God in My Image
This picture (poem?) is fairly specific. The fertile land east of Galilee produced a race of cattle that were sleek and fat, not unlike the women who were living well on the money-making activities and heartless exploitative practices of their husbands, perhaps better translated ‘lords’ to bring out the contrast between what the ‘lords’ were doing and what the Lord said. Try ‘masters’ as against the Master (ie Jesus). The idea seems to be that they were never satisfied, always demanding more this, more that.
Avoid the sexism. Think of bulls as well as cows. The commercial world with its eye on ever-increasing profits. The unstoppable thrust to raise the standard of living, not least for those who already have most. More choice, bigger and better schools, hospitals, services and instant litigation if my share is found wanting. Throw in a few gadgets and gizmos and you may see it as a fair reflection of contemporary society, and all without much thought as to the price to be paid and who will pay it.
Relate it to an increasing interest in religion, sometimes referred to as ‘spirituality’. Not the kind which demands long-term commitment, regular duties, sacrifices, social justice and a concern for others, but the kind which prefers to place flowers at the scene of every accident, multiply moments of silence to remember past events, always capable of pulling out loose cash for the latest disaster and wouldn’t dream of missing church at Christmas or Easter.
Amos focuses on the incongruity. ‘If that’s what you want,’ he seems to say, ‘get on with it. Pay your dues. Go through all the rituals. But just check whether you are worshipping at the right shrine. Bethel and Gilgal have nothing to offer you whose forbears committed you to someone and something different. Check that you are not “using religion” to validate your own values, creating a new religion which offers cheap grace while you reconstruct God in your own image’.