Lesson Focus:
God’s judgment is not just for those who actively participate in oppression and violence, but also for those whose lifestyle perpetuates the system of violence and exploitation.
Through this lessons students should:
1. Understand that Israel chose to walk with God in covenant fidelity
2. Understand that Israel had saved up oppression and violence not earthly goods
3. Understand that God’s judgment is not just for those who actively oppress others, but also for those who participate in oppressive systems.
Catching up on the story:
Ok, so I’m not sure where this went. The entire file went missing but I’ve managed to find this much, minus this section. I’ll have to work on it later.
The Text:
This week’s text can be split into several sections. The first section, 3:1-8, establishes a cause and effect relationship between Israel’s action and God’s forthcoming judgment. Verses 9-11 seek to call outsiders as witnesses against Israel. Finally, 3:12 through 4:3 begin to announce the ways in which God will bring about punishment on Israel. We will examine each section in turn.
Cause and Effect: 3:1-8
Chapter three begins with a formulaic pronouncement statement. The words of the previous two chapters should give Amos’ hearers an occasion to pause and consider what will happen. Amos stands and declares that what is about to follow if a word directly from God. They are not his words, but the word of the God who brought them up from the land of Egypt. In reality the line, “O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt.” is meant to remind Israel, not just of their past salvation, but of the fact that they belong to a family much larger than themselves.
They are no less and no more God’s people than their neighbors Judah. God asserts that Israel, and Judah for that matter, have been in special relationship with God. The “You only have I known” of verse 2 details this special relationship. In the Old Testament the word “know” has two specific meanings. The first is used to describe intimate relations between a man and a woman. The second use belongs to the realm of covenants and treaties. Taken together, God has “known” Israel in both a close and intimate way because of covenant relationship to one another.
As Amos reestablishes the fact that Israel exists as a result of God’s good grace and mercy, he begins to remind the people that they entered into this covenant relationship willingly. Verses 3 through 8 describe a series of questions that are put to the listener that describe some cause and effect relationships. Each question is meant to elicit the answer, “No, of course not.” The first, “Do two walk together unless they have made and appointment.” can be a little ambiguous. The NIV’s rendering, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” is clearer. The effect of the line of questioning is to get the hearers used to answering in the negative.
Verses 7 and 8 are where Amos really wishes to make his point. At this point in his ministry some might be wondering, “Who is this guy and why is he talking like this to us?” Amos offers an answer. When it comes to God’s interaction with his chosen people, especially when it comes to correction and judgment in the light of covenant unfaithfulness, God speaks his intentions through a prophet. In these two verses Amos declares that God is about to act and he has revealed his plans to Amos. The burden of the prophet is so great that he cannot be quiet. Those who hear the words of God must speak them. Amos is a prophet of God. God’s plans have been revealed to him and he cannot remain silent.
Inspection Time: 3:9-11
Now that Amos has established who he his and why he speaks, he will begin to deliver God’s message. The language in this section is largely metaphorical. Amos commands the leaders of Israel to issue summons to Ashdod (a Philistine stronghold) and Egypt for their experts to come and inspect Israel’s fortifications. Only, what the inspectors are to inspect is not the strongholds themselves, but Israel’s treasures, which Amos declares are great tumults, oppressions, violence and robbery. This international review board is to come to Israel to see how Israel has gained all that she has gained through unrest, oppression and robbery. In fact, Israel has not stored up for herself riches, as she has assumed she had, but has stored up for herself unrest and violence.
Because they have prospered through violence, unrest, robbery and oppression, their land shall be surrounded and their strongholds will be plundered. There is a sense here that the very violence and oppression, which came to be housed in Israel’s metaphorical strong holds, will now be unleashed upon her. As the rich and powerful in Israel have treated others, so shall they be treated.
Fat, Stubborn Cows: 3:13-4:3
Verse 12 begins a new section with the phrase, “Thus says the Lord.” Israel, in addition to her violent and oppressive lifestyle, has also practiced a form of self-deception. She has fancied herself safe because of her wealth and because of her continued religious practices. She has never stopped worshiping God, but she has failed to remember exactly what that means for her and her lifestyle. In this section Amos strips away those self-deceptions noting that the things Israel trusts to save her will not.
The imagery of verse 12 is drawn from the life of a shepherd. A shepherd was responsible to pay restitution for any animal he lost while on watch. The shepherd, however, was not responsible to pay for the animal if he could prove that the death was unavoidable. If an animal was carried off by a predator the shepherd would not be charged if he could produce a little of the animal’s remains. A small part of the ear, or a leg from a sheep, would have been sufficient. God declares that all that will be saved from Israel will be the small corner of a couch and part of a bed. The reality that the shepherd image evokes is stark. The destruction of Israel will be complete. Not much will be left, only bits here and there. The destruction of Israel will also be inevitable. Despite our stories of the shepherded David fending off a lion and bear, attacks and losses of animals due to large predators were inevitable. So, Israel’s destruction, as a result of her continued covenantal infidelity, will be inevitable.
In verse 13 an unnamed group is called to bring warning to the house of Israel. The unnamed group may be those summoned to Israel earlier, or they may be those who have suffered at the oppressive and violent hands of Israel. Whoever they are, they are called, not as a normal witness is, to implicate guilt or innocence, but to warn Israel that judgment is coming.
Israel has continued to offer worship at the altars of Bethel. The horns of the altar were places of safety and asylum. “In a situation of blood vengeance and punitive pursuit, a fugitive could grasp and hold on to these horns. Because the altar also functions as a place of asylum, the fugitive was there by safe from his pursuers (1 Kgs 1:50; 2:28; Ex 21:13-14).” If the horns of the altar were to be cut of, it would cease to function as a place of safety and asylum. The point is clear; the place where Israel has sought safety in times of trouble will be destroyed. Israel’s worship will not be able to save them. Neither will the wealth that has allowed them to maintain two residences.
The beginning of chapter 4 remains part of this section. Once again the people are encouraged to hear what will now be said. Only this time the audience has been narrowed down. Amos now speaks to the women in the crowd. Bashan was a fertile plan known for its pasturelands, which could support cattle. These cows would have been fat and well fed, lacking in nothing. Just who is Amos calling cows? Amos is referring to the wives of the political social elite. Judgment is coming on them because they have pressed their husbands to provide for their every want. They say to their husbands, while reclining on couches, “Bring something to drink!” “Amos charges that their lifestyle has been purchased at the cost of direct oppression and exploitation of the poor and needy (v. 1). Their excesses have denied the possibility of enough for others.” This affluent lifestyle was maintained by the oppressive and violent practices about which Amos has already spoken.
In verse 2 we get one of the first glimpses of exile. A power, which God has appointed to do his bidding, will destroy Israel and bust through her walls. They will take these cows and lead them away through the breach they created in the wall. They will be dragged away with hooks. The image here is not a pretty one, but is clear. Those who oppress others so that their desires can be satisfied will not go unpunished.
So What:
It will be difficult, in the weeks that follow, not to get bogged down in the rather melancholy and judgmental tone of the book of Amos. What we must not miss, however, is the message that Amos declares is for us too. This message, while dark and foreboding, can enlighten us to our own possible sins and crimes against humanity (personally and corporately). The one thing that is clear from these oracles, specifically the oracle against Israel, is that Israel is just as guilty if not more guilty than the others because of the circumstances from which she rose. It was out of God’s compassion for the poor, the barren and the oppressed that Israel becomes a nation. It is in an act of judgment against a people who had mistreated the poor that God carves out a place for Israel to live. Simply, Israel owes her existence to the grace and mercy of God.
We, like Israel, are a people who owe our existence to the grace and mercy of God. It is out of the bondage of sin, out of the oppression of death that we have been saved and constituted a people. But unlike Israel, we must not forget how and by whose hand we became a people. If we forget, in our prosperity we will fall prey to the same temptations as Israel did, the temptations to use and abuse our neighbor instead of becoming extensions of God’s grace and mercy. To whom much is given, must is expected.
Critical Discussion Questions:
1. What does God look like in this text/Who is God in this text/What is God doing in this text?
a. In the light of Israel’s history with God, God is making a case for the judgment he will bring. God will not allow those who perpetuate exploitation and oppression to go on forever. There will be judgment for everyone who exploits and oppresses others so that they might prosper.
2. What does holiness/salvation look like in this text?
a. Holiness looks like living a life that is free of exploitation and oppression. This kind of life is hard for us to achieve here in the United States. Holiness means allowing the Holy Spirit to challenge the ways in which we live so that our lives might not harm others. It also means actively seeking to fight injustice and oppression here and now.
3. How does an encounter with this story shape who we are and who we should become?
a. It is very easy for us to cry foul when someone has actively cheated others so that they might gain monetarily. No one thinks Bernie Madoff, credit card scammers, or identity thefts, should get off scot-free. What we often fail to see is how our own lifestyles implicate us in systems that actively seek to exploit and oppress others. Amos makes it clear that God’s judgment is for those who are implicitly guilty too. We should examine our own entanglements and then seek to change our ways.
Specific Discussion Questions:
Read the text aloud. Then, read the text to yourself quietly. Read it slowly, as if you were very unfamiliar with the story.
- Amos addresses the people of Israel as the “whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt.” Why does he do this?
- Verse two states that God had a special relationship with Israel. Why does he remind them of that here?
- What is the point behind Amos’ set of questions in verses 3-8? What is the common answer that they all share?
- Amos calls the leaders of Israel to invite outsiders (Ashbod and Egypt) to come and inspect their strongholds. Why does Amos thing that the inspection will reveal “tumults” and “oppressions?” These strongholds should have held treasures and wealth. Is it significant that they now hold violence and robbery?
- In verse 14 God says he will punish the “altars of Bethel.” Bethel was one of the places that those in the northern nation of Israel went to worship. Why would this place of worship be punished? Why is it significant that the horns of the altar would be cut off?
- At the beginning of Chapter 4, Amos brings a word against political and socially elite women of Israel. Why does he refer to them as “cows of Bashan?” Is this a compliment or a backhanded insult?
- What behaviors have these women engaged in that brings them under judgment? What will ultimately happen to them?
- These women aren’t actively engaged in the oppression and violence for which Israel is being punished. Why are they being punished as well?
- Like the women in 4:1-3, we may not be actively engage in oppression and exploitation, but how might we be implicitly involved in it?
No comments:
Post a Comment