September 9, 2015

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

Amos 3–5

Brett Johnston
Wednesday's Devo

September 9, 2015

Wednesday's Devo

September 9, 2015

Central Truth

We should use the gifts, both talents and treasures, that God has given us to do His work, not to make our lives more comfortable. Because our natural tendency is selfishness, accomplishing this will be a lifelong process that requires help from and community with other Christians.

Key Verse | Amos 4:1

Listen to me, you fat cows
living in Samaria,
you women who oppress the poor
and crush the needy,
and who are always calling to your husbands,
"Bring us another drink!"
(Amos 4:1)

Amos 3–5

Israel's Guilt and Punishment

Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

“You only have I known
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
    for all your iniquities.

Do two walk together,
    unless they have agreed to meet?
Does a lion roar in the forest,
    when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
    if he has taken nothing?
Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
    when it has taken nothing?
Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
    unless the LORD has done it?

For the Lord God does nothing
    without revealing his secret
    to his servants the prophets.
The lion has roared;
    who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?”

Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod
    and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
    and see the great tumults within her,
    and the oppressed in her midst.”
10  “They do not know how to do right,” declares the LORD,
    “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“An adversary shall surround the land
    and bring down 1 3:11 Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the landhe shall bring down your defenses from you,
    and your strongholds shall be plundered.”

12 Thus says the LORD: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part 2 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain of a bed.

13  Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,”
    declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14  “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
    I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15  I will strike the winter house along with the summer house,
    and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses 3 3:15 Or and many houses shall come to an end,”
    declares the LORD.

“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, that we may drink!’
The Lord God has sworn by his holiness
    that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
when they shall take you away with hooks,
    even the last of you with fishhooks.
And you shall go out through the breaches,
    each one straight ahead;
    and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”
    declares the LORD.

“Come to Bethel, and transgress;
    to Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
bring your sacrifices every morning,
    your tithes every three days;
offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,
    and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them;
    for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”
    declares the Lord God.

Israel Has Not Returned to the LORD

“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
    and lack of bread in all your places,
yet you did not return to me,”
    declares the LORD.

“I also withheld the rain from you
    when there were yet three months to the harvest;
I would send rain on one city,
    and send no rain on another city;
one field would have rain,
    and the field on which it did not rain would wither;
so two or three cities would wander to another city
    to drink water, and would not be satisfied;
yet you did not return to me,”
    declares the LORD.

“I struck you with blight and mildew;
    your many gardens and your vineyards,
    your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured;
yet you did not return to me,”
    declares the LORD.

10  “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;
    I killed your young men with the sword,
and carried away your horses, 4 4:10 Hebrew along with the captivity of your horses
    and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;
yet you did not return to me,”
    declares the LORD.

11  “I overthrew some of you,
    as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
    and you were as a brand 5 4:11 That is, a burning stick plucked out of the burning;
yet you did not return to me,”
    declares the LORD.

12  “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
    because I will do this to you,
    prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

13  For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
    and declares to man what is his thought,
who makes the morning darkness,
    and treads on the heights of the earth—
    the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!

Seek the LORD and Live

Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:

“Fallen, no more to rise,
    is the virgin Israel;
forsaken on her land,
    with none to raise her up.”

For thus says the Lord God:

“The city that went out a thousand
    shall have a hundred left,
and that which went out a hundred
    shall have ten left
    to the house of Israel.”

For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:

“Seek me and live;
    but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
    or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
    and Bethel shall come to nothing.”

Seek the LORD and live,
    lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
    and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
O you who turn justice to wormwood 6 5:7 Or to bitter fruit
    and cast down righteousness to the earth!

He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
    and turns deep darkness into the morning
    and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the LORD is his name;
who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
    so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

10  They hate him who reproves in the gate,
    and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
11  Therefore because you trample on 7 5:11 Or you tax the poor
    and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
    but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
    but you shall not drink their wine.
12  For I know how many are your transgressions
    and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
    and turn aside the needy in the gate.
13  Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
    for it is an evil time.

14  Seek good, and not evil,
    that you may live;
and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you,
    as you have said.
15  Hate evil, and love good,
    and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
    will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord:

“In all the squares there shall be wailing,
    and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
    and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
17  and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
    for I will pass through your midst,”
    says the LORD.

Let Justice Roll Down

18  Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!
    Why would you have the day of the LORD?
It is darkness, and not light,
19      as if a man fled from a lion,
    and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
    and a serpent bit him.
20  Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?

21  “I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22  Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
    I will not look upon them.
23  Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24  But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25 Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

Footnotes

[1] 3:11 Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the land—he shall bring down
[2] 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
[3] 3:15 Or and many houses
[4] 4:10 Hebrew along with the captivity of your horses
[5] 4:11 That is, a burning stick
[6] 5:7 Or to bitter fruit
[7] 5:11 Or you tax

Dive Deeper | Amos 3–5

At first, the comparison Amos makes between Israel and the fat cows seems pretty insulting, like he is making a statement about their body weight or laziness. However, he is actually making a reference to the Cows of Bashan. The Cows of Bashan were known for being choice meat, similar to Kobe beef. During this time period, comparing woman to a Cow of Bashan is a compliment, meaning she was part of the upper class or especially luxurious.

The irony here is that Amos is not using this comparison as a compliment. Instead, he is chastising the people of God for letting their comforts and other blessings from God keep them from helping the less fortunate. While they continue to go through the motions of being God’s chosen people, they do not let this change them. Certainly Amos is implying that those who follow God should not be known as “kept cattle.”

The biting sarcasm that Amos uses is so poignant when compared to how many American Christians live today. Many of us are affluent, having the ability to spend our time and resources on whatever we want. When I think about how the early Christians lived, it’s humbling to admit my list of comforts: Whole Foods, Napa drinks, a comfortable home, a new car, a manicured lawn, and the latest and greatest gadget, to name a few. Yet, in spite of these things, I have spent much of my time going through the motions. I have to ask myself, how can I be all in with God while I spend so much on myself?

As Christians, whether we have money to spare or are living paycheck to paycheck, we should use our position to serve, not to consume. No matter where we live or work, we all have neighbors, family, friends, and coworkers who do not know God. That alone means that we have something that they need. That alone means we can be an agent of change for the things of God. 

Discussion Questions

1. What do you have in abundance that you need to give away?

2. What will it take for you to do so?

3. What comforts do you rely upon that keep you from having to trust God?

4. Who will you share your answers with so you will be accountable for them?