"COWS OF BASHAN"

“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, that we may drink!’” Amos 4:1

I never read this passage without being amused initially by imagining some preacher today getting up and referring to the ladies of the congregation as cows. I don’t think it would go over to well in our politically correct culture. One may wonder from our cultural perspective if the prophet was just indifferent or frustrated or angry or compassionless or just plain rude or even all of the above. Calling them cows might be one thing, but calling them cows of Bashan is in a different class altogether.

Bashan was an extremely fertile land east of the Sea of Galilee. Rainfall was above normal for the region making its volcanic soil rich. It produced much of the grain consumed in that area of the world. Consequently, livestock bred and raised in Bashan were among the biggest (fattest) in the world because they were well-fed and watered.

Understanding the prophet’s geographical reference helps us to understand the content of his message. Today, if he were delivering the same message, especially if he wanted to be politically correct (and by all means let’s!), he would have referred to them as “fat cats.” He was not referring to their dress size when he called them “cows of Bashan!” He was referring to their insatiable lust and power as part of the ruling class who abused the poor and needy seeking more of what they had plenty of, when in fact, could have done with less (4:6). The underlying cause of their rampant materialism is the same as ours today – they had turned from serving God with their whole heart and were no longer seeking Him (“yet you did not seek me” see 4:6, 8, 9, 10, 11). Yet they would have denied it because they were relying on their rituals (see 4:4-5 – i.e. “going to church”). If we seek God with our hearts, honoring His will by obedience to His word, and our lights will shine for all to see. Is your light shining?

Pursuing Life

Marketing is a game. It is a game where advertisers try to convince us we have to have everything from the “newest” to “the new and improved.” We live in an age of consumerism that has spawned greed and an insatiable lust for things. Quite frankly, our economic crisis is evidence that our materialistic view of life has brought us to the precipice of economic ruin. For those with a consciousness of God, brother Sewell Hall stated the simple truth recently when he said, “People can survive on so little.” Yet, in the world of advertising such simple truth is an abomination!

In our pursuit of “things,” trying to find some sense of fulfillment, we are left disillusioned and disappointed. Yet, we are not left feeling this way because “things” are necessarily inherently immoral or sinful. To the contrary, we are left with such feelings because we have made the pursuit of things the sine qua non (the indispensible condition) of our existence and purpose. We have allowed the pursuit of “things” to define who we are. Consequently, when the “newest” and/or the “new and improved” hits the market, we are tired and disillusioned with the former “newest” or “new and improved.” It is to this which the writer of Ecclesiastes would scream, “Vanity of vanities!”

Jesus also poignantly illustrated the point in the parable of the rich fool, which he prefaced by saying, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15-21) Jesus is not saying don’t acquire things. To the contrary, he is saying whether you have a little or an abundance of things; enjoy them by using them to the glory of God. In so using them, we will never grow disillusioned or disappointed because our pursuit is not things but the glory of God. As we identify ourselves in Him, we will never be put to shame but our lights will always be shining. Is your light shining? What are you pursuing?

Integrity and the "Credit Tsunami"

Alan Greenspan, former head of the Federal Reserve, facing tough questions from Congress, acknowledged partial wrong in his efforts to deregulate. He refers to the current economic crisis as "a once-in-a-century Credit Tsunami."

I am no money expert and I am not sure about deregulation or regulation both are a two-edged sword. Nonetheless, let me state unequivocally that neither deregulation nor regulation is at the heart of our financial crisis. At the very center of the problem is humanity! That's right human beings like you and me. Unfortunately, many of these humans are governed by an insatiable appetite for wealth and an unquenchable thirst for power acting more like animals than they do humans. They give the human race a bad name!

What is lacking in humanity whether it is up on Capitol Hill, or over on Wall Street, or down home on Main street is INTEGRITY. While many on Main Street are yelling for prison terms (and rightly so) for those who are guilty on Wall Street and Capitol Hill. The sad truth is, if they were on Wall Street or Capitol Hill they would have been just as guilty. Regardless, of the guilt of the greedy power-brokers and the financial gurus and even though they may buy themselves out of serving time in prison - they remain human though they act like wild animals.

However, one day, like all the rest of us, they will face the Judge of all humanity in eternity where there will be no unsolved mysteries as to who is guilty and who is to blame (Ezekiel 18:20). If men and women lived with this in mind, regulation or deregulation would not be an issue, INTEGRITY would rule the day - "a man's word would be his bond" regardless of race, socio-economic classification, or whether he worked on Main Street, Wall Street, or Capitol Hill.

“Making Ourselves Richer. . .”

"It’s an essential paradox: In shared sacrifices we made ourselves richer."

--Ken Burns

The above quote is from a recent interview with Ken Burns a well-respected historical documentary film maker. Mr. Burns has made a new documentary on WWII which he says focuses on “the so-called ‘ordinary man’s’ experience of combat.” When asked, what we should remember about the Second World War, he replied, “It’s an essential paradox: In shared sacrifices we made ourselves richer. And I don’t mean just in some sentimental, emotional or communal way. We made ourselves richer, paradoxically, by giving things up. We became financially, materially richer.”

It is impossible to deny the paradox. We are a richer nation and materially more prosperous because of the shared sacrifice of those brave men and women who served and died in the war. Yet, there is a downside to that material prosperity as well. Shared sacrifices as a nation for only financial successes (possessions) and personal liberty still leaves us as a very lonely people. As Burns notes, “Today we are all independent free agents. We drive in our own car alone. We surf the Net alone. We watch TV alone. And yet we yearn for community.”

Please understand that the paradox of sacrificing to be made richer is not a phenomenon of the Second World War. It is a biblical principle. It is no doubt one of the most radical concepts of the First Century ever taught by Jesus. “He who loves his life will lose it, and he hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and there where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him my Father will honor.” (John 12:24-25).

The world’s existence – the physical universe – reveals far more than just a material existence brought about by random chance or even shared sacrifice. It reveals a power and intelligence that exceeds a collective wisdom and power of all the ages of human existence. It cannot be successfully refuted that as old as man is he has longed to pay tribute to that power and intelligence. It is the Bible alone that tells us of the One power and intelligence, who is not just a prime mover, but a personal Creator.

God demonstrated the very paradox of immeasurable gain through sacrifice by sending His only begotten Son to the cross. God’s desire in creating a man was to create man in a way that man would of his own volition serve and “pay tribute” to Him. Thus, God made man a “free agent” – endowed him with free will. It was a risk God took – a sacrifice if you will – knowing that He created man who would reject, defy and in every way rebel against Him in the most heinous or indifferent way. Truly, man has rebelled openly, secretly and in the most abject way. All the shared sacrifices of a nation or people cannot reconcile man to God. It is clear from scriptures God took the initiative and risk only because of the cross which He bore in mind before a single divine breath was ever drawn to speak the world or man into being (1 Peter 1:20).

The Bible reads, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He might taste for everyone. For it was fitting for Him (God), for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:8-9). This salvation could not be purchased by the shared sacrifices of human blood shed on the battlefield of war. It was the single sacrifice of the sinless Lamb of God which atones for our rebellion and offers us the freedom of an unfettered access to God, which remains the true yearning of the human heart. This yearning, as it leads us to know God through His word, provides us with that fulfillment of community among His true people who are willing to lose their lives for His sake that they might find true life in serving and following Christ. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Now that’s a sacrifice with which you and I need to share – it will make us richer beyond our greatest expectations in and from this world!

"Things Money Can't Cure"

The Birmingham News reports today (September 14, 2007) on a story that has been told and retold several times regarding Jack Whittaker of Mount Hope, WV a 315 million dollar Powerball winner in 2002. Jack was already a millionaire, at the time of his "good luck" playing the Powerball. He had a successful pipeline business worth 17 million dollars. Since winning the lottery his wife left him, his only granddaughter died at the age of 17 because of a drug addiction. Jack became a heavy drinker (up to a fifth of vodka a day) though thankfully, as Jack states, "He is done with boozing." Furthermore his daughter, though her cancer is in remission, remains in poor health.

The lessons from Jack's sad plight are perhaps too obvious. Nonetheless, at least for myself, they are worth taking note. The story has the book of Ecclesiastes, from the Old Testament, written all over it. If you are not familiar with the book of Ecclesiastes read it. "All the labor of man is for his mouth, yet his soul is not satisfied" (Ecclesiastes 6:5 NKJV).

I remember a conversation sometime ago with a struggling young mother. I tried to encourage her with the reminder, "You know money can't buy happiness." She looked at me and then down at ground as she replied, "Yeah I know but I would like to find that out for myself." Sadly, Jack's wife, granddaughter and those who know him personally all found out for themselves. As heart wrenching as Jack's story is it is an even greater tragedy that we all want to find it out for ourselves.

When our soul is not satisfied "all (life on earth) is meaningless (vanity)" as the writer states repeatedly in Ecclesiastes. What no doubt appears, as harmless entertainment (playing the lottery) especially, to a millionaire who could easily afford it, may turn out to be a curse. I am aware there are lottery winners who have not suffered Jack's plight. However, the truth remains there are MANY who have suffered - Jack found out. For recreational drug users, I suppose there are those who have never become addicted but that wasn't the case for Jack's granddaughter - "she found out." No doubt some unhappy couples in marriages have stayed together seeking to find happiness through money but Jack and Jewell found out for themselves that it was a myth!

The writer of today's story cogently observes, "Almost five years later, Whittaker is left with things money can't cure: His daughter's cancer, a long list of indiscretions documented in newspapers and court records, and an inability to trust others." As a good friend once told me, "Money can buy things that money cannot fix."

The ancient writers spoke about a divine discontent. Augustine noted what the Bible clearly teaches when he said of man's relationship to God, "Our hearts, O Lord, were made for you, and they are restless until they rest in you." With greater assurance the apostle Paul wrote, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ" (Colossians 2:9-10 NIV). Only in Christ can and will our soul be satisfied. Only in Christ can we find the cure for all the things money can't cure. Find out for yourself!