Amos 4 -- Old Testament -- Gospel Daily

Amos

Chapter 4

Covenant Curses and Failed Repentance

Amos addresses the 'kine of Bashan' in Samaria who oppress the poor and crush the needy. The LORD swears by his holiness that he will take them away with hooks and fishhooks, casting them toward the breaches. Ironically, the LORD calls them to come to Beth-el and Gilgal to transgress with sacrifices, for their religious observances without justice are abominations. The LORD has sent multiple covenant curses to bring repentance: cleanness of teeth and want of bread in all cities, withheld rain on some cities while it falls on others, blasting and mildew that devour gardens, pestilence and sword slaying their young men, and the overthrow of some cities like Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet they have not returned to the LORD. Therefore they must prepare to meet their God.

Oppression of poorFalse worshipCovenant cursesHardened hearts

¹Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

²The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.

³And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD.

⁴Come to Beth-el, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:

⁵And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

⁶And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

⁷And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

⁸So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

⁹I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

¹⁰I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

¹¹I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

¹²Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

¹³For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.