- Proverbs 21:13 - "Whoever closes his hear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered."
- Proverbs 28:28 - "Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse."
- James 2:14-17 - "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily good, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
- 1 John 3:16-18 - "By this we know love, that [Jesus] laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."
Opening Verses
Introduction to Amos
- He was a farmer.
- 760 B.C.
- Themes:
- Yahweh God is sovereign over the universe.
- Yahweh God will bring ruin to Israel for covenant disloyalty.
- Yahweh God requires justice for the innocent and mercy for the poor.
- 1:3-2:16 - Judgment on surrounding nations to Judah for infidelity and an open judgment against Israel.
- 3:1-5:17 - Three oracles about impending judgment and reasons for it. (3:1; 4:1; 5:1)
- 5:18-6:1-6;7-14 - Two "Woe" oracles about Israel's complacency due to false security with religion and material prosperity.
Nearing The Point of No Return
- 4:4-13
- 4-5: Israel's vain sacrifices.
- Come to Bethel and Gilgal.
- Their love of improper worship.
- 6-11: Israel's failure to heed.
- "Yet you have not returned to me."
- Five Times.
- 12: God's vow to judgment.
- "I will do this to you..."
- Prepare to meet your God.
- As a challenge.
- As a invitation.
- As a summons.
- 13: Hymn of His attributes.
- Lord God Almighty is His name.
- He is the God of creation, God who is sovereign, God who is powerful over all nature, and God who rules above all.
Important Words
- 1. פָּרֹות הַבָּשָׁן
- a. Parah – kine, heifer, cow
- b. Bashan – fruitful, district east of Jordan known for its fertility
- c. Verse 1
- 2. הָעֹשְׁקֹות
- a. ‘Ashaq – press upon, oppress, violate, defraud, wrong, exploit
- b. Verse 1a
- 3. הָרֹצְצֹות
- a. Ratsats – crush, oppress, be broken, same words used in Isaiah 53
- b. Verse 1b
- 4. אֶבְיֹונִים
- a. ‘ebyown – in want, needy, chiefly poor, needy; needing help, deliverance from trouble; general reference to lowest class
- b. Verse 1b
- 5. בֵֽית־אֵל
- a. Beit-el (Bethel) – House of God
- b. Verse 4
- 6. הַגִּלְגָּל
- a. Gilgal – “a wheel, rolling”
- b. First site of Israel camp that become place for illicit worship
- c. Verse 4
- 7. הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּים & וְהַבֹּטְחִים
- a. Sha’anan – at ease, quiet, secure, careless, arrogant.
- b. Batach – to trust, to have confidence, to be bold, to be secure, to be careless
Men of Complacency
- 6:1-7
- How do they feel?
- Complacent/secure - At ease, safe, prideful, confident, important.
- Who are they?
- Notable men of the foremost nation.
- Who all the people of Israel come to.
- What do they do?
- Lie on beds inlaid with ivory.
- Lounge on couches.
- Dine on choice lambs and fattened calfs.
- Drink wine by the bowlful.
- Use finest lotions.
- Israel’s sinful ease was shown in presumption, because she trusted in the might of Mount Samaria
- Israel’s sinful ease was shown in procrastination, because she put far off the day of doom
- Israel’s sinful ease was shown in cruelty to men, because she caused the seat of violence to come near
- Israel’s sinful ease was shown in love of self, through all the self-indulgence described in Amos 6:4-6
- Israel’s sinful ease was shown in carelessness, in the willful, drunken ignorance of Amos 6:6
Cows of Bashan
- 4:1-3
- Who is being described?
- Figure or symbol for the Israelite women in Samaria. Amos implies that these women are the trendsetters and leaders in Israelite society.
- The “Cows of Bashan” were a symbol of wealth and luxury or a sign of a fertility cult.
- Fat cows, opulent women, indulgent lifestyle.
- What did they do?
- They oppressed the poor.
- They crushed the needy.
- And they drank their wine.
- (by asking their husbands)
Application
- Free to Work
- Ephesians 2:8-9
- The Gospel that frees us from work also frees us to work.
- "Want To"
- We don’t care for the poor because of some superficial sense that we have to but because of a supernatural compulsion that causes us to want to.
- 2 Corinthians 5:14
- John 15:5-6
- Work Diligently
- Colossians 3:2
- We live in a culture that doesn't view work as God's gift, whether as young adults or older adults in retirement.
- Philippians 2:14-15
- Live Simply
- 1 Timothy 6:9-10
- Most people in our culture---and in the church---believe wealth is always a sign of blessing from God, and we have almost no category for understanding wealth as a barrier to God.
- We need to strive for simple lives of contentment that prioritizes necessities and minimizes luxuries.
- Help Constructively
- This means helping the poor wisely, being careful to supplement the responsible instead of subsidizing the irresponsible.
- James 1-2
- Invest Eternally
- Matthew 6:19-21
- iii. Clearly Jesus has put before us a choice: we can spend our resources on short-term pleasures that we cannot keep, or we can sacrifice our resources for long-term treasure that we’ll never lose.
Cows of Bashan
Amos 4:1-13; 6:1-6