Amos 4

“Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.” So wrote Henry David Thoreau in his classic book Walden; and his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his own journal, “Our expense is almost all for conformity. It is for cake that we all run in debt.” Let’s seek to answer some questions about luxury.

What is luxury? The word luxury comes from a Latin word that means “excessive.” It originally referred to plants that grow abundantly (our English word luxurious), but then it came to refer to people who have an abundance of money, time, and comfort, which they use for themselves as they live in aimless leisure. Whenever you are offered “deluxe service,” that’s the same Latin word: service above and beyond what you really need.

It isn’t a sin to be rich or to have the comforts of life, if this is God’s will for you. Abraham and David were wealthy men. Yet they used what they had for God’s glory. In the eyes of people in the Third World, most of the citizens of the Western world, including the poor, are very wealthy. What the Western world considers necessities are luxuries to the citizens of other nations: things like thermostat-controlled heat and air conditioning, refrigerators, automobiles, adequate medical care, telephones, and abundantly available electricity and fuel.

Luxury doesn’t mean owning abundant possessions so much as allowing possessions to own us. To live in luxury is to use what we have only for our own enjoyment and to ignore the needs of others. It means being irresponsible in the way we use our wealth, wasting it on futile pleasures instead of using it for the good of others and the glory of God. A sign in an exclusive clothing store read, “If you must ask the price of our garments, you can’t afford them.” People who live in luxury don’t bother to ask the prices. They don’t care how much they spend so long as they get what they want.

Who was committing this sin? “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan!” (v. 1 nkjv). Amos addressed the wives of the wealthy leaders of the land, people who had gotten rich by ruthlessly and illegally robbing others. These “society women” lounged around all day, drinking wine and telling their husbands what to do. Any preacher today who called the women in the congregation “cows” would be looking for another church very soon.

Why did Amos, the farmer, use this image? Not because these women were overweight and looked like cows, but because by their sins they were fattening themselves up for the coming slaughter. Both they and their husbands were living in luxury, while the poor of the land were suffering because these same men had exploited them and robbed them of money and land.

What will happen to them? What do farmers eventually do with cattle that have been fattened up? They lead them away to be killed and butchered. Amos described what would happen when the Assyrians invaded Israel, how they would capture these women and treat them like cattle. The Assyrian practice was to put hooks in the noses or lower lips of their prisoners, attach ropes, and lead them away like animals, either to captivity or to death. This is what the enemy would do to the wealthy matrons Amos was addressing in his message.

But note that their posterity would also be involved in this judgment (v. 2). These wealthy women no doubt wanted “the best” for their children, but by their selfish priorities and their sinful example, they were giving their children the very worst. Their posterity had everything but a knowledge of the Lord; so they too would be led off like animals to the slaughter. The wealthy younger generation in Israel had everything money could buy, but they didn’t have the things money can’t buy, the things of the Lord that make life worthwhile.

While attending a banquet in Dearborn, Michigan, I found myself seated next to a wealthy gentleman whose name was famous in the business world. In our conversation, I discovered I had some information about a deceased preacher he greatly admired, and I offered to mail it to him. When I asked for an address, I thought he would hand me an expensive embossed calling card. Instead, he gave me a return label ripped off an envelope! I was told that he and his wife lived modestly in spite of their wealth. It’s no wonder they were able to give so generously to Christian ministries and philanthropic causes.

Industrial magnate Andrew Carnegie said, “Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.” Paul wrote, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:17–19 nkjv). Paul also quoted Jesus who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Iaccompanied a pastor friend to hear a well-known preacher, who was visiting the United States. His message was powerful as he named the sins that he felt were destroying our nation.

As we were driving home after the meeting, my friend said, “Well, I must admit that he preached a great message, and it spoke to my heart. But I don’t like it when visitors from other countries point out the sins of Americans. There’s probably just as much sin back home in their own countries.”

I disagree. After all, God has the right to use whatever servant He chooses to deliver His message wherever He pleases. But I’m sure the people in the kingdom of Israel must have felt the same way as my pastor friend when they heard Amos, a native of Judah, condemning the sins that were destroying Israel. No wonder Amaziah, the priest, told him to go home to Judah (7:12–13)!

In this second message, the prophet Amos named three particular sins that were grieving the Lord and ruining the kingdom of Israel: luxury (4:1–3), hypocrisy (vv. 4–5), and obstinacy (vv. 6–13). They had the wrong values; their religious “revival” was a sham; and they had refused to listen to the warnings God had given them.

The prophet used “holy irony” when he spoke these words, for he later instructed them to do just the opposite (5:5). It’s as though a pastor today said to his congregation, “Sure, go ahead and attend church, but by attending, you’re only sinning more. Go and visit the summer Bible conferences, but by doing so, you will be transgressing more. Your heart isn’t serious about knowing God or doing His will. It’s all just playacting; it’s the popular thing to do, so you do it.”

Bethel was a very special place to the Jewish people because of its associations with Abraham (Gen. 12:8; 13:3) and Jacob (28:10–22; 35:1–7). At one time, the ark was kept at Bethel (Judg. 20:18–28), but in Amos’s day it was the site of “the king’s chapel” where Amaziah, the priest, served (Amos 7:10ff.). Gilgal was also important to Israel because that’s where Joshua and the people camped when they first entered the Promised Land (Josh. 4:19–20; 5:2–9). Gilgal is also where Saul was made king of Israel (1 Sam. 11:15). Unfortunately, both of these places had become shrines, where the people worshipped pagan gods while claiming to worship the Lord.

On the surface, it looked as if Israel was experiencing a religious revival. Crowds of people were flocking to the “holy places” (Amos 5:5), bringing their sacrifices and tithes (4:4; 5:21–22) and even singing songs of praise to the Lord (v. 23; 6:5; 8:3, 10). They offered sacrifices more frequently than the law required as if to prove how spiritual they were. But their gifts and songs didn’t impress the Lord, for He saw what was in their hearts; and the sin in their hearts made their sacrifices unacceptable.

To begin with, their sacrifices were unclean, like offering leaven on the altar, which was forbidden by God (Lev. 2:11; 6:17). God doesn’t want the sacrifices of bulls and goats; He wants the obedience of our hearts (1 Sam. 15:22–23; see Ps. 50:8–9; 51:16–17; Isa. 1:11–17; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6–8; Mark 12:28–34). If the heart isn’t right with God, the sacrifice means nothing (Gen. 4:1–7).

Furthermore, they were proud of what they were doing and made sure everybody knew how generous they were to the Lord. They bragged about their freewill offerings, which were purely voluntary; and they boasted to one another of their sacrifices. It wasn’t the Lord who got the glory! (See Matt. 6:1–4.) They were like people today who make sure their generosity is recognized from the pulpit and in the church bulletin. If it isn’t, they stop giving.

The people of Israel “loved” going to religious meetings, but they didn’t love the God they claimed to worship. Making a pilgrimage to Bethel or Gilgal was the popular thing to do in that day, and everybody wanted to keep up with the crowd. There was no confession of sin, no brokenness before the Lord, but only a religious event that made the participants feel good. The whole system was corrupt; the people were sinning when they thought they were serving the Lord.

The application to today’s church is obvious. It’s very easy for us to join a large, happy religious crowd, enthusiastically sing rousing songs, and put money in the offering plate, and yet not be changed in our hearts. The test of a spiritual experience is not “Do I feel good?” or “Did we have a big crowd and a good time?” The real test is “Do I know God better and am I more like Jesus Christ?”

The people in Amos’s day didn’t return home determined to help the poor, feed the hungry, and care for the widows and orphans. They went home with the same selfish hearts that they had when they left home, because their “worship” was only an empty ritual (Isa. 1:11–17). Any religious “revival” that doesn’t alter the priorities of Christians and help solve the problems in society isn’t a “revival” at all.

It’s interesting that Amos mentioned music, because that’s an important part of the church’s worship. However, what the Jews thought was beautiful music, God considered nothing but “noise” (Amos 5:23). People today will pay high prices for tickets to “Christian concerts,” yet they won’t attend a free Bible study class or Bible conference in their own church. Christian music is big business today, but we wonder how much of it really glorifies the Lord. What we think is music may be nothing but noise to the Lord.

Whether it’s evangelism, education, social action, world missions, or feeding the hungry, everything the church accomplishes for the Lord flows out of worship. If the fountainhead of worship is polluted, the church’s entire ministry will be defiled. Like the Jews in Amos’s day, we’re only going to Bethel and sinning! Therefore, it behooves God’s people to examine their hearts and make certain that their motives are right and that what they do in public meetings glorifies the Lord.

Amos has dealt with two of the three sins that the Lord told him to condemn—luxury and hypocrisy; and now he deals with the third, obstinacy. God’s people were rebellious and hard-hearted, refusing to obey the Lord.

Five times in this passage, Amos says to the people, “Yet you have not returned to Me” (4:6, 8, 9, 10, 11 nkjv). The people of Israel experienced God’s discipline, but they wouldn’t submit to His will; and yet they continued practicing their hypocritical religion! “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt. 7: nkjv).

God’s covenant with the Jews clearly stated that He would bless them if they obeyed His law and would discipline them if they disobeyed (Deut. 27—29). God set before them life and death, blessing and cursing; and He urged them to choose life (30:19–20). Unfortunately, they spurned His love, rejected His warnings, and chose death.

Consider some of the disciplines that God sent to Israel to bring His people back to Himself.

Famine (v. 6). “Cleanness of teeth” simply means the people had no food to eat. So their teeth didn’t get dirty. (The NIV paraphrases it “empty stomachs.”) God’s covenant promised bumper crops if the people obeyed the Lord, but famine if they disobeyed (Lev. 26:27–31; Deut. 28:1–11). When farmers can’t grow crops, food is scarce, food prices go up, and people suffer and die. You would think that this would move people to confess their sins and return to God, but Israel did not return to God.

Drought (vv. 7–8). Instead of sending a general drought over the entire kingdom, God withheld the rain in different places from time to time, thus proving that He was in control. This remarkable demonstration of God’s sovereign power should have reminded the Jews of what the covenant said about the promised rains (Lev. 26:18–20; Deut. 11:16–17; 28:23–24), but they paid no heed.

Destruction of crops (v. 9). Even when God did allow them to grow fruits and vegetables, they weren’t grateful. So He destroyed the crops with blight, mildew, and locusts. Once again, God was being true to His covenant warnings (Deut. 28:38–42). So the nation should not have been surprised.

Sicknesses (v. 10a). One of God’s promises was that His people would not experience the dreadful diseases they saw in Egypt if they were faithful to obey His law (Ex. 15:26); but if they rebelled against Him, they would suffer all the diseases of Egypt (Lev. 26:23–26; Deut. 28:21–22, 27–29, 35, 59–62). As with the other disciplines, God kept His word.

Defeat in war (v. 10b). “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways” (Deut. 28: nkjv; see Lev. 26:6–8). What a promise for a small nation surrounded by huge empires! But the promise would be fulfilled only if the people were faithful to the Lord. If they disobeyed, they would be humiliated and defeated before their enemies (Lev. 26:32–39; Deut. 28:49–58). So terrible would be their defeat that the dead bodies in the camps would not be given decent burial, but would lie there and rot. God kept His promise: the Assyrians conquered Israel and the Babylonians took Judah into captivity.

Catastrophe (v. 11). We aren’t sure just what this calamity was. Perhaps it was an earthquake (1:1), or it may have been the devastating invasion of an army (2 Kings 10:32–33; 13:7). Whatever it was, it had to be something terrible for the Lord to compare it to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24–25; see Deut. 29:23; Isa. 1:9; 13:19). The image of a stick pulled out of the fire suggests that the Lord intervened and saved them at the last minute (Zech. 3:2). They had been burned but not consumed. If so, then their ingratitude and hardness of heart was even more wicked.

Ultimate judgment (v. 12–13). The kingdom of Israel had experienced famine, drought, blight, plagues, wars, and devastating catastrophes as God had tried to speak to His people and bring them to repentance. No matter what discipline He sent, they would not return to Him. What more could He do? He could come Himself and deal with them! “Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel!” (v. 12) was not a call to repentance but an announcement that it was too late to repent. The Lord of Hosts (armies) Himself would come with the Assyrian hordes and take the people away like cattle being led to the slaughter (v. 2). “There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst” (5: niv).

Amos ended his message with a doxology of praise to the Lord (4:13; see 5:8–9; 9:5–6). When a servant of God praises the Lord in the face of impending calamity, it shows he’s a person of great faith (see Hab. 3:16–19). In this doxology, he reminds us that our God is the Creator who can do anything, including making the earth out of nothing. He can turn dawn into darkness; He can tread upon the mountains, and nobody can hinder Him. He is also the omniscient God who knows what we are thinking. Thus there’s nothing we can hide from Him (Ps. 139:1–6). He is the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of heaven and earth!

But are God’s people any more prepared today?