Amos
The introduction provides
two important pieces of information; the background of Amos and the time of his
prophesy. Prior to this period, Amos was not a prophet, he was a shepherd. He
did not come from a family of prophets and, we can surmise, had no history or
inclination to prophesy before being called by God to do so. The timing of his
prophesy is important to the people and the prophesy. What occurred after his
prophesy directly relates to the prophesy. Based on scientific investigation
the earthquake was magnitude 8.2. This is greater than the 1906 San Francisco
earthquake which was a magnitude of 7.8 and the 1811 New Madrid earthquakes
with a magnitude of 7.5 – 8.0. The earthquake has been remembered for many,
many years after it happened.
Amos was
written during the time of Jeroboam
II, king of
Israel from 786 BC to 746 BC. Jeroboam
II’s reign was marked by great economic
prosperity, but only for some, the rich were getting richer and the poor,
poorer. Social and financial injustice ran rampant throughout the land. The
economically weak could find no justice in the courts and no one to champion
their cause. Amos was not a professional prophet nor was he a member of a
prophetic guild, but more importantly, God called him to make Israel aware of
their sins.
Amos fiercely rebuked corruption and social injustice
in Israel Judah and among Israel’s pagan neighbors. Amos asserted God’s
absolute sovereignty over man; and he predicted the imminent destruction of
Israel and Judah. Amos believed that God’s absolute sovereignty over man
compelled social justice for all men, rich and poor alike. Amos also believed
in a moral order transcending nationalistic interests, culture, traditions, etc.
Although YHWH's anger is directed at several nations,
it is especially aimed at Israel. The fact that the prophesy against Israel is
placed at the end of the sequence of judgment speeches in Amos 1:3-2:16, together with its greater length, indicates that the center of
interest is the divine judgment upon Israel. In addition, Israel is judged by different
standards. The foreign nations named in the text are condemned for acts of
cruelty against other nations but Israel stands accused for crimes against
fellow Israelites.
The book of Amos is often (rightly) used by those
promoting the social aspects of the Gospel. A problem can occur when people
forget that Amos always puts God first. Amos believed that God’s absolute
sovereignty over man compelled social justice for all men regardless of wealth,
social position, etc. Amos also believed in a moral order transcending
nationalistic interests. A social gospel without putting Christ first misses
the mark.
There is not very much hope in
the book of Amos. God is angry with Israel’s people and he is going to punish
them. He will use war, exile, and terrible things to do this but at the end of
the prophesy Amos gives a message of hope. The major sin of Israel’s people was
that they worshipped idols instead of Y__H. The worship of idols was and is
against God’s covenant. This was happening everywhere in Israel. Amos mentions idols
in 5:26 and 8:14. Bethel and Dan were important places where there was idol
worship. The people there worshipped animals made of gold. There was also false
worship at Gilgal and Beersheba. This worship was another religion far removed
from the worship of Y__H. Amos is clear that this was wrong (3:14; 4:4-5;
5:4-5).
There was also another kind of worship.
This was like the true worship of God (5:21-28; 8:3) but the people did not
follow the instructions God had given them. They used this worship to gain an
advantage over other people. They thought that their behaviour did not matter as
long as they went through the motions of worshipping Y__H. Amos points out they
had the outward appearance of worshipping Y__H but in their hearts they were
not truly worshipping God. This did evidence itself in their pattern of
behaviour.
After a series of warnings of punishment, Amos
proclaimed the coming of the day of Y__H, which is “darkness, and not light.”
His attacks against superficial pretenses of worship have become proverbial: “I
hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies’”
The prophesies of Amos are for both his time and the end time when the Lord
returns. To deny either is the purpose of Amos’ prophesy is to miss the
important messages and warnings he brings.
The Scripture quoted is from a Hebrew Interlinear text.
Y—H is God’s name. In Jewish writing. Out of respect for the most Holy God,
God’s name is never spelled out. Yaaqob is Jacob, Yahudah is Judah,
Yerushalam is Jerusalem and Yisrael is Israel. Adonai means Lord,
Master, Owner. Adonai only refers to God.
Chapter
1
The
words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he saw
concerning Yisrael in the days of UzziYah king of Yahudah, and in the days of
Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Yisrael, two years before the earthquake. He
said, Y__H roars from Zion and from Yerushalam He utters His voice; and the
pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel dries up.
{Verse
one introduces Amos and when in time the prophesy happens. It lets us know that
Amos was not a “prophet” in the usual sense of what was recognized as a prophet
at the time. We do not know if he was wealthy or not but given his work as a
sheepherder he probably was not. His
name is usually taken to signify "Carrier," but is better interpreted
heavy or burden, in allusion to the grievous message he had to deliver. His home was in Judah, but God sent
him away to Israel. The time of the prophesy is during the kingship of
Uzziah in Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel. It was two years before an
earthquake that would be long remembered.
Verse
two is meant to capture the attention of the read/listener and communicate how
critical and time important is the message to follow. The roaring of the lion in the forest is
one of the most terrific sounds in nature; when near, it strikes terror into
the heart of both man and beast. In that time when a lion roared
people listened intently to determine distance and direction since the lion
posed great danger and possible death Here God says the danger is imminent and
is coming from Jerusalem, God’s Holy City. In-other-words, the danger is coming
from God and the place the people thought was safe. The reference to the
pastures and Mount Carmel show God’s judgement will affect the entire land, no
place, even places considered holy and/or peaceful, will remain untouched or unaffected.
This thought is repeated later when Amos states that people may go to hide but
they will be discovered. No one can hide from God.}
Thus
says Y__H, for three transgressions of Damascus and for four I shall not turn
back from it, for they threshed Gilead with implements of iron. So I shall send
fire upon the house of Hazael and it shall consume the citadels of Ben-hadad. I
shall also break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the
valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden; so the people of
Aram shall go exiled to Kir, says Y__H.
{By stating “For three
transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment,” God is making it clear
that the punishment is coming because of continued sin. The phrase and others similar to it are
not uncommon, and are used to signify a great number, the last mentioned being
supposed to fill up the measure and make it overflow. This is true for all the nations mentioned, not
just Judah. Judah’s sin may be considered greater since they were the nation
given the laws of God to teach the other nations. In addition, Judah was
sinning against their own citizens, not just foreign nations. The terms “fruit above, roots beneath” are a poetic expression for complete destruction. This
is true with the rest of the cities/nations mentioned, especially Israel and
Judah.
This may also be a reference to
the number seven, the sum of three and four added; with seven expressing the full completion of the measure of their guilt. (Leviticus 26:18, Leviticus 26:21, Leviticus 26:24, Matthew
23:32) Threshed is
the term used of the Syrian king Hazael's oppression of Israel under Jehu and
Jehoahaz (2 Kings 10:32 2 Kings 10:33, 13:7). The victims were thrown, alive, in front of the threshing
sledges, the teeth of which tore their bodies.}
6Thus says Y__H, for three transgressions of Gaza
and for four I shall not turn back from it; for they deported as exiles to
deliver up a complete population to Edom. 7So I shall send fire upon
the wall of Gaza and it shall consume her citadels. 8I shall cut off
the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon; I
shall turn My hand upon Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,
says Adonai (the Master) Y__H. 9Thus says Y__H, For three transgressions of Tyre
and for four I shall not turn it back, for they delivered up as exiles a whole
population to Edom and did not remember
the covenant of brotherhood. Thus says Y__H,
For the three impious deeds of Tyre, even for the four, shall not turn away
from her. 10And I shall send out fire upon the walls of Tyre, and it
shall devour her foundations.
{Gaza
was a Philistine city that was between Israel and Egypt. Gaza represents
the five cities of the Philistines. Three others are mentioned in Amos 1:8, Gath being omitted as having
long lost its importance, if not already destroyed. Gaza was known for forcing people
to leave their towns and selling them into slavery to Edom who then sold them
other nations. Gaza ceased to
be a city when, in 734 B.C.,
Tiglath-pileser from Assyria defeated them. Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron were
three more Philistine cities that cease to be cities. Sargon, from Assyria,
defeated Ashdod in 711 B.C. and Sennacherib, king of Assyria defeated Ashkelon
and Ekron in 701 B.C. God used these kings to destroy the Philistines.
“Tyre
did not remember the brotherly covenant”--the league of Hiram of Tyre with David
and Solomon, Tyre supplying cedars for the building of the temple and king's
house in return for oil and other
considerations. Worse, Tyre
turned those captured over to Edom, an avowed enemy of Israel. (This will be
covered below.}
11Thus says Y__H, For three transgressions of Edom
and for four I shall not turn it back; for he pursued his brother with the
sword, while he stifled his compassion; His anger also tore continually, and he
maintained his fury forever. 12So I shall send fire upon Teman and
it shall consume the citadels of Bozrah. Thus says Y__H, 13For three transgressions of the sons of
Ammon and for four I shall not turn it back, for they ripped open the pregnant
women of Gilead in order to enlarge their borders. 14So I shall
kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah and it shall consume her citadels, with a
storm in the day of battle, and a storm on the day of tempest. 15Their
king shall go into exile, He and his princes together, says Y__H.
{“Edom
pursued his brother” The
reason for Edom's violence against Israel was that they both came from the same
parents, Isaac and Rebekah. “cast off
all pity” literally means, "destroy compassion" that
is, to suppress all the natural feeling of pity for a brother/sister in
distress. As Esau kept up his grudge against Jacob, for having twice
supplanted him, first as to the birthright and second as to the blessing. Teman and Bozrah were two important cities in Edom
that would be destroyed. Edom never forgot that Esau was supplanted but they
also never remembered Esau brought it on himself. Edom kept “his wrath forever” and continually tried to destroy Israel. It is still
happening today.
Ammon was constantly trying to
enlarge its borders and did not care who they killed or how. They had no mercy
toward women, children, the elderly, etc. As they showed no mercy God would not
show them mercy. Again, what they reaped, they sowed. Tempest means with an onset swift, sudden, and resistless. “day of the whirlwind” is the same as "the day of
battle"; therefore meaning "the day of the foe's tumultuous assault."}
Amos
2
1Thus says Y__H, for three
transgressions of Moab and for four I shall not turn it back, for he burned the
bones of the king of Edom into lime. 2So I shall send fire upon Moab
and it shall consume the citadels of Kerioth; and Moab shall die with uproar,
with war cries and with the sound of a trumpet. 3I shall also cut
off the judge from her midst and slay all her princes with him, says Y__H
{There is a common
thread running through the prophesies for all of these cities, their disdain
for covenants with other groups and their slave trading for profit that did not
involve war. In addition, these nations would wage war simply to gain territory
and slaves. During these wars, they would use unnecessary brutality against
noncombatants, women, children and the elderly. This type of warfare was used
by Damascus against Israel. Amos is holding the nations to a higher level of
ethics and actions (civilization) than they had been practicing.
In ancient times people thought
that it was necessary to bury someone properly. It was not good to burn their
bones. The Moabites were not showing respect to the king, and therefore the
people of Edom. Although Edom was an enemy of Israel they were descended from
Esau, part of the family of Abraham and God wanted the people in Moab to show
respect to the king’s body and the people. It is one thing to defeat a people
and quite another to disrespect and brutalize them.
God would punish Moab’s people.
He would destroy all their cities. Kerioth was an important place for false
religion, the Moabites worshipped the false
god Chemosh there. The people, leadership and legal system would be destroyed
by war.
A note on Chemosh and Molech
(false god of the Ammonites.) Chemosh enabled the Moabites, and Molech the
Ammonites, to engage in adultery, prostitution, incest and infanticide as a
part of their worship. The killing of unwanted or deformed or handicapped children
was also a part of their worship. The Spartans, Romans and other cultures did
the same thing. This appears to have many parallels with the practice of
abortion today.}
4Thus says Y__H, for three transgressions of Yahudah
and for four I shall not turn it back; for they rejected the law of Y__H and
have not kept His statutes; their lies
also have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked. 5So
I shall send fire upon Yahudah and it shall consume the citadels of Yerushalam.
{Now we come to Judah. Judah
consisted of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Judah was the tribe of
kingship and the tribe through which the Messiah would come. They had a great
responsibility and did not fulfill it. Amos makes clear their responsibility
and failure. They were to honor the law of God and keep God’s commandments.
They did neither. They told themselves lies that all would be ok, god either
did not mean what He said, was not watching, did not care or did not exist.
They were wrong on all counts. Because they despised God’s Law and did not keep
God’s commandments they would be destroyed by God. The destruction would not be
limited to the people but would reach the palaces and leadership, including the
priesthood. The leadership had a greater responsibility since they were to lead
the people in the Lord’s ways and teach them God’s Law and commandments.}
6Thus says Y__H, for three transgressions of Yisrael
and for four I shall not turn it back; for they sell the righteous for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals. 7Those who trample on the dust of the earth on the
head of the helpless also turn aside the way of the humble; and a man and his
father shall go in to the same girl in order to profane My holy name. 8On garments taken as pledges they stretch out
beside every altar, and in the house of their El they drink the wine of those
who have been fined.
{Now we come to Israel. Israel
consisted of the remaining ten tribes. Since the Temple was in Jerusalem and
Jerusalem was in Judah, Israel established their own place of worship in
violation of God’s command. They also set up a golden calf as an object of
worship instead of worshipping Y__H.
Israel was also known for
despising the poor, robbing them and selling them as slaves. God had definite
commandments concerning slaves, especially Hebrews and the rich were violating
those commandments in order to make money. In addition, father and son were
having sexual relations with the same female which God had forbid and clothes
taken in pledge were not returned at night as God instructed. Finally, the rich
celebrated these things while worshipping false gods.}
9Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose
height was like the height of cedars and he was strong as the oaks; I even
destroyed his fruit above and his root from below. {The Amorites possessed the land
in and around Jerusalem until defeated by the Hebrews. They were a strong
people yet God destroyed utterly and completely. All parts were destroyed
including the culture.} 10Also I brought you up from the
land of Egypt, and I led you in the wilderness forty years, to possess of the
land of the Amorite. 11Then I raised up from your sons for prophets and
some of your young men for Nazirites. Is
this not even so, O sons of Yisrael?
declares Y__H. {God is reminding Israel of all He has done for
them. God led them out of Egypt and provided prophets and Nazarites to help
them follow His word.} 12But
you made the Nazirites drink wine, and you commanded the prophets saying, You
shall not prophesy! {Nazarites did
not drink wine nor cut their hair. The leaders were tempting, or perhaps
forcing, those who took the Nazarite vow to drink wine. Numbers 6:1-6 In
addition the leaders would forbid God’s prophets to prophesy, bring God’s
message to the people, if the leaders did not like the message.} 13Behold, I am pressed beneath
you as with a cart of full produce of it, cut grain is pressed. {God is letting the Israelites know why
His judgement is coming on them. The weight of their sins against God and other
Israelites is so great it is like an exceedingly overloaded cart.} 14Flight shall perish from the swift, and the
stalwart shall not strengthen his power, nor the mighty man save his life. 15He
who grasps the bow shall not stand. And the swift of foot shall not escape, nor
shall he who rides the horse save his life. 16And the stout one in
his heart among the mighty shall flee naked in that day, declares Y__H {The text emphasizes the totality of defeat
by narrating at some length the persons who will not escape: the swift, the
strong, the mighty, the handler of the bow, the swift of foot, the rider of the
horse. No one will escape regardless of how well prepared they are or think
they are, no one will escape God’s judgement.}
Authority
of the Prophet’s Message
Amos 3
1Hear this word which Y__H has spoken
against you, sons of Yisrael, against the entire family which He brought up
from the land of Egypt: 2You only have I known of all the families
of the earth; therefore, I shall visit on you for all your iniquities. 3Shall
two walk together unless they have made an appointment? 4Does a lion
roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion give his voice from
his den unless he has caught? 5Does a bird fall into a trap on the
ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when
it captures nothing at all? 6If a trumpet is blown in a city shall
not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not Y__H done it? 7For
Adonai (the Master) Y__H shall not do a thing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. 8A
lion has roared! Who shall not fear? Adonai
Y__H has spoken! Who shall not prophesy?
{Here it is clear that Israel was
the people God chose to bring His Word to the world. They are the ONLY nation
that was so chosen. With this great honor comes great responsibility. The
Israelites were honored by God to bring His Word to the nations and with that
came the responsibility to follow Him, obey His Words and be a witness of God
to the nations. In this responsibility they failed. Being Yahweh's chosen means special
accountability for sin. Israel is measured by a special standard. Because
they chose to not follow God’s Word the punishment of God, relayed to them by
Amos, would happen, and soon. God is telling them that: While you loved and served me, I dwelt
in you and walked among you. Now you have become alienated from me, your nature
and mine are totally opposite. I am holy, you are unholy. We are no longer
agreed, and can no longer walk together. This has striking similarities to Adam and Eve in the Garden after
they ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Their
communication with the most Holy God was greatly diminished.
There is another important
message to see here, an argument from logic.. Amos then asks the question: “If a calamity
occurs in a city has not Y__H done it?” The
answer to this is: Yes the Lord will have done it. Next Amos makes clear God
reveals what will happen through the prophets. It is the responsibility of the
people to listen to God’s messengers. God always tells people what will happen,
the result of their behaviors and actions. “Y__H shall not
do a thing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.” Finally, Amos uses the example of a lion roaring. A
lion’s roar gets everyone’s attention. “Just as when a lion roars anyone would be afraid, so also, when Yahweh
speaks, no one could fail to prophesy.” The causal relationship that can be
observed in daily life can just as readily be applied to the speeches that
prophets utter. The obvious point is we listen for the lion’s
roar because it can be physical death if we do not so why do we not listen to
God’s prophets since it can mean spiritual death if we do not.}
Punishment of Israel’s Sins
9Proclaim
on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say,
assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria and see the great tumults
within her and the oppressions in her midst. 10But they do not know
how to do what is right, declares Y__H, these who hoard up violence and
devastation in their citadels. 11Therefore, thus says Adonai Y__H,
an enemy, and he shall be all round the land, shall pull down your strength
from you and your citadels shall be looted.
{Ashdod and Egypt, two Gentile
nations and enemies of Israel are called to witness God’s judgment on Samaria.
Notice two nation both Gentile and enemies are called to witness against God’s
people. This is far from God’s intention, that they should be a witness of Him
to the Gentile nations, when He chose His people.
The people have gone so far from
God that they no longer even know how to do right. They think the wrong they do
is actually right. It is as if their consciences are seared with a hot iron.
They no longer recognize what is God’s will or what is truly right. They use
their position and wealth to rob the people and do violence against them.
Because of this God will bring an adversary against them who will rob and do
violence against them as they have done to others.}
12Thus says Y__H, as when the
shepherd takes two legs from the lion’s mouth. 13Hear and testify
against the house of Yaaqob, declares Adonai Y__H, the El of hosts. 14For
on the day that I visit the transgressions of Yisrael on him, I shall also
visit on the altars of Beth’El; the horns of the altar shall be cut off and
they shall fall to the ground. 15I shall smite the winter house with
the summer house; the houses of ivory shall perish and the great houses shall
be swept, declares Y__H.
{The defeat of Samaria will be so
massive that virtually nothing will be left. Just as when a shepherd tries to
rescue a sheep from the mouth of a lion, he saves nothing more than two legs or
a piece of an ear, so shall those who dwell in Samaria be rescued with nothing
more than a small fragment of the people remaining. (When a lion took a sheep
from the flock the shepherd would kill the lion and take two of the sheep’s
legs or a piece of the ear to prove, testify, that a lion killed the sheep and
the shepherd was not responsible for the loss.)
Bethel was to be a place to worship
Y__H. The people turned it into a place to worship false gods and idols. The
horns of an altar were the place where the blood of the sacrifice was
sprinkled. When God says He will cut off the horns of the altar and they will
fall to the ground the clear message to the people is that He will completely
stop the pagan sacrifice and will totally destroy the altar and area where they
took place. Horns also denoted power. God is also saying they will have no
power, He has cut off any power they had.}
Amos
4
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 masters, bring now, that we may drink! {The
“cows of Bashan” refers to the wealthy women of Samaria who oppressed the poor
and needy. They took without giving back anything. The reference is to the cows
that pastured around Bashan, an area known for rich feed for cows with
resultant very well fed cattle.} Adonai
(the Master) Y__H has sworn by His holiness, that, behold, the days are coming upon you when they shall
take you away with meat hooks, and the
last of you with fish hooks. {The Assyrians frequently
led prisoners by ropes attached to rings or hooks in their noses or lips.}
You shall go out
at the breaches, each woman before her,
and you shall be cast toward Harmon, declares Y__H. {The captive, including the wealthy women will be
taken into captivity through the breaches made by the enemy in the walls. “} Enter
Beth’El and transgress; in Gilgal multiply transgression! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your
tithes for three days. Offer a thanksgiving sacrifice from that which is
leavened, and proclaim the freewill offerings, make them known. For so love to
do, sons of Yisrael, declares Adonai Y__H. {Literally come to Betel and
Gilgal and sin. The sin was worshipping false gods at these places. There was
also the problem of those who came to worship Y__H but their hearts and actions
were far from Him. This is also sin. These people made a show of worship for
others to see and to salve their own conscience but they oppressed their poor,
ignored the needy and did not live by the commands of God. The nation’s
disobedience made it apparent that Israel loved their traditions, rituals and
idolatry rather than the Lord. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 5:20 and 6:1-18.
God gives them up to their
self-willed idolatry, that they may see how unable their idols are to save them
from their coming calamities.}
6 But I gave you also cleanness of teeth
in all your cities and lack of bread in all your places, {“cleanness
of teeth” means nothing to eat, famine.} yet you
have not returned to Me, declares Y__H. 7 I have also withheld the
rain from you when it was yet three months to the harvest. Then I would send
rain on one city and on another city I would not send rain; one part would be
rained on, while the part not rained on you would dry up. 8So two or
three cities would stagger to another city to drink water, but would not be
satisfied; yet you have not returned to Me, declares Y__H. 9 I smote
you with blasting and with mildew. The multitude of Your gardens, and Your
vineyards, and your fig trees and your olive trees, the creeping locust
devoured; and you have not returned to Me, declares Y__H.
10I sent a plague among you after the
manner of Egypt; I slew your young men with the sword and your horses with the
captivity, and I made the stench of your camp to come up even into your
nostrils; and you have not returned to Me, declares Y__H. 11I have
overthrown among you, as Elohim overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand snatched from a
blaze; yet you have not returned to Me, declares Y__H. 12Therefore
thus I shall do to you, O Yisrael; because I shall do this to you, prepare to
meet your El, O Yisrael. 13For behold, He who forms mountains and
creates the wind
{God is making clear that He has
tried to get the people to see their errors and return to Him, all to no
avail. He chastised them with famine (empty
stomachs and lack of bread). But they refused to return to Y__H. Once again He
sent drought, but they would not return. Again and again Y__H chastised them,
but never would they make the journey back to Him. Then comes Yahweh's
response: 12Therefore
thus I shall do to you, O Yisrael; because I shall do this to you, prepare to
meet your El, O Yisrael. This
should be a frightening thought to the people. Y__H, who they have ignored and
dismissed as not important (so their actions indicated). Regardless of the
people’s belief about the existence of Y__H or their perceiving His
commandments as unimportant they will be meeting Him. They mock God with worship, while at the same
time worshipping idols. Amos is giving God’s warning about what is soon
(and at the end times) to happen. Y__H is reality and refusing to recognize
that makes it no less a fact.}
Amos 5
1Hear this word which I take up for you as a dirge, O house
of Yisrael:
2She
has fallen, she shall not rise again the virgin Yisrael. She lies
neglected on her land; there is none to raise her up. 3For thus says
Adonai (the Master) Y__H, the city which goes forth a thousand strong shall
have a hundred left, and the one which goes forth a hundred strong shall have
ten left to the house of Yisrael.
{Another very clear warning from
God through Amos. A lamentation is done for the dead. Here God is saying Israel
is dead. The depiction of
Israel as a virgin adds gravity to the portrayal of death. For an Israelite
woman to die as a virgin meant dying childless, without having fulfilled her
purpose in life. God has already told Samaria what will happen to
them due to their idolatry. Now God addresses Israel. God starts by telling
them a great number of the population will be killed or taken captive. This should
have gotten their attention. It did but not in a positive manner. They wanted
to kill the messenger, Amos not repent.}
4For thus says
Y__H to the house of Yisrael, seek Me that you may live. 5But
do not resort to Beth’El and do not come to Gilgal, nor cross over to
Beersheba; for Gilgal shall certainly go into captivity and Beth’El shall come
to trouble. 6Seek Y__H that you may live, else He shall break forth
like a fire, O house of Yoseph, and it shall consume with none to quench it for
Beth’El, 7He abandoned those who turn justice into wormwood and cast
righteousness down to the earth. 8He who made the Pleiades and Orion
and who turns the shadow of death into morning, who also darkens day into
night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of
the earth, Y__H is His name. 9It is He who flashes forth with
destruction upon the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
{The beginning reminds us of John
3:16-18. Seek God and live. Do not seek God and die. This is speaking of both
physical and spiritual life and death. It may seem counterintuitive but God
tells the Israelites not to go to Bethel or Gilgal. The message is that the
places that seem safe because they were considered sanctuaries of Y__H will not
be safe at all. For the Jews, this would be the opposite of what they thought
they knew. It is much like
hearing God say, “Seek me and live, but don't seek me in the churches!” The
reason is made clear, Bethel will come to nothing and Gilgal will go into
captivity. Neither place will be safe when God’s judgement comes.}
10They hate him
who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks uprightly. 11Therefore
because your trampling on the poor and you take tribute of grain from them, you
have built houses of well-hewn stone, yet you shall not live in them; you have
planted pleasant vineyards, yet you shall not drink their wine. 12For
I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, you who distress
the righteous and take bribes and turn aside the poor in the gate. 13Therefore
at such a time the understanding one shall keep silent, for it is an evil
time.
{Those who do not follow God’s commands hate those who rebuke
them and their practices/lifestyles. They just cannot abide those who speak the
truth and have integrity. God now points out the failings of the leaders and
wealthy. He also tells them the material things which were important to them,
their first priority, that they often obtained by cheating and injustice, they
would not enjoy. Verse 13 explains why
the prudent will be silent: the times will be so bad, so evil, that the truth
will not be tolerated.}
14Seek good and
not evil, that you may live; and thus Y__H El of hosts shall be with
you, just as you have said! 15Hate evil, love good, and establish
justice in the gate! Perhaps Y__H El of
hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Yoseph.
{God is speaking of both
physical and spiritual life. Because of their practices and injustice God
has said He is bringing retribution to them. Could the phrase “so the Lord God of hosts will be with you, as
you have spoken.” be mocking the outwardly pious? What is clear is that there
is still the chance to repent and seek good and perhaps, perhaps God will spare
those that remain. Something to remember for our time.}
16Therefore thus says Y__H El of
hosts, Adonai, there is wailing in all the plazas, and in all the streets they
say, Alas! Alas! They also call the farmer to mourning and to those knowing
wailing to lamentation. 17And in all the vineyards there is wailing,
because I shall pass through your midst, says Y__H. 18Woe to those
desiring the day of Y__H! To what end is it to you? The
day of Y__H shall be darkness and not light; 19As if a man
flees from before a lion and a bear meets him, or he goes into the house, and
leans his hand against the wall and a snake bites him. 20Shall not the
day of Y__H be darkness and not light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
{Amos now returns to his familiar idea of weeping. God’s punishment will
affect everyone. People will cry in the cities and in the country. God has
decided that everywhere people will die, even in the fields. Nobody will escape
His judgement. In the past, the ‘day of the Lord’ meant a special time. This
time was when God helped the Israelites to defeat their enemies. However, Amos
has a surprise for the people. The ‘day of the Lord’ will mean the opposite of
what the Israelites expected. They will not like it. Amos was the first of the
Hebraic Scripture prophets to write about this ‘day’. It points to a time in
the future. The Lord alone decides when this time will be.
Amos
now uses two pictures. These pictures say that there will be no escape. There
will be no defense. The Israelites cannot avoid the judgement of God. People
often use darkness as a picture. In the Hebraic Scriptures it is often a
picture of trouble, unhappy people, danger, and even death (1 Samuel 2:9; Job
5:14; Psalm 91:6; Isaiah 5:30). Job described the place where dead people are
as a land of darkness (Job 10:21-22). So, when he said this, God was being very
clear.
As
we read these last chapters of Amos they should remind of what Jesus said, what
Paul wrote and what John wrote in Revelation. God always tells His prophets
what will happen so no one should be surprised when it does happen. Amos 3:7;
Joel; Micah; Zephaniah}
21I hate, I despise your
festivals, and I shall not delight in your solemn assemblies. 22Even
though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I shall not
accept them; and I shall not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.
23Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I shall not even listen
to the melody of your stringed instruments. 24But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like
an ever-flowing stream.
25Did you present Me with
sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of
Yisrael? 26You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your
images, the star of your deities which you made for yourselves.
{Amos now mentions the people’s sacrifices. The ‘things that you burn’
were sacrifices that were burnt completely. The smoke went up to God (Leviticus
1:3-17). In addition, God did not accept their songs. Music was an important
part of the worship of the Israelites (Psalm 150; Ezra 2:65; Isaiah 5:12). But
to God it was only a noise. It did not come from the heart and God did not want
to listen. Amos now tells the Israelites what was wrong. People were not living
by following the true way of God. They separated their worship from their
private lives. This is a very pagan way of living. Jesus warned us about this
(Matthew 7:21-23). Sacrifices were good but
to behave in a true way is more important. We must
love our neighbor.
Verse 26 is a very difficult verse to understand. The Hebrew is not
clear. We do not know to which period-of-time this verse refers. God did not
like the way that the Israelites made sacrifices. What Y__H hated was not the
method(s) of sacrifice but rather the state of their hearts when making the
sacrifice. Y__H hated their worship of idols. When the Israelites travelled,
they carried the false gods Sakkuth and Chiun with them. These idols were false
gods from Assyria, usually thought to represent or be Saturn. The Israelites
made these idols themselves. These idols could not do anything. The Israelites
offered sacrifices to these idols as well as to God. God had no more patience. Y__H
had decided to punish them. This punishment would be final. God would not
change His mind. He would take them from their home and they would have to live
far away.}
Warnings to Zion and Samaria
Amos
6
1Woe to those at
ease in Zion and to those trusting in the mountain of Samaria, those
noted as chief of nations, to them the house of Yisrael comes. 2Go
over to Calneh and look, and
go from there to Hamath the great, then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, or
is their territory greater than your territory? 3Do you put off the
day of calamity, and would you bring near the seat of violence?
{Calneh, one of the 4 cities built by Nimrod and part of his kingdom. It
was destroyed. Gath was one of the five chief cities of the Philistines and
home of Goliath. It was destroyed by Sargon II as well as by the Israelites Amos
reminds the people and their leaders that their pride is invalid. They are no
better than the nations around them which had fallen on hard times. Their
priorities were wrong. Their thinking was wrong. They were ignoring God’s
warnings and were thinking and saying the day of judgment was, if it ever came,
far off. In addition, they were practicing violence against their own people
and others. By thinking the day of judgement was far off they did not repent
and were in fact bringing it closer. Their world and spiritual views were all
wrong}
4Those
who lie on beds of ivory and sprawl on their couches, and eat lambs from the
flock and calves from the midst of the stall, 5who improvise to the
sound of the harp, and like David have invented instruments of music for
themselves, 6who drink wine from bowls, and anoint with the finest
of oils, yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Yoseph. 7Therefore,
now they shall go into exile at the head of the exiles, and the feast of those
who stretch themselves shall cease.
{God, through Amos, brings a
reality check to the Israelites and Samaritans. The Israelites considered
themselves better than the surrounding Gentile nations. The
point God makes here is that the Israelites are no better than these
surrounding cities that were destroyed. The Israelites saw any potential
disaster as very far off and therefore were not concerned with their present
actions. Justice and fair treatment of God’s people was not a part of their
thinking and actions. They took the best for themselves and were concerned only
for their own pleasure and easy living. Amos lets them know this is not wise
and they will be chastised by God.
Amos appears to bypass the leadership and goes
directly to the people with his prophesy. The people might blame the leadership
for what is happening in Israel but Amos, through God, recognizes it is the
people who allow the sin and usually partake in it. Judgement is
pronounced on Israelite leaders for pushing far away in time the day of
judgment. God gets specific about the people He is
addressing; those who take from society but do not give back. They are judged for celebrating their magnificence with abandon
while not being at all concerned about the breaking down of society. Because of
their lack of concern and self-centeredness the leaders and wealthy will be the
first to go into exile. They will be the first to lose their material
possessions.}
8Adoni (the
Master) Y__H has sworn by Himself, Y__H El of hosts has declared: I loathe the
arrogance of Yaaqob (Jacob), and hate his palaces; therefore,
I shall deliver up the city and its fullness. 9And it shall be, if
ten men are left in one house, they shall die. 10And his uncle shall lift him
up, and he who burns him, to bring out his bones from the house, and he shall
say to the one who is in the innermost part of the house, Are any still with
you? And he shall say, None. Then he shall say, Keep quiet. For the name of Y__H
is not to be mentioned. 11For behold, Y__H commands and He shall
shake the great house into pieces and the small house to fragments.
{Pride, the same
sin as motivated Satan. Pride often involves rebellion, in this case rebellion
against God. As pride and rebellion resulted in Satan being thrown out of
heaven so pride in this case would result in the city being destroyed. Again,
God is making clear why He is angry and displeased with Israel, Judah and
Samaria. He abhors, hates, is totally disgusted with Israel’s pride in
themselves, their self-centeredness and prevalent sin. Now the complete
destruction is made very clear. If ten men are left alive they too will be
killed. There will be one person left to burn the bodies (to prevent
contagion). After receiving
the reply that none is left besides the one addressed, the uncle thinks the man
still surviving is about, as was customary, to express devout gratitude to God
who spared him. The uncle interrupts him, "Hold your tongue! for there is
not now cause for mentioning with praise the name of Jehovah.”
Earlier in Amos God went into
detail concerning the sins of Samaria. Now God refers to the “great house” and
the “little house”, these are Israel (10 tribes) and Judah (2 tribes) and makes
it clear both will be destroyed.}
12Do horses run
on rocks? Or does one plow with oxen?
Yet you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into
wormwood, 13those rejoicing for nothing, and say, ‘Have we not by
our own strength taken horns to ourselves?’ 14For behold, I shall
raise up a nation against you, O house of Yisrael, declares Y__H El of hosts,
and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the
Arabah.
{People,
especially the leaders, are taking credit for God’s work. There are things a
person just does not do. Most people now do not ride horses or plow but their
thinking is similar to our thinking. A person does not take a Cadillac off road
onto the rockiest areas. Nor does a person plant their garden on very rocky
soil. Both would be considered counter-productive and not very smart. In our
time, we see people doing the same with His word and commandments as did
Israel, Judah and Samaria. People use His word to make others suffer, to steal
from the needy and to increase their wealth and comfort at the expense of
others. The result is God calling them to task for their actions. Their
subverting God’s justice and righteousness results in their oppression and
destruction.
As horses and oxen are useless
on rocky ground, so the leaders are incapable of fulfilling justice. They
impede the course of God's benefits, because their hearts are like hard rock on
which His favor cannot run. "Those that will not be tilled as fields,
shall be abandoned as rocks" [Calvin].
The Israelites congratulated
themselves on their military prowess. They took pride in their successes and
forgot God gave them the success. Since that is the case God will bring a
conquering army to defeat them and take them into exile. “and they shall afflict you from the entrance of
Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.” That is, the length and breadth of the country. None shall escape.}
Vision
of the Locusts
Amos
7
1Thus Adonai (the
Master) Y__H showed me, and behold, He was forming a locusts in the beginning
of the shooting up of the later growth; and behold, the later growth after the
king’s mowings. 2And it came about, when
it had made an end of eating the grass of the land, that I said, Adonai Y__H,
please pardon! How can Yaaqob stand, for he is small? 3Y__H
repented concerning this. It shall not be, said Y__H. { }
{Amos has a
heart for the people and asks God to forgive the people and stop the locusts.
This is much like Moses standing in the gap or Abraham with Sodom and Gomorrah.
The patience of God is over. He will send his locusts
as a judgement. The time is late spring. There was an earlier crop and the king
took his share from this crop. The harvest from the second crop was for the
farmers. If the locusts ate this second crop, there would be no food left. Very
few people or animals would live. Amos prayed for Israel. He prayed that God
would not send this punishment. Amos did not remind God about His covenant with
Israel, although he had done this before. This was because Israel had so many
sins. God has plans but it is always possible that He can change His plans.
This can happen when people pray to Him (Genesis 18:22-32; Joshua 7:6-13; Jonah
3:10). God forgives
Israel twice and stops His intended punishment. Neither God nor
Amos wanted the people to die.}
Vision of the Fire
4Thus Adonai Y__H
showed me, and behold, Adonai Y__H was calling to contend by fire, and it
consumed the great deep and devouring the portion. 5Then I said,
Adonai Y__H, please stop! How can Jacob
stand, for he is small? 6Y__H repented concerning this. This too shall not be, said Adonai Y__H.
{Amos now has another picture from God. God is going to send fire. It is
not a natural fire, this fire can even burn water. We see the same kind of fire
in 1 Kings 18:22-29 where Elijah called down God’s fire and it burned
everything, including the water, around and on the altar. Fire can often be a
sign of judgement in the Bible (Joel 1:19-20; 2:3, 5, 30). Amos cries out
‘Stop!’ and uses the same reasoning as he used before. The fire will destroy
everything and, as before, God listens to Amos. He changes his mind. The fire
will not happen.}
Vision of the Plumb Line
7Thus
He showed me, and behold, Adonai was standing by a wall made by a plumb line,
and a plumb line in His hand. 8Y__H said to me, ‘What do you see,
Amos?’ And I said, A plumb line. Then Adonai said,
Behold I shall set a plumb line in the midst of My people Yisrael. I shall not again pass over him anymore. 9The
high places of Yitschak shall be desolated and the sanctuaries of Yisrael laid
waste. Then I shall rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
{God compares Israel to a wall. A plumb-line is a builder’s tool, a
piece of string with a weight on the end. A plumb-line shows if a wall is
straight. God Himself ‘built’ Israel. He led Israel in the beginning. He made
standards for His people, these were the laws He gave to Moses. The Israelites
knew God’s commandments and agreed to follow them so there was no reason for
the Israelites to fail.
Plumb lines are used to
verify and assure a thing is straight and true. God set a plumb line in Israel
and His subsequent comments indicate Israel was neither straight nor true. The
Lord passed by Israel at the Passover and a number of times after that. God is
saying the time of His passing by, His mercy on Israel is past. God will
destroy the places of pagan worship. The king and his lineage will be destroyed
by the sword, by a conqueror, by warfare.
When God compared this straight wall with Israel and He is not pleased
with what He saw. The Israelites were not following His standards. They were
not straight or true anymore. God had no more patience with them so He would
punish them. The Hebrew says that God will not ‘pass by them’. Instead, He will
see their sin, there would be no escape. God would even destroy the holy
places. In reality, the holy places had become important places for worship of false
religion. People worshipped Baal and other false gods. God is clear that He
will destroy all places where false gods are worshipped. He is also clear that
He will bring violence to the house of Jeroboam. As leader of the nation
Jeroboam is responsible for the people. When they go astray he is to lead them back
to the right road. This he did not do, in fact, he led them away from God.}
10Then
Amaziah, the priest of Beth’El, sent to Jeroboam king of Yisrael, saying, Amos
has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Yisrael; the land is not
able to endure all his words. 11For thus Amos says, Jeroboam shall
die by the sword and Yisrael shall certainly go from its land into exile. 12Then
Amaziah said to Amos, Seer, go, flee for yourself into the land of Yahudah and
eat bread there and prophesy there! 13But do not add to prophesy any
more at Beth’El, for it is a sanctuary of the king and it is a royal house
14Then
Amos answered and said to AmatsiYah, I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a
prophet; for I am a herdsman and a gatherer from sycamore trees. 15But
Y__H took me from following the flock and Y__H said to me, Go prophesy to My
people Yisrael. 16Now hear the word of Y__H: you are saying, You
shall not prophesy against Yisrael nor shall you speak against the house of
Yitschak. 17Therefore, thus says Y__H, Your wife shall become a
harlot in the city, your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, your
land shall be divided up by a line. And you shall die in a defiled land. And
Yisrael shall certainly go from its land into exile.
{Amaziah was most probably the
chief priest at Bethel. He would have been appointed to that position by the
king. Amaziah did not want Amos to prophesy in Israel and wanted him to go back
to Judah. To assure this happens Amaziah send a letter to Jeroboam claiming
Amos was inciting rebellion and said that Jeroboam would be killed. Neither of
these were true. Amos was not inciting rebellion, he was bringing God’s warning
to the people. Amos did not say Jeroboam would die by the sword but rather God would
bring the sword, violence, against his house.
Amaziah tells Amos to flee, run
away, to Judah and there earn his living as a prophet. Amaziah forbids Amos to
prophesy in the land of Israel and especially not in Bethel “for it is
the king’s sanctuary, and it is the royal residence.” Amos lets Amaziah
know he was called by God to be a prophet, not by man. His priority is to do
God’s Word and bring God’s message to the people. Amos then prophesies what
will happen to Amaziah and his family. His children will be killed, his land
will be taken and given to others, his wife will become a harlot and he will
die in a foreign land. Because
Amos has been sent by God, the true conflict is not between Amaziah and Amos
but between Amaziah and Y__H.}
Vision of the Summer Fruit
Amos
8
1Thus
Adonai (the Master) Y__H showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer
fruit. 2He said, What do you see, Amos? And I said, A basket of
summer fruit. Then Y__H said to me, The end has come for My people Yisrael. I
shall not again pass by them anymore. 3The songs of the temple they
shall howl in that day, declares Adonai Y__H.
Many shall be the corpses; in every place they shall cast them forth in
silence.
{God
is repeating what He said earlier. He will not pass by the Jews again. They
have sown the seeds of their unrighteousness and will now reap the harvest. The
basket of summer fruit shows the summer, the time of plenty and relatively easy
living is over. It is time for winter, a time of scarcity, a time of want. In
this case, it will be a time of want for God’s Word and mercy. What previously was
joy in the temples (churches) will turn to sorrow because of God’s judgment.
Many who considered themselves acceptable spiritually simply because they went
to the synagogue will find out synagogue attendance without worshipping Y__H in
spirit and truth is not enough. (Matthew 7:21-23) This is a prophesy with two
time frames, a immediate time frame to Amos and the return of Christ.}
4Hear this, you who trample the
needy, to do away with the humble of the land, 5saying, When shall
the Chodesh (month) be gone, so that we may buy grain, and the Shabbat, that we
may open the wheat, to make the bushel small and to enlarge the shekel, {about ½ ounce} and
to pervert the balances of deceit, {the
practice of increasing the cost while cheating on the weigh} 6So
as to buy the helpless for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and that
we may sell the chaff of the wheat?
{A “basket of summer fruit” points
to the time of year when workers
put the fruit in baskets at harvest time. Summer has ended and the time of
plenty and easier living is done. Now comes the harsh winter. God is declaring
His patience with Israel has ended. The songs of the temple will not be of joy
and praise but will be wailing and crying. The temple referred to here could be
either the Temple in Jerusalem or one of the places where the people worshipped
false Gods, or both.
God again makes clear His
displeasure at the leaders and wealthy cheating and robbing the poor. They are
waiting impatiently for the required Holy Days to be past so they can again
sell their goods and cheat the people. The sandals referred to are the very
cheapest kind made of wood showing nothing is beyond their desire to cheat and
rob the people, even down to taking the cheapest sandals.}
7Y__H
has sworn by the pride of Yaaqob, Surely, I shall not forget forever all of
their deeds. 8Because of this shall not the land quake and everyone
who dwells in it mourn? And all of it
shall rise up like the Nile, and it shall overflow and sink like the Nile of
Egypt. 9It shall
come about in that day, declares Adonai Y__H, that I shall make the sun go down
at noon and I shall darken the earth in the day of light. 10Then I
shall turn your festivals into mourning and all your songs into lamentation;
and I shall bring sackcloth on all loins and baldness on every head. And I
shall make it like the mourning for an only one, and the end of it like a
bitter day.
{Commentaries say this is a condemnation of the rich. This seems to be
more a condemnation of those who use deceit, robbery, cheating and an unloving
heart to gain riches
“Pride of Jacob” means that the Israelites are proud of their God. God also says that He is the Glory of
Israel (1 Samuel 15:29). In Psalm 47:5, ‘pride of Jacob’ refers to the land of
Israel. God is using this phrase to make a promise in a way that will get the
attention of everyone. Even the land will be negatively affected with earthquakes. [As a side note what we do affects even the earth
itself. God makes this clear from the beginning when He tells Cain that Abel’s
blood cries to Him from the ground. Genesis 4:10-12.] Everything the people
think is good will be turned upside down. The day will be turned into night,
their joyful feasts will become times of mourning, mourning the dead and what
is happening to the land and people. The beautiful clothing and coiffed hair will
be turned around into sackcloth, mourning garb and baldness.}
11Behold,
days are coming, declares Adonai Y__H, that I shall send a famine on the land,
not a famine for bread nor a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words
of Y__H. 12And they
shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they shall
roam about to seek the word of Y__H, but they shall not find it.
{This is important!! The
famine is for the Bread of Life, the Word of God, Christ. A famine that leads
to spiritual starvation and eternal death. The Bread of Life will be very
scarce. If we look at the natural we can see a process in place here. Famine
occurs for a few reasons, failure to plant, war and natural occurrences. War
and natural occurrences can cause a failure to plant. Here we have a possibility
of multiple causes. One cause is a failure to plant the seed of the Word of God
in the hearts of people. This failure to plant could be the result of spiritual
war against the people of God, the planters, or lazy on the part of the people
of God or an environment and culture where the seed cannot take root and grow.}
13In
that day the beautiful virgins and the young men shall faint from thirst. 14As
for those who swear by the guilt of Samaria, who say, as your El lives, O Dan,
and, as the way of Beersheba lives, they shall fall and not rise again. {Verses 9-14
sound very much like passages in Revelation. These prophesies may have a double
target, soon to be happenings and the return of Christ happenings. God
pronounces one more judgement on the people, His Word will no longer be heard
in Israel. No matter where they go the people will not hear His Word. They have
ignored God’s commands and instruction for so long that God will give them what
they have wanted, His Word will no longer be with them. The strong young men
and women will faint from thirst, not just physical thirst but spiritual thirst.
Christ referred to this in John 4:10-15. Finally, those who worship false gods,
will fall, die, and rise no more. They will not be part of those risen to be
with the Lord in eternity.}
The Destruction of Israel
Amos 9
1I
saw Adonai (the Master) standing beside the altar, and He said, Smite the
capitals so that the thresholds shall shake, and break them on the heads of all
of them! Then I shall slay the rest of them with the sword; not one of them
shall flee; and not a fugitive of them shall escape. 2Though they
dig into Sheol, from there shall My hand take them; and though they ascend to
heaven, from there shall I bring them down. 3Though they hide
themselves on the summit of Carmel, I shall search them out and take them from
there; and though they conceal themselves from My eyes on the floor of the sea,
from there I shall command the serpent and it shall bite them. 4And
though they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I shall command
the sword that it slay them, and I shall set My eyes against them for evil and
not for good. {Again, this could well be a twofold prophesy. The section shows people
cannot hide from God. If people dig down as deep as possible or make their
habitation in space God will see them and execute judgment on them. God’s
judgment reaches everywhere.}
“Strike the doorposts, that the
thresholds may shake, and break them on the heads of them all.” takes us back
to the Passover. At the Passover in Egypt the people struck the doorposts and
lintel with the blood of the sacrificed lamb and when God’s angel saw the blood
he would pass over the house and not kill the firstborn. Here God instructs His
angels to strike the doorposts so the occupants will be killed. (It sounds like
a possible earthquake.) The parallel would not be lost on those hearing Amos.
In Egypt God passed over the Israelites keeping them safe by His hand. Here God
uses what kept the Israelites safe in Egypt to kill them. They left God so God
will (finally) leave them, at least for a time.
There is no place the people can
hide. God controls everything
everywhere. It is impossible to hide from Him. Even the grave is not safe.
God’s anger is like a fire, it will even burn the ‘grave below’ (Deuteronomy
32:22). Even if people could escape to heaven God will bring them back.
Those in exile will also be killed.}
5Adonai
Y__H of hosts, The One who touches the land so that it melts, and all those who
dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises up like the Nile and sink down like the
Nile of Egypt; 6The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens
and has founded His vaulted dome over the earth, He who calls for the waters of
the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth, Y__H is His name. 7Are
you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Yisrael? declares Y__H. Have I not brought up Yisrael from the land
of Egypt, and the Philistines from
Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir? 8Behold, the eyes of Adonai Y__H
are on the sinful kingdom, and I shall destroy it from the face of the earth;
only that I shall not totally destroy the house of Yaaqob, declares Y__H. 9For
behold, I am commanding, and I shall shake the house of Yisrael among all
nations, as one shakes with a sieve, yet not a grain shall fall to the ground. 10All
the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, those who say, the calamity
shall not come near or go before us.
{God created and controls
everything. He can also destroy everything. When God’s judgement comes on a
land and people even the earth is affected. Verse 6 gives an excellent
description of the atmosphere and land. Both have layers put there by God. The
Israelites considered themselves above the rest of the people on Earth. God
tells them they are not. Although they are His chosen people their sin has
become even worse than that of the other nations and God is bringing
punishment. But, even though God will destroy Israel He will save a remnant,
the righteous. The sinners shall die, including those who say God’s Word
through His prophets will not ever happen.}
Israel Will Be Restored
11In
that day I shall raise up the booth of David that has fallen, and wall up its
breaches; I shall raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old; 12That
they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name upon them, declares
Y__H who does this.13Behold, days are coming, declares Y__H, When
the plowman shall overtake the reaper
and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; When the mountains shall
drip new wine and all the hills shall be dissolved. 14Also I shall
restore the captivity of My people Yisrael, and they shall rebuild the ruined
cities and live in them; They shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and
make gardens and eat their fruit. 15I shall plant them on their
land, and they shall not again be rooted out from their land which I have given
them, says Y__H your El.
{In the final verses of Amos, there is hope. Jerusalem is going to fall.
The Babylonians will take Jerusalem but God will save a remnant of the people
and will restore Israel. God will restore the tabernacle of David, that is, He
will restore the line of David and bring the Messiah from David’s lineage as He
had promised. This refers to the physical tabernacle as well as the spiritual
tabernacle.
God’s plan to restore Israel using a small group of the people is very
consistent with God’s actions throughout history. God took a small family,
Abraham’s, and grew them to become a nation. He used this small group to bring
His Word to the world. God took the least brother, David, of a small family to
be king of Israel. God took an unknown young girl to be the mother of Jesus our
Savior. Amos was a shepherd and dresser of sycamore trees. He was not a prophet
or part of a great or powerful family, yet God chose him to bring His message
to Israel. God always uses the smallest to bring His message and show His plan
and power.
Israel will possess the land of their old enemy Edom. Edom is descended
from Ishmael and since the time of Isaac has been an implacable enemy of
Israel. God will vanquish Ismael’s descendants (Edom) and Israel shall take
over their land. God also tells Amos when He does this there will be great
prosperity in the land and those in exile will return and rebuild the country.
The people will not be exiled in the future.}
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/The-first-six-minor-prophets#ref597779
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/amos/
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/asbury-bible-commentary/AMOS
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/reformation-study-bible/Amos
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Amos
http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentary/amos-lbw.htm
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tpc/amos-0.html
http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentary/amos-lbw.htm
Appendix A.
Amos is
best arranged in four parts.
Part I.
(Amos 1, 2) Approaching judgment: a prelude.
(Amos 1-2:3) Summons of the nations bordering
on the Holy Land.
(Amos 2:4, 5)
Summons of Judah.
(Amos 2:6-16.)
Summons and general denunciation of Israel.
Part II.
(Amos 3-6) Three addresses particularizing the sins of Israel and
announcing imminent punishment.
(Amos 3) First address.
(Amos 4) Second address.
(Amos 5, 6) Third address.
Part III.
(Amos 7-9:10) Five visions, with explanations.
(Amos 7:1-3.)
First vision: locusts.
(Amos 7:4-6.)
Second vision: fire.
(Amos 7:7-9.)
Third vision: plumb line.
(Amos 7:10-17.)
Historical parenthesis.
(Amos 8:1-14.)
Fourth vision: basket of fruits.
(Ch. 9:1-10.) Fifth vision: the Lord at the altar.
Part IV.
(Amos 9:11-15.) Epilogue: establishment of the new
kingdom.
