The Bible

 

Amos 4

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1 Höret dieses Wort, ihr Kühe Basans, die ihr auf dem Berge Samarias seid, die ihr die Armen bedrücket, die Dürftigen mißhandelt, und zu euren Herren sprechet: Bringe her, daß wir trinken!

2 Geschworen hat der Herr, Jehova, bei seiner Heiligkeit: Siehe, Tage werden über euch kommen, da man euch an Haken wegschleppen wird, und euren Rest an Fischerangeln.

3 Und ihr werdet durch die Mauerrisse hinausgehen, eine jede vor sich hin, und ihr werdet nach Harmon hingeworfen werden, spricht Jehova.

4 Gehet nach Bethel und übertretet! Nach Gilgal und mehret die Übertretung! Und bringet jeden Morgen eure Schlachtopfer, alle drei Tage eure Zehnten;

5 und räuchert von dem Gesäuerten Dankopfer, und rufet aus, verkündet freiwillige Gaben! Denn also liebet ihr's, ihr Kinder Israel, spricht der Herr, Jehova.

6 Und so habe auch ich euch reine Zähne gegeben in allen euren Städten und Mangel an Brot in allen euren Orten; und doch seid ihr nicht bis zu mir umgekehrt, spricht Jehova.

7 Und auch ich habe euch den Regen entzogen, als noch drei Monate bis zur Ernte waren; und ich habe auf die eine Stadt regnen lassen, während ich auf die andere Stadt nicht regnen ließ; der eine Acker wurde beregnet, und der Acker, auf welchen es nicht regnete, verdorrte;

8 und zwei, drei Städte wankten zu einer Stadt hin, um Wasser zu trinken, und wurden nicht satt. Dennoch seid ihr nicht bis zu mir umgekehrt, spricht Jehova.

9 Ich habe euch mit Kornbrand und mit Vergilben geschlagen; eine große Zahl eurer Gärten und eurer Weinberge und eurer Feigen-und eurer Olivenbäume fraß die Heuschrecke. Dennoch seid ihr nicht bis zu mir umgekehrt, spricht Jehova.

10 Ich habe die Pest unter euch gesandt in der Weise Ägyptens; ich habe eure Jünglinge mit dem Schwerte getötet, indem zugleich eure Rosse gefangen weggeführt wurden, und ich ließ den Gestank eurer Heerlager aufsteigen, und zwar in eure Nase. Dennoch seid ihr nicht bis zu mir umgekehrt, spricht Jehova.

11 Ich habe eine Umkehrung unter euch angerichtet wie die Umkehrung von Sodom und Gomorra durch Gott; und ihr waret wie ein Brandscheit, das aus dem Feuer gerettet ist. Dennoch seid ihr nicht bis zu mir umgekehrt, spricht Jehova. -

12 Darum werde ich dir also tun, Israel. Weil ich dir dieses tun will, so schicke dich an, Israel, deinem Gott zu begegnen!

13 Denn siehe, der die Berge bildet und den Wind schafft, und dem Menschen kundtut, was sein Gedanke ist; der die Morgenröte und die Finsternis macht, und einherschreitet auf den Höhen der Erde: Jehova, Gott der Heerscharen, ist sein Name.

   

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.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #6858

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6858. 'To the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite' means the region occupied by evils that arise from falsities. This is clear from the representation of 'the Canaanites' as evils that arise from the falsities of evil, dealt with in 4818; and from the representation of 'the Hittites' as falsities from which evils arise, dealt with in 2913. By the nations in the land of Canaan that are listed here as well as in other places, such as Genesis 15:18-19; Exodus 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Deuteronomy 7:1; 20:17; Joshua 3:10; 24:11; Judges 3:5, are meant all kinds of evil and falsity. What one should understand by a region occupied by evils that arise from falsities, and also by all the other kinds of evil and falsity, must be stated. Before the Lord's Coming into the world evil genii and spirits occupied the entire region of heaven to which those who were spiritual were subsequently raised. For before the Lord's Coming a large part of those kinds of beings were freely prowling about and molesting the good, especially spiritual people who were on the lower earth. But after the Lord's Coming they were all thrust down into their own hells, and that region was liberated and given as an inheritance to those who belonged to the spiritual Church. I have often noticed that as soon any place is abandoned by good spirits it is occupied by evil ones, but that the evil spirits are driven out of it; and that once they have been driven out it is handed over again to those who are governed by good. The reason for this is that those from hell have a constant burning desire to destroy the things of heaven, in particular those things that are their opposites. Consequently when some place is abandoned, then because it is unprotected it is instantly occupied by the evil. This, as has been stated, is what one should understand specifically by a region occupied by evils and falsities, which is meant by the place inhabited by the nations who were to be driven out. This together with the things mentioned above in 6854 is a deep mystery which cannot be known about without revelation.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.