Amos 4
In Amos 4, the prophet Amos continues to deliver God’s message of judgment against Israel, condemning the people for their oppressive behavior, idolatry, and refusal to repent despite God’s warnings. This chapter highlights God’s frustration with Israel’s obstinate attitude and the repeated calamities He sent to provoke repentance. Despite these measures, Israel remained unresponsive, and God warns of impending punishment.
Amos 4:1 (NKJV)
1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink!”
Amos begins by addressing the wealthy women of Samaria as “cows of Bashan,” a reference to their luxurious lifestyle and lack of compassion. These women, living in self-indulgence, oppress the poor and demand more wealth from their husbands, showing disregard for the suffering of others. Their behavior symbolizes the moral decay of Israel’s elite society.
Amos 4:2 (NKJV)
2 The Lord God has sworn by His holiness: “Behold, the days shall come upon you when He will take you away with fishhooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.”
God declares judgment, swearing by His holiness—a profound commitment to justice. He warns that the people will be taken away with “fishhooks,” likely a metaphor for the humiliating captivity awaiting them. This vivid image illustrates the severity of the punishment and God’s intolerance of their unrepentant hearts.
Amos 4:3 (NKJV)
3 You will go out through broken walls, each one straight ahead of her, and you will be cast into Harmon,” says the Lord.
Amos warns that the Israelites will face captivity, forced to leave through breaches in the city walls. “Harmon” may refer to an unknown or symbolic place of exile. The broken walls suggest the ruin of their defenses and the inevitability of judgment as they face the consequences of their actions.
Amos 4:4-5 (NKJV)
4 “Come to Bethel and transgress, at Gilgal multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days.
5 Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, proclaim and announce the freewill offerings; for this you love, you children of Israel!” says the Lord God.
God sarcastically invites Israel to continue their rituals at Bethel and Gilgal, places where they practiced idolatrous worship. Despite their religious activities, their sacrifices are meaningless due to their disobedience and insincere hearts. God exposes their hypocrisy, showing that their offerings do not substitute for genuine devotion and repentance.
Amos 4:6 (NKJV)
6 “Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places; yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.
God recalls sending famine (“cleanness of teeth”) to provoke Israel’s repentance. Despite the hardships, the people remained unresponsive, highlighting their spiritual stubbornness. This verse underscores how God uses adversity as a means to draw His people back to Him, though Israel repeatedly ignored these opportunities.
Amos 4:7-8 (NKJV)
7 “I also withheld rain from you, when there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered.
8 So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, but they were not satisfied; yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.
God recalls the drought He sent, withholding rain selectively to emphasize His control. This scarcity forced cities to rely on each other, yet even this hardship didn’t bring Israel to repentance. These verses reveal God’s efforts to show His people their dependence on Him, which they stubbornly resisted.
Amos 4:9 (NKJV)
9 “I blasted you with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased, your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive trees, the locust devoured them; yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.
God describes additional afflictions, including crop diseases and locusts, to disrupt Israel’s agricultural prosperity. These calamities, intended to turn Israel back to God, were ignored. The people’s indifference to these signs shows their spiritual blindness and unwillingness to acknowledge their need for God.
Amos 4:10 (NKJV)
10 “I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; your young men I killed with a sword, along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.
God recalls sending a plague and war losses reminiscent of the plagues in Egypt. Despite the distress and death around them, Israel remained unrepentant. This verse emphasizes Israel’s failure to recognize God’s call to repentance even in dire circumstances, choosing stubbornness over submission.
Amos 4:11 (NKJV)
11 “I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.
God compares Israel’s experiences to Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction, showing the extremity of His judgment. Even after such severe intervention, He “plucked” them from total destruction, yet they still did not repent. This verse emphasizes Israel’s deep-rooted obstinacy despite God’s mercy in sparing them.
Amos 4:12 (NKJV)
12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
Since Israel refused to repent, God announces the inevitable judgment. “Prepare to meet your God” is a solemn warning that they will face Him in judgment. This verse serves as a final call to recognize the seriousness of their situation and their accountability before God.
Amos 4:13 (NKJV)
13 For behold, He who forms mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth—The Lord God of hosts is His name.
The chapter concludes with a reminder of God’s power and authority. He is the Creator, who knows human thoughts, controls nature, and judges the earth. This verse reinforces the awe and reverence due to God, contrasting Israel’s arrogance with His supreme authority, underscoring that they are accountable to the Almighty.