The Bible

 

阿摩司书 4

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1 你们住撒玛利亚如巴珊母的啊,当我的─你们欺负贫寒的,压碎穷乏的,对家:拿酒来,我们罢!

2 耶和华指着自己的圣洁起誓说:日子快到,人必用钩子将你们钩去,用鱼钩将你们馀剩的钩去。

3 你们各人必从破口直往前行,投入哈门。这是耶和华的。

4 以色列人哪,任你们往伯特利去犯罪,到吉甲加增罪过;每日早晨献上你们的祭物,每日奉上你们的十分之一

5 任你们献有的感谢祭,把甘心祭宣传报告给众人,因为是你们所喜的。这是耶和华的。

6 我使你们在一切城中牙齿乾净,在你们各处粮食缺乏,你们仍不归向我。这是耶和华的。

7 在收割的前,我使停止,不降在你们那里;我降在这城,不降在那城;这块地有,那块地无;无的就枯乾了。

8 这样,两城的人凑到城去找,却不足;你们仍不归向我。这是耶和华的。

9 我以旱风、霉烂攻击你们,你们园中许多菜蔬、葡萄树、无花果树橄榄树都被剪虫所;你们仍不归向我。这是耶和华的。

10 我降瘟疫在你们中间,像在埃及一样;用刀杀戮你们的少年人,使你们的马匹被掳掠,中尸首的臭气扑鼻;你们仍不归向我。这是耶和华的。

11 倾覆你们中间的城邑,如同我从前倾覆所多玛、蛾摩拉一样,使你们好像从火中抽出来的一根柴;你们仍不归向我。这是耶和华的。

12 以色列啊,我必向你如此行;以色列啊,我既这样行,你当预备迎见你的

13 那创、造、将心意指示人、使晨光变为幽暗、脚踏在处的,他的名是耶和华─万军之

   

Commentary

 

Exploring the Meaning of Amos 4

By 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.

The Bible

 

Amos 4:10-11

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10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.