Prepare to Meet Your God (Amos 4:1–13)

A major theme in Amos is that of God’s promised, irrevocable judgement. Israel has stubbornly defied her God, sinning against God’s light, law, and love. She has seemingly reached the point of no return. Therefore, she must prepare to meet her God, not merely in his acts of judgement but in a more personal way of accountability. But the question remains: Will she meet him in acceptable worship or will she meet him in inescapable wrath? That depends on whether she repents of her sin. This is the explicit theme of chapter four.

Amos provides an anatomy of apostasy as we dissect and discern the inexcusable sin of God’s people. We learn the symptoms of a church in decline. This serves to warn us, for, as with Israel, there is coming a day when we will meet our God “in person,” as it were. Each Lord’s Day, we corporately meet with our God for a dress rehearsal of the ultimate day when we will meet our God in person. It is an opportunity for repentance to prepare us to meet with God face to face on Judgement Day. Are we prepared? What is our spiritual condition, both as individuals and corporately? Our text is a means of grace to prepare us for that meeting. So let us humbly sit under the word as it examines us and then let us respond accordingly.

Our text points to three signs of spiritual decline and concludes with a word of warning. We will consider the text under the following headings:

1. A Stunning Indictment of the Women (vv. 1–3)
2. A Sarcastic Call to Worship (vv. 4–5)
3. A Stubborn Response to the Word (vv. 6–11)
4. A Sobering Warning of Wrath (vv. 12–13)

Amos begins,

Verse 1 is an attention-grabbing headline: “you cows of Bashan.” What does he mean?

Amos is practising what he has been preaching: God’s judgement of sin is impartial. Whether apostate males or apostate females, God will judge sinners. In this passage, Amos aims the word of God at women who have enriched themselves through oppression of the needy with the aid of their passive husbands. He provocatively refers to these women as “cows of Bashan.” His reference has nothing to do with physical characteristics but rather with moral characteristics. These women behaved in a beastly way.

Bashan was a region northeast of the Jordan River and was known for its lush pastures and therefore as a place of great agricultural fertility and thus for the raising of healthy cattle (Deuteronomy 32:14; Ezekiel 39:18; Micah 7:14). In Psalm 22:12 the bulls of Bashan symbolise violence and strength.

Thus, Amos is metaphorically referring to living in the lap of that which is lush—living in the lap of luxury, we might say.

The rebuke is not against luxuries per se but rather what these women did to obtain the luxuries: They oppressed the poor and crushed the needy. They took advantage of the weak to increase their wealth. As Motyer adds, “The womenfolk are just like so many prime head of cattle (4:1), content with a purely animal existence, wanting nothing more.”

The context implies that they did so continually. Their mistreatment of the marginalised, motivated by an orgy of materialism, characterised this self-centred stratum of society. These women were the polar opposite of the godly woman of Proverbs 31.

As T. J. Betts suggests, we might label this passage “The Real Housewives of Samaria,” or, “The Divas of Bashan.” In our day, we can liken it perhaps to wives of footballers or the Kardashians. Though I have never watched either, I deduce from advertisements that they fit the bill.

Applying this to another category, perhaps this depraved description applies to the wives of prosperity preachers or to both male and female prosperity preachers themselves.

But before we get too comfortable with pointing fingers at others, it might also look like Christian men and women who enjoy a luxurious lifestyle off the broken backs of others. The historical context of Boxing Day seems to fit this category, as does not paying a dignified wage in sweatshops in Johannesburg, churches that keep their pastors poor, or the situation described in James 2:1–4.

Each of us needs to be honest before God—really honest—about our lifestyle. God gives through us, not merely to us. Radical living for Christ is inseparable from radical giving to and for Christ. But when material things, including luxurious lifestyles, take on an idolatrous hold, we are in trouble with the Lord and we need to repent both in principle and in practice.

These self-centred, self-indulgent women were apparently also self-exalting as they dominated their husbands, continually demanding, “Bring that we may drink.” This probably refers to their husbands (“lords” in Hebrew) who exploited the poor, taking their meagre material wealth to satisfy the insatiable desire of their women. These pathetic, passive husbands apparently complied. The context perhaps indicates that the husbands, like king Ahab, wimpishly carried out evil oppression under the nagging of their wives (1 Kings 21:1–7ff; see also Isaiah 3:16–4:1).

The mention of women drenched in luxuries, assuming a posture of dominant demand’ over their husbands (v. 1b) reveals a culture in decline. It was neither the first nor the last time.

Eve usurped authority over her (passive) husband, taking on the characteristic of a slithering beast. In Romans 1:18–26ff society is revealed to be in decline by beastly behaviour, commencing with the beastly behaviour of women (vv. 26–27). Paul warned Timothy that, in the last days, motherly love would be on the wane (2 Timothy 3:3—“heartless,” “unloving,” “without natural affection”).

When a society is characterised by loss of maternal affection, when a society is turned wrong-side up in which men are passive and women are domineering (1 Timothy 2:11–15), then not only spiritual but also moral decline has begun and judgement is near. Sound familiar?

When women apostatise, society has reached a point of no return. Though the cows of Bashan were a problem, the oxen of Bashan were most likely the most to be blamed. Men must man up.

The Assyrians will treat them as beastly—and more so—than how they treated others. Exile will be the portion of these ungodly, oppressive women. The cows of Bashan will be treated like stinking fish. Be sure your sin will find you out.

In addition to beastly behaviour by those normally characterised as benevolent, Israel’s apostasy is revealed in a merely formal religion. We see this here as a sarcastic call to worship is issued.

Amos sarcastically mocks the religious zeal of those of Israel who “worship” at the “houses” of Bethel (literally “house of God” [Genesis 28:18–22]) and Gilgal (“roll away” [Joshua 5]). In this parody of a call to worship, Amos calls them to their house of God to sin (transgress).

Their religious worship was sinful. In fact, it was damningly sinful. To persist in their heartless worship was to bring judgement upon themselves. While offering sacrifices, they were making themselves lambs to the slaughter. As Boice comments, “The people can go to these shrines. They can call on Yahweh. But all they will do is increase their sins and pile up wrath against the day of God’s judgement.”

They paid close attention to detail as they followed the instructions of Torah (vv. 4–5a).

In accordance with Numbers 28:3–4 they brought their daily sacrifice. The smell of burning flesh, indicating devotion to Yahweh, was in the air with the appointed priests doing their thing.

There might be a translation problem, and the text could read “every three years” (which accords with Scripture), or they were so zealous in their giving that they brought tithes literally every three days. Regardless, the budget looked good and healthy and the needs of the place of worship were being met.

Thanksgiving and freewill offerings were being offered along with the prescribed leaven (which was not sinful [see Leviticus 7:13–15; 23:17]).

The words “proclaim” and “publish” indicate precisely what Jesus warned against when it came to one’s religious practice: They trumpeted before others what they were doing “at church” (Matthew 6:1–8). And they loved to do it. “Their motive was to magnify their generosity toward God, not to praise God’s gracious provisions for them,” notes one commentator. And lest anyone thinks this was merely Amos’s opinion, the closing words “declares the LORD” puts that suspicion to rest.

God, who sees the heart, declares that this was all a show and hence rejected by him. Their “worship” had nothing to do with God, his desires, his will, or his service. In fact, as he makes clear, by their hypocritical, self-absorbed religious practice they were sinning more (“multiply transgressions”).

Reading the various sacrifices and offerings, there is a glaring absence: There is no mention of either a sin or a guilt offering. Therefore, their offerings were meaningless—and rejected.

This glaring absence speaks to the self-righteous spirit of the people. They felt no pangs of guilt over their sin and therefore, as the next passage illuminates, they saw no need for repentance.

When we grow insensitive to sin, when we become oblivious to our rebellion, then our “religion” will be powerless because vacuous. Be careful. Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). Keep a soft heart and a tender conscience before the Lord.

Gilgal was a place where Israel had re-covenanted with God when the second generation of Israelites had entered Canaan. This re-covenanting was marked (literally) by circumcision. The place was named Gilgal because it was there that Israel’s reproach of being slaves of Egypt was “rolled away” as they commenced as a new creation (Joshua 5:1–9).

How pathetically sad that Gilgal was now a place where the reproach of unfaithfulness has been “rolled back” upon them.

We will come across this theme of religious hypocrisy again in 5:21–22, where God makes clear what he thinks of their religious zeal. Onlookers might have been impressed but God was disgusted.

Societies that at one time were characterised by biblical values but are now in decline do not necessarily become atheistic. They will still have their places of worship and even their religious holidays and yet it is all smoke and mirrors. It is all for show—no scriptural because no spiritual substance.

Consider the irreverent craziness in many places of worship or the irreverent reverence of churches that have forsaken the gospel (see Revelation 3:14ff).

The major problem that Amos addressed, and the major failures of churches in our day, is what David Wells calls the “weightlessness” of God. When God is not weighty, worship is lite.

The church is always only one generation from extinction. We must not only worship the one true God, but we must worship him in the way he has prescribed. And if you don’t care about that, then you need to repent and start caring about this.

All the above indicates Israel’s moral and spiritual decline as the result of covenantal unfaithfulness. And as God promised when the nation was established, there would be severe covenantal curses. This is made clear in vv. 6–11.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).

It is important to keep in mind that though much of these curses are characterised in our day as “natural disaster,” the last verse of the chapter makes clear that the God of hosts rules over nature. Therefore, these are not merely consequences of living in a sin-broken world but are active judgements by the sovereign Lord. But we must also be careful of concluding that, whenever a farmer suffers from drought, it should be linked to alleged unfaithfulness to God—any more than we should conclude that someone “plagued” with cancer is either backslid or apostate. That just will not do. We need to tread carefully.

Amos mentions five historical judgements in which God fulfilled his promised covenantal sanctions upon his disobedient people. In each case the punishment, sanction, or covenantal curse was revealed in God’s established covenant as recorded in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. God is a covenant-keeping God and this goes both for covenantal blessings and covenantal curses. Hear these words from Deuteronomy 7:1–11.

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you,  and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction.  You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.  You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.

This covenantal promise is precisely what Amos refers to here and yet sadly, in each case, the result of the judgement was the same indicated by the pathetic words, “yet you did not return to me” (vv. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11). In keeping with the metaphor of v. 1, here we might say that Israel was generally as stubborn as an ox.

In keeping with the covenantal curses, Amos warned Israel of famine (v. 6; Leviticus 26:26); drought (vv. 7–8; Leviticus 26:19; Deuteronomy 28:22); blight and mildew (v. 9a. Deuteronomy 28:22); locusts (v. 9b; Deuteronomy 28:38, 42); pestilence (v. 10a; Deuteronomy 28:20–22; Deuteronomy 28:27); sword (v. 10b; Leviticus 26:23–25); and complete overthrow (v. 11; Deuteronomy 29:10–25).

First, God takes his covenant seriously. His word is true. Those who disobey his word will suffer the consequences. Disobedience reaps the consequences of chastening in a Christian’s life; disobedience reaps the consequences of eternal death in an unbeliever’s life. Therefore, repent.

Second, God brings about judgement for sin both to satisfy his justice and to awaken sinners. Each refrain—“yet you did not return to me”—indicates that he wanted them to return to him. The fact that God plucked them as a brand out of the burning indicates that he did not desire to completely annihilate them. God uses consequences from our sin to get our attention so that we will repent (see 2 Corinthians 7:10–11; Hebrews 12:7–11).

Third, don’t be foolish. Don’t ignore God’s awakening work in your life. Don’t delay until it is too late to be plucked from the fire of God’s judgement. When a society is in decline it has hardened its conscience against God and apart from divine awakening it has reached a point of no return. Therefore, let us pray.

The Lion has roared (1:2; 3:8) summonsing rebellious Israel to his den for a meeting. They are told to prepare to meet their God.

In these closing verses, we have a serious call to prepare to meet with God. Until now, they have heard the roar of the Lion, but now they are summonsed to his den. How will they fare? It all depends on how they prepare for the meeting. Will they prepare to worship him or will they prepare for receiving his wrath?

Verses 4–5 was a parody of a priestly call to worship. It was a sarcastic call to gather at a religious meeting place to perform empty religious ritual. But here Israel receives a serious word of warning that the game is up and that they are called upon to a serious meeting with Yahweh.

They can prepare through repentance and thus it will be a meeting for worship, or they can prepare through their continual rebellion and the meeting will be for wrath. Worship God or experience the wrath of God. The choice is theirs. How will they choose to prepare for the meeting? More to the point, how will you?

Lest any of his hearers treat this summons with a mere yawn, Amos reminds them in v. 13 of the awesome, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent nature of God. Their Creator—our Creator!—has all the authority of the universe at his disposal. Hence Amos concludes, “The LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!”

What fools we are to defy him. What fools we are to live as though we can escape accountability to him. What fools we are to think we can rebel with impunity. What fools we are to want to sin against such a glorious God.

What is our hope in life and death? Our only hope is in the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth. Our only hope is therefore in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18–20). We must bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ who prepared himself to meet the wrath of God on our behalf so that we can be prepared to meet with God in humble and true worship.

Christian, let this gospel move us to deeper devotion and to daily worship. Let this gospel move each of us to profound gratitude that there is no wrath left for us.

Non-Christian: You will meet your God—yes the God you might claim does not exist. You will meet in his den. You will stand before him. Your only hope is in the one who has done so and survived. Repent and trust Christ today.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must grasp that the only hope for a society that is in decline, the only hope for a church that is in decline, is to return to the LORD God. Therefore let us go into our daily lives prepared with the gospel to help one another and others to prepare to meet our God.

AMEN