God Judges Corruption

Series: God Speaks

Text: Amos 4:1-13

Introduction: (What?)

I recently read a letter from someone who had been deeply wounded by a few corrupt people who are part of an otherwise great organization. My heart was pierced as I realized that often I had been silent in the face of corruption when I should have spoken out about it. Amos reported that God has no patience with either social or spiritual corruption, and that there will be consequences. This is the second of the five sermons that Amos delivered to Israel.

Explanation: (Why?)

1. The Corrupt Called Out (v v 1-5)

Amos pulls no punches as he addresses the issue of corruption in Israel. In these first five verses he singles out the aristocratic upper-class women of Israel.

“Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who are on the hill of Samaria, women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to their husbands, ‘Bring us something to drink.’”

Bashan was a fertile region near Mt. Hermon which was known for its lush pastures. Cattle that were grazed there became extremely fat. Amos likens the upper class women of Israel with these “fat cows”. They were extremely self-absorbed. They treated even their husbands as household slaves. While glutting themselves on rich food and drink, they ignored the plight of the poor and needy.

“The LORD God has sworn by His holiness. ‘Look, the days are coming when you will be taken away with hooks, every last one of you with fishhooks. You will go through breaches in the wall,each woman straight ahead, and you will be driven along toward Harmon.’ This is the LORD’s declaration.” (vv 2-3) God’s judgment on these “cows of Bashan” is quite graphic. The picture is of women being led out by hooks in their noses attached to ropes or chains. The fact that they will “go through breaches in the wall”, shows that the walls of the city of Samaria (Jerusalem) have been torn down. There is no need to go through a gate, you can just walk straight ahead.

In our day feminism has flourished to the point that women are seeking to supplant men in the workplace and in the home. You can see this a great deal through TV commercials that show the men doing the house work while the women are the bread-winners. Part of this is due to men not taking seriously their role as leader of the family, especially in spiritual matters. Women, who have been more sensitive to the needs of others in the past, have become hardened in their pursuit of “equality”. The reality is that the so-called equality is actually a step down from the position God had given them. When people try to function outside the roles that God has ordained for them, judgment is sure, and it will not be pretty.

“Come to Bethel and rebel; rebel even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tenths every three days. Offer leavened bread as a thank offering. and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings, for this is what you Israelites love to do! This is the LORD’s declaration.”

Remember that Bethel was not only the place of Jacob’s dream, it had become the center of idol worship in Israel. The women of Israel, with their feminized husbands in tow, were rebelling against God with their idol worship. Though the Israelites were very pious in their worship, Amos sneered at their offerings to the idols. In our day so-called spirituality has increased, but that is not referring to a quest for God. Instead people are seeking a “deeper” spiritual experience by looking within or by pursuing Eastern religions, Wicca and witchcraft. They are very pious in their “worship”, but they are pursuing the wrong God.

2. Judgment Prophesied (v v 6-11)

As God often does, He sent several “warning shots” over the head of Israel to get them to repent and return to Him. However in each circumstance He noted, “yet you did not return to Me.”

v 6 “I gave you absolutely nothing to eat in all your cities, a shortage of food in all your communities, yet you did not return to Me. This is the LORD’s declaration.

vv 7-8 “I also withheld the rain from you while there were still three months until harvest. I sent rain on one city but no rain on another. One field received rain while a field with no rain withered. Two or three cities staggered to another city to drink water but were not satisfied, yet you did not return to Me. This is the LORD’s declaration.”

v 9 “I struck you with blight and mildew, the locust devoured your many gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and olive trees, yet you did not return to Me. This is the LORD’s declaration.”

v 10 “I sent plagues like those to Egypt, I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I caused the stench of your camp to fill your nostrils, yet you did not return to Me. This is the LORD’s declaration.”

v 11 “I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were a burning stick snatched from a fire, yet you did not return to Me. This is the LORD’s declaration.”

How many “wake-up” calls has God sent to America? We have suffered droughts and famine in various parts of our nation. Rampant floods, storms, and earthquakes have hit us. WW 1; financial crisis; Pearl Harbor, WW 2, the Korean Conflict, the Viet Nam War, and the War against Terrorism. Then terrorism came to our shores in the form of the bombing of various buildings in major cities, the attack on the World Trade Center, school shootings and other mass murders. And yet…we have not returned to God. Our tendency is to view these as isolated incidents rather than a message from the God whom we have spurned.

3. The Unrepentant will Face God (v v 11-13)

Verse 12 begins with that word which draws our attention to what has just transpired.

“Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you, and since I will do that to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God!”

This is not speaking of an audience with God as in prayer or worship, It is referring to the judgment of God. And if you need further introduction to who God is...

“He is here; the One who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thought to man, the One who makes the dawn out of darkness and strides on the heights of the earth. The LORD God of Armies is His name.”

Just as Israel was given many opportunities to repent, so have we. Just as judgment for Israel came to pass, so will judgment on America come. One commentator wrote, “Men feel secure so long as God remains in heaven, but when He comes to earth in judgment they are gripped by the terrifying realization that they must meet the holy God in person.”

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

Are you ready to meet God in person?

Have you turned from self and sin to Jesus as the only way to God and salvation?

If so, have you confessed every known sin since you surrendered to Christ?