Amos Chapters 4,5,6: Commentary

Amos Chapters 4-6

Chapter 4

4:1 The upper-class women are called “cows of Bashan”. Bashan was a territory east of the Sea of Galilee, which was famous for its lush pastures (Jeremiah 50:19; Micah 7:14), and its well-fed cattle (Psalm 22:12). These prominent women of Samaria are accused of oppressing the poor and needy. They insisted that their husbands continually supply them with intoxicating drinks and the only way that such husbands could support their wives’ expensive tastes was by ruthlessly exploiting the poor and needy. Though the women are said in this verse to have done the oppressing, apparently they did so by domineering their husbands.

“The words oppress and crush describe the threats and physical harassments used to squeeze money from the helpless” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1435). The term for husband here is “lord” or “master”, but the real “master” in these homes was a self-indulgent woman. “Give! Give! Money! Cash! In order to satisfy their insatiable lust for luxuries, drinking parties, riotous banquets, the men must furnish the money” (Laetsch p. 154).

4:2 “The Lord God has sworn by His holiness”: “These poor unfortunates have no human friend to plead their cause. The Lord rises up as their Vindicator. He swears by His holiness, His exalted majesty, His separation from all that is sinful, His hatred of all that is evil and all that are evil” (Laetsch p. 154). This reference to being dragged away with fish hooks could be literal. “Assyrian monuments depict captives dragged along by a rope fastened to a ring in the underlip” (Smith p.

161). Or, the idea could be that Samaria is like a fishpond round which the enemy sits on the encircling mountains and draws out one captive fish after another.

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4:3 “Through the broken-down walls and gates the women are led away, every woman walking straight ahead. No longer as in her heyday does she look around to see whether she and her fineries are duly observed. No, bowed down in shame, she looks neither to the right nor left, stares straight ahead, hoping no one will see her” (Laetsch pp. 154-155). The term Harmon might be a reference to Mount Hermon. “Thus the irony here. The cows of Bashan would end up as carrion on the mountains of Bashan” (Smith p. 161).

Condemnation of their Worship 4:4-5 Remember, Bethel contained one of the idolatrous calves which Jeroboam had erected (1 Kings 12:28-29). Notice, unscriptural worship doesn’t bring a person any closer to God, rather, it only multiplies sin. The usual invitation was “come into the sanctuary to worship”, but at these places, the only thing happening was sin. God doesn’t overlook and nor does He downplay or try to justify false worship. Our denominational friends aren’t getting any closer to God, no matter how enthusiastic or sincere they appear to be to us. Gilgal was where Israel had crossed the Jordan into Palestine and apparently had remained in the eighth century as a center for pilgrimage and sacrifice. “The point is that even exaggerated tithing would avail nothing with God. He cannot be bribed with donations” (Smith p. 162). Normally, tithes were brought annually (Leviticus 27:30). Notice that such false worship was engaged in enthusiastically and sacrificially, yet to no avail.

The Refusal to Repent 4:6 Here we find that people had persisted in their economic exploitation and religious hypocrisy despite God’s repeated attempts to bring them back to Him. God had used famine (cleanness of teeth, i.e., they had nothing to chew on), in hopes of bringing the nation to repentance.

4:7 Such famines were often caused by prior drought. God withheld the spring rains, which are so essential to the summer harvest. This discipline was often selective, so that one town might have rain, while another might not.

4:8 As the wells or cisterns of some cities dried up, its people staggered exhausted from town to town in search of limited drinking water. The contrast between their judgment and another town’s favor should have caused them to ponder God’s action.

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4:9 The third punishment was blight. The scorching east wind off the desert withered the crops. In addition, insect infestation destroyed gardens, vineyards, and fig and olive trees.

4:10 Pestilence and war constituted the fourth blow against Israel. The expression, “after the manner of Egypt”, suggests that these setbacks were just as severe as some of the plagues that fell upon the Egyptians during the Exodus.

4:11 God had, either through earthquake or military conquest completely leveled certain Israelite cities. Some cities just barely survived. “They were ‘like a brand snatched from the fire’, i.e., blackened, diminished, worthless” (Smith p. 164).

4:12 “Prepare to meet your God”: The nation was commanded to get ready for this terrifying moment. Refusal to heed this final appeal will deprive them of every hope of escape from His final Judgment—rejection.

4:13 God has the power to deliver on His promises and threats. The God who will judge them, is the Creator! “Commander of all forces in heaven and earth, He advanced against them. Their judgment was inescapable” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1438).

Chapter 5 Judgment is Certain 5:1-2 Though Israel was at the height of prosperity under Jeroboam II, her judgment was so certain that Amos lamented her fall as though it had already happened. The nation of Israel is called a virgin, in the sense that the nation was in the full bloom of youthful vigor and had never been conquered. Once the Northern Kingdom falls, she will never rise again.

5:3 Her army will be decimated. A town that had detached a military unit of a thousand or a hundred saw only 10 percent return from war. 90 percent of the army would die trying to defend the nation.

Call for Individual Repentance 5:4-5 While the nation would perish, individuals could be saved. But deliverance would not be found at the various idolatrous shrines. The clear message is that Divine guidance and counsel could not be found at any of the 3

shrines in the Northern Kingdom. Gilgal, the ancient entrance into the land (Joshua 4), was to become the symbol of exile from the land. And Bethel, the “house of God”, was to become a place of trouble.

5:6-7 “Those who turn justice into wormwood”: The bitter wormwood plant is a figure here for wrongdoing. Corruption permeated the courts. The nation was accused of casting righteousness to the ground, that is, trampling it under foot.

5:8 He who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion is the One Whom they must face. The rising of Pleiades before daybreak signaled the return to spring while the rising of Orion after sunset heralded the onset of winter. He who controls the 24-hour cycle of day and night, turning blackness into dawn and day into night, he who controls the elements of nature, is the Lord.

5:9 This God whose dominion was unchallenged in heaven was also irresistible on earth. Nothing could withstand His destruction—not the mightiest stronghold or the most fortified city.

Various Injustices 5:10 “Because of their zeal to profit illegally through the courts, they hated any righteous judge who reproved their injustice, and despised any righteous witness who told the truth in defense of the innocent” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p.

1440). The gate was the public forum for business or the administration of justice.

What God wanted was a love of truth and support for those who proclaim it.

5:11 Various members of Israelite society had built beautiful dream houses, but the funds had come from oppressing the poor. God would not allow them to enjoy the fruits of wealth they had illegally obtained. The expression exact a tribute of grain, might refer to bribes which were demanded before they would render a just verdict for the poor.

5:12 God has a complete record of all their sins.

5:13 One of the temptations during such a time of corruption is that prudent people (anyone who wanted to succeed in life), knew that he had to keep silence, for it was dangerous to speak out. But Amos, like all faithful servants must speak out (2 Timothy 4:2-4; Isaiah 6:11-12).

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5:14-15 The possibility still existed for individuals to separate themselves from the widespread corruption. This verse infers that God expected people to speak out against these injustices. Note that holiness had a positive and negative aspect. Seeking good includes that one must hate or abhor evil.

5:16-17 The coming judgment would be complete devastation. “Even the vineyards which were normally places of mirth would become venues of wailing.

Everyone would engage in lamentation. Professional mourners—those to whom tears come easily—would lead the lament” (Smith p. 171).

5:18-20 In Israel’s thinking, “the day of the Lord” was to be the time of God’s culminating vengeance against her enemies. On that day the Israelites thought that God would turn His wrath exclusively on the nations surrounding them.

“Amos’ hearers eagerly anticipated that day. They did not realize, however, that its horrors would fall, not only on the nations, but also on them” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1441). Their experience on the day of God’s judgment would be like that of a man running from a lion who then meets a bear. Somehow eluding this second threat, he managed to flee to his house where he rested his hand on the wall in exhaustion and relief. But there, in the supposed safety of his home, a poisonous snake bit him. In like manner, Israel would find no haven from God’s judgment. The above verse reminds me of so many religious people who long for Jesus to return, who are unaware that they are not right with Him (Matthew 7:2123).

The Accusation of Religious Hypocrisy 5:21-23 God is not obligated to accept very kind of worship, in fact, God hates false worship and hypocritical worship (Matthew 6:1ff; Mark 7:1ff). If the people were banking on their “religion” saving them, God says that all their religious activities are vain.

5:24 “But let justice roll down like waters”: Notice how corrupt worship had moved Israelite society towards moral corruption. Israel was very religious at this period of time and also very dishonest with their brothers. On the surface of things, false religion or doctrine often looks more loving than the truth. But the effect on society isn’t a more loving society, but rather, a more immoral and corrupt society. Instead of ritual, performance, or false worship, God wanted genuine religion (James 1:27). He wanted a passionate concern for the rights of 5

others, that would roll on like an ever-flowing river. “God wanted a day-to-day life of surging integrity and goodness” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1442).

5:25-26 From these verses we learn that Israel hadn’t been faithful to God in the wilderness. From the Exodus, Israel had been guilty of clandestine worship of false gods. The Israelites took up the shrine of Sikkuth[SICK uth]-a Babylonian god mentioned by the prophet Amos (Amos 5:26; Sakkuth RSV). Some scholars identify Sikkuth with Ninurta, the god of war and chase. The term Kiyyun may refer to the worship of such heavenly bodies as the planet Saturn. The reference here appears to be to a portable shrine. Israel’s tainted worship which had begun secretly in the wilderness had continued to the time of Amos.

5:27 Because of such unfaithfulness, Israel would go into captivity. The expression beyond Damascus, means far beyond Damascus.

Chapter 6 6:1 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure”: While the term Zion often refers to Jerusalem, more likely it is used here, as it is frequently in the Scripture, for the people of God collectively. The particular part of the nation which is being targeted is indicated by the next phrase, “those who are secure in the mountain of Samaria”. Through Amos, God had pronounced severe and pointed judgments, yet many people still remained completely comfortable. To this day, despise the biblical warnings about dying outside of Christ, many people still feel very secure. Apparently, the men in Samaria considered themselves the notable men of the foremost nation. They felt invincible.

6:2 But God directed these proud men to go to cities which had also considered themselves great and immune from God’s judgment. Calneh and Hamath were cities in northern Aram. They had been overrun by Assyria in the years 854-846 B.C.. Gath, a major city of the Philistines had been devastated in 815 B.C. Was Israel any better prepared to fend off an attack than these powerful cities?

6:3 In their pride, the Israelites apparently thought they could put off a day of judgment. But the seat of violence or reign of terror was approaching. Such expressions rightly describe the last years of Israel’s history before her captivity (2 Kings 15:8-17:6). In the 31 years after Jeroboam II, Israel had six kings, three of whom seized power by political coup and assassination.

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Their Luxurious Indulgence 6:4-7 Rather than heed the prophet’s warnings of judgment, the leaders of Samaria instead gave themselves to a decadent hedonism. They reclined on expensive beds whose wood was inlaid with ivory. “The Hebrew word for sprawl conveys a sprawled stupor of satiation and drunkenness, with arms and legs hanging over the side” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1443). In their drunkenness they imagined themselves strumming like David as they attempted to improvise music at their parties. Not content to drink wine from goblets, they consumed it by the bowlful. From verse 5 some have reasoned that David sinfully added instrumental music to the worship found in the Old Testament.

The side reference for the expression composed songs is “invented musical instruments”. Yet it was by inspiration that instrumental music was specifically commanded in the Old Testament (Psalm 150). Hence, David did invent such instruments, but they were invented by God’s permission. While David composed such songs for the glory of God, these men composed songs for their drunken feasts.

6:6 “Yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph”: Such people demonstrated callused unconcern. They were so concerned with sinful selfindulgence that they could not see the approaching ruin coming upon “Joseph”, i.e., Israel. Israel is called Joseph, because the two most prominent tribes in the north were descended from Joseph, that is, Ephraim and Manasseh. Are we really concerned about the growth and purity of the church or are we too busy pursuing our own interests?

6:8 “Amos’ attack on the luxury-loving northern tribes cannot be dismissed as the ravings of a conservative country bumpkin against urban society” (Smith p.

179). God Himself was genuinely offended by the conduct of these people, He says that He loathes their arrogant attitude.

6:9 So completely would God deliver up the city that even if ten men should huddle in one house to escape the sword, they would die of pestilence.

6:10 A relative who came to remove bodies would be so afraid of death that if he discovered a survivor hiding in the house he would quickly bid him not even to mention the name of God. The expression appears to be one of hopeless despair.

“The God of life has forsaken the city and has surrendered it to bloody warfare, famine, epidemics, horror, despair, death!” (Laetsch p. 173).

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6:11-12 The dwellings of both rich and poor would be totally demolished. “Men call their sins by whatever softening terms they choose, but the end of sin against God is disaster. Will horses run over rocks without exposing themselves to the danger of stumbling? Do men plow there with their oxen? The answer to both is No. To act in such manner would be sheer stupidity. It is equally as stupid and contrary to nature and its consequences to act as the people of Israel had in turning justice into gall..” (Hailey p. 115).

6:13 Israel’s leaders considered themselves immune to disaster. Under Jeroboam II they had won an unbroken string of military victories (2 Kings 14:25). Lo Debar and Karnaim are the names of two cities which Israel had captured during such wars. They convinced themselves that by the capture of such cities, they were immune and could not be defeated. They were on a roll and nothing could stop them.

6:13 “Have we not by our own strength taken”: Man always finds himself in trouble when he thinks that he did it all by himself.

6:14 But their feelings of invincibility would quickly be shaken. The nation that God raised up to punish Israel was Assyria. And all the territory they boastfully held from the northern frontier of Hamath to the southern border of the Arabah, would be taken by this invading foe. Hopefully then Israel would finally realize whose strength really determined the destiny of nations.

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