seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Amos 4:1 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.[a]
3 You will each go straight out
through breaches in the wall,
and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[b]”
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.[c]
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.
a. Amos 4:2 Or away in baskets, / the last of you in fish baskets
b. Amos 4:3 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew (see Septuagint) out, you mountain of oppression
c, Amos 4:4 Or day
So it seems that the rich women were just has annoying as the rich men..... but, God says "Prepare to meet your God".
This is from bible-studys.org.
The husbands of “Samaria” met their wives’ demands for luxury by denying “the poor” justice, and then by taking their land through excessive taxation and usury. These wealthy women (“cows of Bashan”), were in turn using their wealth to enrich themselves rather than to help the needy, unaware that they were “fattening” themselves for the slaughter of God’s devastating judgment.
The people of Israel upheld the elements of religion they preferred. The feasting and festivals, while ignoring God’s real priorities such as justice. They even set up a shrine in “Beth-el” so they would not have to travel to the temple in Jerusalem for worship. So God sarcastically told Israel to continue their hypocritical worship.
Before confronting sinners in final judgment, God has often used drastic measures, in this case, famine, drought, the devastation of crops, plague, and warfare; in an effort to get people’s attention and bring them to repentance. Still, Israel would not return to Him. Every person must “prepare to meet … God”, either as loving father or as divine Judge (Heb. 10:31; Rev. 20:15).
This is a declaration that Creator God will bring this punishment on them. This is no idle threat, but is made by the Ruler of the universe. The mountains are from generation to generation, and are one of the most permanent of His creations. No one knows where the wind comes from, but God created it too. God is God of all His creation. The Lord, Jehovah, the Eternal One, Alpha and Omega, the One who exists, the All Powerful, is still in control of all. He can do with any of it whatever He chooses. It all belongs to God.
This is from enduringword.com.You cows of Bashan: Amos wasn’t trained as a prophet, he was a simple herdsman and farmer. When he wanted to get the point across to the indulgent women of Israel, he called them fat cows. The area of Bashan – in the northern part of Israel, the modern-day Golan Heights – was known for producing fat and healthy livestock.
Who oppress the poor, who crush the needy: It wasn’t that these women were plump and affluent; it was that they gained their wealth and affluence by oppressing and crushing the less fortunate. God saw this and promised to hold them to account.
Who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink”: It wasn’t that these women were plump and affluent; it was that they used their affluence in the pure, self-focused pursuit of pleasure. God saw this and promised to hold them to account.
He will take you away with fishhooks: God told unrepentant Israel of their coming agony when they would be conquered and exiled by the Assyrians. When the Assyrians depopulated and exiled a conquered community, they led the captives away on journeys of hundreds of miles, with the captives naked and attached together with a system of strings and fishhooks pierced through their lower lip. God would make sure they were led in this humiliating manner through the broken walls of their conquered cities. This would thoroughly humble the fat cows of Israel.
All the way through the Old Testament.... women have been subservient to the men. There were a couple of handfuls of women in the Old Testament who had a say in what happened to them and their land. It seems that the women made out pretty good after Israel split away from Judah. Those women appear to give orders to their men.Amos didn't have a problem with women in general, I'm sure. He had a problem with the "fat cows" who were so self absorbed and over indulged that they had to have the very finest of everything in opulent quantities at the expense of everyone and everything around them. Apparently they were as bad as the men.
When I opened this chapter..... I thought I was going to get to comment on how the "#metoo" movement might have been handy back then. I thought I was going to get to say.... Hey women.... they've been mistreating us since forever..... but these women.... these women are just rude and mean and the type that would say "let them eat cake" when someone told them there was no flour for bread. They were too lazy to go to the Temple in Jerusalem, Judah. They thought the earth revolved around them.... they could wear a coat that says "we don't care" and it would have been the truth.
God had Amos warn them.... they would be hauled out of Israel.... with a fish hook through their lip...... how's that for a fashion statement.
"Hey girls...." I would say.... "Hey girls... the Bible is not just a warning for men.... women did their injustices too..... Eve wasn't the only one offering poison apples to her hubby...... "
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