Exploring the Meaning of Amos 4
Napsal(a) Helen Kennedy
In chapter 4 of the Book of Amos, verses 1-3 are talking about people who pervert the truths of the church. They will fall into falsities in outermost things.
In the Bible, fish represent "lower" things than mammals, so we can interpret the fishhooks in verse 2 as meaning being caught and held fast in natural or lower things.
Verses 4-6 are about acts of worship such as tithes and sacrifices. These look similar to genuine worship, but are only external sorts of things. We can tell because ‘teeth’ (in verse 6) represent ultimates or outermost things (see Secrets of Heaven 6380). It follows that “cleanness of teeth” would mean outermost things that look good but only imitate genuine worship. The Lord exhorts, “Yet you have not returned to me.”
Verses 7-8. Some things true will remain, when where there are too many false ideas, the truths don't get through. This can be seen where the Lord says, “I made it rain on one city; I withheld rain from another city... where it did not rain the part withered.” Again the Lord exhorts, “Yet you have not returned to me.”
Verse 9. Afterward all things of the church are falsified, shown by blight attacking the gardens, vineyards, fig tree and olive trees. The last three represent spiritual, natural and celestial things, or all the things of spiritual life. “Yet you have not returned to me,” says the Lord.
Verses 10-11. The Lord explains the devastating things he allowed to happen: plague in Egypt, death of young men by swords, stench in the camps, Sodom and Gomorrah. This is because they are profaned by sensual knowledges. Profanation means the mixing of good and evil together. (See Secrets of Heaven 1001[2]).
This extends to all things of the church, with the church being the Lord’s kingdom on earth (Secrets of Heaven 768[3]).
With profanation “as soon as any idea of what is holy arises, the idea of what is profane joins immediately to it,” (Secrets of Heaven 301).
Now there is hardly anything left. “Yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord again.
Verses 12-13: Because people adamantly remain in their profane ways, they are warned, “Prepare to meet your God!”. This is the God powerful and mighty, “who forms mountains, and creates the wind,” and even more close to home, “Who declares to man what his thought is.” As intimately a knowing as that is, the Lord’s love for all humanity is contained in His exhortations for them to turn themselves to Him.
See, for example, Luke 6:44-45, and True Christian Religion 373.
Jeremias 5
1
Circuite vias Jerusalem, et aspicite, et considerate, et quærite in plateis ejus an inveniatis virum facientem judicium, et quærentem fidem : et propitius ero ei.
2
Quod si etiam, Vivit Dominus, dixerunt, et hac falso jurabunt.
3
Domine, oculi tui respiciunt fidem : percussisti eos, et non doluerunt : attrivisti eos, et renuerunt accipere disciplinam : induraverunt facies suas supra petram, et noluerunt reverti.
4
Ego autem dixi : Forsitan pauperes sunt et stulti, ignorantes viam Domini, judicium Dei sui.
5
Ibo igitur ad optimates, et loquar eis : ipsi enim cognoverunt viam Domini, judicium Dei sui : et ecce magis hi simul confregerunt jugum, ruperunt vincula.
6
Idcirco percussit eos leo de silva, lupus ad vesperam vastavit eos : pardus vigilans super civitates eorum : omnis qui egressus fuerit ex eis capietur, quia multiplicatæ sunt prævaricationes eorum, confortatæ sunt aversiones eorum.
7
Super quo propitius tibi esse potero ? Filii tui dereliquerunt me, et jurant in his qui non sunt dii. Saturavi eos, et mœchati sunt, et in domo meretricis luxuriabantur.
8
Equi amatores et emissarii facti sunt : unusquisque ad uxorem proximi sui hinniebat.
9
Numquid super his non visitabo, dicit Dominus, et in gente tali non ulciscetur anima mea ?
10
Ascendite muros ejus, et dissipate, consummationem autem nolite facere : auferte propagines ejus, quia non sunt Domini.
11
Prævaricatione enim prævaricata est in me domus Israël, et domus Juda, ait Dominus.
12
Negaverunt Dominum, et dixerunt : Non est ipse : neque veniet super nos malum : gladium et famem non videbimus.
13
Prophetæ fuerunt in ventum locuti, et responsum non fuit in eis. Hæc ergo evenient illis.
14
Hæc dicit Dominus Deus exercituum : Quia locuti estis verbum istud, ecce ego do verba mea in ore tuo in ignem, et populum istum in ligna, et vorabit eos.
15
Ecce ego adducam super vos gentem de longinquo, domus Israël, ait Dominus, gentem robustam, gentem antiquam, gentem cujus ignorabis linguam, nec intelliges quid loquatur.
16
Pharetra ejus quasi sepulchrum patens, universi fortes.
17
Et comedet segetes tuas et panem tuum, devorabit filios tuos et filias tuas, comedet gregem tuum et armenta tua, comedet vineam tuam et ficum tuam, et conteret urbes munitas tuas, in quibus tu habes fiduciam, gladio.
18
Verumtamen in diebus illis, ait Dominus, non faciam vos in consummationem.
19
Quod si dixeritis : Quare fecit nobis Dominus Deus noster hæc omnia ? dices ad eos : Sicut dereliquistis me, et servistis deo alieno in terra vestra, sic servietis alienis in terra non vestra.
20
Annuntiate hoc domui Jacob, et auditum facite in Juda, dicentes :
21
Audi, popule stulte, qui non habes cor : qui habentes oculos, non videtis; et aures, et non auditis.
22
Me ergo non timebitis, ait Dominus, et a facie mea non dolebitis : qui posui arenam terminum mari, præceptum sempiternum quod non præteribit : et commovebuntur, et non poterunt : et intumescent fluctus ejus, et non transibunt illud ?
23
Populo autem huic factum est cor incredulum et exasperans : recesserunt, et abierunt.
24
Et non dixerunt in corde suo : Metuamus Dominum Deum nostrum, qui dat nobis pluviam temporaneam et serotinam in tempore suo, plenitudinem annuæ messis custodientem nobis.
25
Iniquitates vestræ declinaverunt hæc, et peccata vestra prohibuerunt bonum a vobis,
26
quia inventi sunt in populo meo impii insidiantes quasi aucupes, laqueos ponentes et pedicas ad capiendos viros.
27
Sicut decipula plena avibus, sic domus eorum plenæ dolo : ideo magnificati sunt et ditati.
28
Incrassati sunt et impinguati, et præterierunt sermones meos pessime. Causam viduæ non judicaverunt, causam pupilli non direxerunt, et judicium pauperum non judicaverunt.
29
Numquid super his non visitabo, dicit Dominus, aut super gentem hujuscemodi non ulciscetur anima mea ?
30
Stupor et mirabilia facta sunt in terra :
31
prophetæ prophetabant mendacium, et sacerdotes applaudebant manubus suis, et populus meus dilexit talia. Quid igitur fiet in novissimo ejus ?
