Cows of Bashan

"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, 'Bring us some drinks!" Amos 4:1

The Bible is not always delicate or sweet in its indictments against selfishness and opulence.

Amos, in this very sarcastic rant against Israel's wealthy women of his day really laid it on the line, and made it clear that oppressing the poor, and crushing the needy would be judged. The common people back then referred to the wealthy women as 'cows' because they were pampered, sleek and well-fed, and pushed their husbands to oppress the helpless in order to support their lavish lifestyles. Materialism is never endorsed by the Word of God. When I first heard a sermon on this passage of scripture in my early 20's, it was one of the factors; along with my first exposure to mission work in Mexico, and hands-on involvement in inner city inequality issues that shaped my heart about what Jesus would have us do. We are richer than we think. Our lifestyles are more lavish than we want to admit.

Isn't it interesting about the Occupy Movement… that those who feel so oppressed by the uber-rich forget so quickly that more than 90% of the world's population is poorer than the 99% who are so concerned about the alleged 1%. We only compare ourselves to those who have more than us, which keeps the personal conviction minimized. We should all be careful to look at our wealthiness in the bigger picture.

In the days of Amos there was a glaring two-class system, like there is in most of the world today. The rich were greedy and selfish, and arrogant about it. I think today the key question for us to answer is not one of wealth but one of our stewardship. The question is not, “are we wealthy?” We have all heard of some guy who flies around in a Lear Jet and owns a sports franchise and we define him as really wealthy. The question should be, are you generous? Do you care about the truly poor or helpless? Do you share your wealth? Are you a blessing? Or, are you on a smaller scale, just kind of a 'cow'? Amos makes a point. We should all try to make the application, objectively.

You may not like this devotional. You may love it! As I recline comfortably upstairs here in my warm, nicely furnished apartment, eating my take-out lunch, writing this on my Blackberry Phone, while Sports Center is playing softly on one of my TV's, I think I got my answer. Most importantly, just ask God to show you the truth. When you do that, be sure to give Him at least equal time. That is after you may try to explain to Him how there is no way you are rich, no way!).

In His Service and honestly rich in more ways than one,
Pastor Fred

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