Cows and False Worship

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Opening Prayer

Lord of this and every place, I rejoice in Your presence with me. Speak now, as I wait before You.

Read Amos 4:1-13

^[1] Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!” ^[2] The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. ^[3] You will each go straight out through breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon,” declares the LORD. ^[4] “Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. ^[5] Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings- boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign LORD. ^[6] “I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD. ^[7] “I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. ^[8] People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD. ^[9] “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD. ^[10] “I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD. ^[11] “I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD. ^[12] “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.” ^[13] He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth- the LORD God Almighty is his name.

Meditate

Have you ever thought that there might be a connection between your attitude when going shopping and your attitude when going to church? Think about it now.

Think Further

We often fail to consider the effects of what we do on those who are distant from us socially or geographically. As a result we may be guilty of indirect injustice. This was the case with the upper-class women of Samaria. Their lifestyle made them sleek and well-fed, like the cows in fertile Bashan. To sustain their lifestyle they demanded luxuries from husbands. The word translated as “husbands” (1) means “lords,” suggesting that daughters and concubines are involved, not just wives. Their demands encouraged the men to oppress the poor. Might Christians in wealthy countries share such guilt? Demands for a good standard of living can lead to exploitation of farmers, textile workers and others in the majority world, as well as unsustainable use of resources. Insisting on fairly-traded and sustainably resourced products is one way to tackle indirect injustice. Amos sees these women being driven out into exile like cattle.

In ancient Israel, people were called to worship by priests. Amos parodies such a call, making it a call to sin rather than worship. Israelite worship of his day was enthusiastic and lavish, yet he labels it as sinful because it was self-centered. The worshippers were enjoying themselves and boosting their reputation for piety. Perhaps they also thought that lavish sacrifices would move God to bless them materially, giving them the luxuries they wanted. We can have the same wrong attitude today.

Amos points out that they have already had warnings. The covenant came with promises of blessings and curses. The calamities listed in verses 6-11 echo these curses (Lev. 26:14-35; Deut. 28:15-42). The call to “prepare to meet your God” (12) is therefore a threat. Amos reminds them that this God is not simply their national God but the awesome Creator of the world.

Apply

Is worship for you just a feel-good time or a real God time? What attitudinal changes do you need to make? Are you willing to let God challenge how you live, even how you shop? What are these changes?

Closing prayer

Father God, thank You for reminding me that my actions have a wider influence than I realized.

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