Amos continues his theme for the Ten Northern Tribes of Israel: Return to God and live, or continue as you are and suffer the consequences. His message is quite clear. Further, the instructions he gives Israel then can be followed by you today. The message is still apropos.
Amos
Chapter 4
Vv 1 – 13
“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”
V 1 “Hear
this word, you cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress
the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, “Bring now, that we
may drink!”
The “cows” of Bashan
are the women. He is addressing them because they are living in luxury at the
expense of the poor. They want their husbands to bring them all these things so
they can drink wine and strong drink instead of being the keeper of her house
as a virtuous woman, Proverbs 31.
V 2 “The Lord God
has sworn by His holiness, “Behold, the days are coming upon you when they will
take you away with meat hooks, and the last of you with fish hooks.”
The meat hooks would
symbolize dragging away dead bodies. Then those who remain alive, the enemy
often put fish hooks in the flesh to make sure the captured didn’t escape as
they were being exported.
V
3 “You will go out through
breaches in the walls, each one
straight before her, and you will be cast to Harmon,” declares the Lord.”
These ladies will try
to escape. Their husbands are the leaders of Israel; therefore, they will try
to protect them and get them to safety.
However, their plan of
escape will not work. They will be captured and taken to Harmon. Harmon is an
unknown site. Its name means “high fortress.”1 Perhaps Harmon has been set up as a temporary
prison camp.
V 4 “Enter Bethel and transgress; in Gilgal multiply
transgression! bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three
days.”
Do you see how Amos describes the religious ways these people have. They
worship God through habit, and then turn and worship idols and depend on other
countries the rest of the time. It’s like our going to church on Sunday, and
then living like hell the other six days of the week.
V 5 “Offer a thank offering
also from that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, make them
known. for so you love to do,
you sons of Israel,” declares the Lord God.”
Still in this verse, they are making a show of their piousness. Their sacrifices and offerings are for show only.
V 6-10 “But I gave you also cleanness of teeth in all
your cities and lack of bread in all your places, yet you have not returned to
Me,” declares the Lord. V 7 “Furthermore, I withheld the rain from you while there were still three months until
harvest. Then I would send rain on one city and on another city, I would not
send rain; one part would be rained on, while the part not rained on would dry
up.” V 8 “So two or three cities would
stagger to another city to drink water, but would not be satisfied; yet you
have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord. V 9 “I smote you with scorching wind and mildew; and the caterpillar
was devouring your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; yet
you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord. V 10 “I sent a
plague among you after the manner of Egypt; I slew your young men by the sword
along with your captured horses, and I made the stench of your camp rise up in
your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.”
Regardless of all the
calamities God sends on his people for warning, they still do not return to
him. Five times in verses 6—10 God says, “Yet you have not returned to me.”
Look at some of the things God did to get their attention:
·
Lack of bread or famine
·
No rain—extremely important in an agrarian
society
·
Rain on one city but not on the others
·
Have to get water from another city
·
Scorching wind and mildew
·
Caterpillar would devour gardens and vineyards
and fig trees and olive trees
·
Plagues similar to the ones in Egypt (Deuteronomy
28, especially verses. 58-60)
·
Killed the young men, i.e. the warriors
·
Captured your horses
·
The stench of death lay about their campsites
The indications are that if they returned, he would accept
them and heal their land. However, returning would require them several things:
·
Destroying the altar at Bethel
·
Returning to the temple in Jerusalem to worship
·
Getting rid of their idols
·
Sole dependency on God not on other countries
·
A complete lifestyle change
Therefore, returning to God seemed a complete impossibility.
It would require major changes in their lives.
Perhaps the same requirements would be for you as well. In
order for the Holy Spirit to work through your giftedness and personality, what
changes would you need to make?
V 12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”
You see Israel, you
need to prepare to meet your God. This warning isn’t for salvation! No, the
warning is for calamity because of their failure to worship God and keep his
commandments.
V 13 “For behold, He who forms
mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what are His thoughts, he
who makes dawn into darkness and treads on the high places of the earth,
the Lord God of hosts is His name.”
Amos finishes this chapter with a glorious God. One who
created great mountains. God through Amos says, “Look at the grandeur of the
high mountains. I made them. How awesome am I?”
God also causes dawn to overtake darkness. He walks on the
high places of the earth. Man can’t do these two things. Only the “God of the
angle armies” the lord of hosts can accomplish the above feats.
Amos
Study Questions
Chapter 4
Vv 1 – 8
Who are the “cows” of verse 1?
_________________________________________________________
Why is God addressing them?
___________________________________________________________
Why the reference to “meat hooks”?
___________________________________________________
What are the “fish hooks” used for? __________________________________________
To whom are the people making sacrifices?
______________________________. Why does God find
their sacrifices absurd?
____________________________________________________. In order to
return to God, what are some things they would need to
change? ___________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
List some of the punishments they received but ignored verses 6 –
10. _______________________
____________________________________________________________________________
How do all these things fit with Deuteronomy 28 – 29?
_________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Blessings,
Howard
PS: A complete study on your freedom through rest can be had from B. C. Ministries, Inc. Email us for your free copy.
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Who You Are Isn't Based on Performance with God. Who You Are Should Have A Direct Bearing on How You Perform.
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