I am the Good Shepherd’ (John 10:11).”

That you may live - in Him who “is the Life; and so the Lord, the God of hosts shall be with you,” by His holy presence, grace, and protection, “as you have spoken.” Israel looked away from the sins by which he displeased God, and looked to his half-worship of God as entitling him to all that God had promised to full obedience:

“They gloried in the nobleness of their birth after the flesh, not in imitating the faith and lives of the patriarchs. So then, because they were descended from Abraham, they thought that God must defend them. Such were those Jews, to whom the Savior said, “If you were Abraham’s seed, you would do the works of Abraham” (John 8:39); and His forerunner, ‘think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father’ (Matthew 3:9).”

They wished that God should abide with them, that they might “abide in the land” (Psalms 37:3), but they cared not to abide with God.