Amos
By: Hampton Keathley
IV , Th.M.
I. Introduction
The Old Testament prophets were adept at luring
hostile audiences into listening to their judgment speeches. In 1
Kings 20:35-43 a prophet tricked Ahab into pronouncing his own guilt
and punishment. And Nathan tricked David into declaring his own
guilt by the artful use of a parable (2 Sam. 12).
Amos 1-2 contains a great example of this
entrapment technique, and recognizing what Amos is doing here really
helps us to understand what is being said and what is the theme of
the book.
Overview of Book:
- Seven speeches pronouncing Judgment.
- Five messages describing the reasons for the judgment and just
how bad they were.
- Five visions to show how bad the judgment will be.
- Promise of restoration in the future.
I also want to spend some time showing you some of
the literary devices that the prophets used. Most of what they did
is lost on the modern reader, but they were skilled writers and
understanding some of these literary devices really opens up the
book.
So, with this in mind, let's study the book of
Amos.
A. Author and Date (1:1)
Amos was a sheepherder from the southern kingdom
of Judah. Amos 7:15 shows us that he received a direct call from God
to go prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel. So Amos goes to
Bethel, which was functioning as the capitol of Israel. The king,
Jeroboam II, lived there. Bethel had special significance in
Israel's history. In Genesis 28: we see that this is where Jacob had
his dream about the angels descending on the ladder and his
wrestling with God. But now it had become the center for idol
worship in the Northern Kingdom. Jeroboam set up golden calves in
Bethel and Dan for the Israelites to worship, because he didn't want
the people worshipping God in Jerusalem and reuniting the
kingdom.
It says this happened in the days of Uzziah, king
of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam. So we know this to be
somewhere between 790-753 BC. Israel was at the height of its power
politically, but was very corrupt spiritually and morally.
We know that Israel was defeated by the Assyrians
in 722 B.C., so this is just before that time and Amos is warning
Israel so they will turn from their wicked ways before it is too
late. And that brings us to the theme of the book.
B. The Theme (1:2)
One thing we need to notice is the phrase, ?The
Lord roars from Zion.? God has been Israel's shepherd. The
Israelites are familiar with the 23rd Psalm, etc. Like a shepherd,
God is supposed to take care of them. But Amos, a sheepherder
himself, uses what would have been a very vivid word picture to that
society. God is now like a Lion to Israel. The lion was probably the
most feared animal of that time. It could attack and devour a flock
of sheep while the shepherd watched helplessly.
So this imagery sets the stage and lets the people
know that God is angry. Why is He angry? That is the theme of the
book. And I don't want to tell you just yet.
So, with these things in mind, we see Amos is
preaching in the Northern Kingdom to the Israelites, and he begins
by giving a series of speeches against Israel's surrounding enemies.
II. The Roar of Judgment
(1:3-2:16)
I can just imagine him shouting and pronouncing
judgment on these surrounding nations, and his audience would be
listening with delight as he listed the evil things their enemies
had done and what God was going to do to them. After all, there were
a number of prophecies, like the one in Jeremiah 30:7f, that had
Israel anticipating a day when God would deliver them from their
enemies. When we studied Obadiah and Joel, you may remember they
talked about the day of the Lord when the nations would be
judged.
Let's look at the speeches in Amos. Typically,
people read these speeches and try to draw application from each
one. They try to analyze each nation's sin, etc. But that is
perhaps, not the best way to understand what Amos is doing here.
It seems that Amos is using these speeches to
build to a climax. He starts with foreigners, then denounces
Israel's neighbors and then the seventh speech is against Judah. You
all know that the number seven is significant in the Bible and it
was to the Jew. They would have thought this was the culmination of
the sermon and they certainly would have been pleased that Judah was
going to get what was coming to her.
But Amos uses another literary device to build the
listener's interest and make him hang around till the end. Let's
look at what Amos does:
The Three/Four Formula
One of the first things you notice is this saying,
?for three transgressions of ________ and for four . . . .? What
does that mean?
It is especially confusing when he doesn't list
three or four things after he says that. We might label this device
as an x/x+1 formula. This x/x+1 formula is found throughout the
Bible and usually follows a set pattern.
- It is occasionally used to emphasize completeness as in Job
40:5 which says, ?Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even
twice, and I will add no more.?
- It is sometimes used to mean ?a few? - one or two of
something. e.g. There were a couple of people at the meeting.
- It is sometimes used to mean abundance - ?7 even 8? is used
more often to refer to that. Micah 5:5 says,
When the Assyrian invades our land,
When he
tramples on our citadels,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.
This means there will be plenty of shepherds
(leaders). This is also seen in Ancient Near Eastern secular
literature (from Ugarit). (E.g. Baal has 7 yea 8 bolts of
lightning.)
- Sometimes it is more literal. The second number is what is
being emphasized and the phrase ?3 even 4? is mostly used for
poetic parallelism. But it usually precedes a list of some sort.
In Ps 62:11-12 we see the one/two formula. In Proverbs 30:15-16,
18-19, 21-23, 29-31 we have the three/four formula and in Job
5:19-22 and Proverbs 6:16-19 we have a six/seven grouping.
Proverbs 6: 16-19 is fairly well known....
In all these sections the author gives a list
corresponding to the larger number of the formula. The significance
of all this is that the typical Jew would have been expecting Amos
to list four transgressions for each of these nations mentioned.
Does he do that? No. Why?
Amos is going to adapt this common 3-4 # formula
to set up the audience and emphasize his message. Let's look at the
speeches:
A. Judgment Against the Nations (1:3-2:5)
1:3-5 - ?Because they threshed Gilead with
implements of sharp iron.?
Damascus was the capitol of the Arameans or
Syrians off to the North. Hazael and Ben-hadad were previous kings
of Aram. This probably refers to the constant battles between Gilead
and the Arameans. The word ?threshing? is probably figurative for
harsh and thorough conquest with the idea of Aram's armies raking
across Gilead slicing and crushing it as though it were grain on the
threshing floor. This could even refer to actual methods of torture
where a device like a sledge with iron prongs or knives was used on
prisoners, or as Ryrie says in his footnote--the huge sledges were
literally dragged over the enemies to crush them.
But notice, even though it is a gruesome thing,
there is only one transgression listed. Not four as the audience
would have expected.
Damascus fell to Assyrians in 732 BC.
1:6-8 - Philistines in the West. The cities
mentioned, Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron were major cities in
Philistia.
Their sin - ?Because they deported an entire
population to deliver it up to Edom.?
Although it might look like two crimes listed, the
overall concept is that of one thing--large scale slave trade. The
Philistines were famous for capturing whole villages and selling
them into slavery to Edom and from there they were sold to other
parts of the world. Joel 3:4-8 talks further about their slave
trade, and also mentions that Tyre participated with them. Tyre is
the next city mentioned.
1:9-10 - This refers to the Phoenicians. Their
crime against humanity was also slave trade with Edom. Strictly
speaking we might see two transgressions here, but it seems that it
is really one sin because the covenant of brotherhood was broken by
the slave trade.
So, we have three nations condemned but only one
sin listed for each. The 3/4 formula would have made the audience
anticipate the fourth nation to be mentioned as the climax of the
story.
1:11-12 - When Amos mentioned Edom fourth, I'm
sure many thought this was the conclusion because the 3/4 formula
might be mirrored in the speech as a whole with Amos denouncing
three nations and then concluding with a special denunciation on the
fourth. And I'm sure they were pleased. Ryrie mentions in his
footnote on 1:7 that Edom was Israel's bitterest enemy. That is
truly a sad thing because the Edomites were the descendants of Esau
- Jacob's brother. Remember Jacob's other name was Israel.
?Because he pursued his brother with the sword?
certainly refers to this relationship between Israel and Edom.
With all the emphasis on three and four
transgressions, these four separate statements might make it seem
like this is the culmination of the speech. But these four
statements really all describe one basic sin and that is the intense
hostility for Israel.
So Amos continues,
1:13-15 - This is certainly a gross sin. Ancient
armies would sometimes do this to terrorize the enemy. And certainly
committing this atrocity against defenseless women and children
showed how immoral they had become. But again, I think there is just
one conceptual sin listed. It says they ripped open the pregnant
women in order to expand their borders. So it is their cruel
imperialistic expansion that is in view.
2:1-3 - Ammon and Moab were daughters of Lot. More
relatives. The sin listed is burning the bones of the king of Edom.
It seems that in ancient times, much importance was placed on a dead
man's body being peacefully placed in the family burial site, so he
could be, ?gathered to his fathers.? (BKCOT) If you remember they
hauled Joseph's bones out of Egypt to bury them in the promised
land.
So their sin was that of desecrating graves.
2:4-5 - Now he is getting closer to home. And he
makes a couple of statements against them. but again, I think these
statements are really just an elaboration on one sin
- The sin is rejecting the law of the lord
- The means is by not keeping the decrees, and
- The reason is because they followed false gods instead of the
one true God.
And as Judah is the seventh nation mentioned, the
audience would be certain this was the point of the message.
Actually, the sin listed is perhaps the worst so far and is
appropriate for the seventh pronouncement.
Notice the progression. He starts off with foreign
nations and gets closer to home as he lists relatives.
Notice the numbers. First we notice Amos doesn't
follow the usual convention of listing four ins after he uses the
3/4 formula. And second, it appears at first that he is going to
focus his attention on Edom and then he continues. Then it looks
like he is culminating with Judah which is listed 7th. Seven is a
significant number and represents fullness, etc. The number eight is
also significant in that it follows seven and gives the idea of
abundance or ?therefore...?
So there is something wrong with the way Amos has
told his story. He didn't follow the rules. That is part of
understanding and appreciating the literature of the Bible. When
someone doesn?t follow the rules it is usually done on purpose to
make you take notice. The audience would have noticed this and been
expecting something more. In other words, he has set up his
audience. He has told them of those that will be destroyed and
seemingly ends with Judah.
But - surprise - he continues and adds an 8th item
to the list -- Israel. Israel is the target of the speech and the
judgment. So we really shouldn't isolate each speech and the sin and
judgment of each nation and turn them into principles. These are
more than likely just building to #8.
The point is: Israel is worse than all the other
nations.
B. Judgment Against Israel (2:6-16)
Now he gets personal. He gives it to them. 2:6-16
is the 8th oracle. Here he lists 8 or 10 sins (depending on how you
count them) which could possibly be divided into 4 categories. So,
Israel appears worse than the rest.
As you read verses 6-8 you notice some parallel
structure: e.g.: They sell the righteous for money and (they sell)
the needy for a pair of sandals.
Parallel structure was just the Hebrew way of
saying everything. They like to repeat themselves. So, in this case,
although it might look like separate sins, it is really a poetic way
of describing one sin. Since we divided the sins of the other
nations conceptually, we will do that here to be consistent.
I'm going to give you the four conceptual
categories:
(1) Oppressing the innocent and the poor
(2:6b-7a)
In verse 6 we see the justice system was corrupt.
The law said it was OK to sell a debtor to pay the debt, but they
were abusing it. The word righteous may mean the one who is right in
a lawsuit. So the rich and the powerful may have been able to bribe
judges to decide in their favor in a false lawsuit and that allowed
them to sell the ?righteous? (the one who was innocent but declared
guilty) into slavery to pay the fine.
?Selling the needy for a pair of sandals? shows
that the people were being sold into slavery for small debts or
pledges. The law commanded the Israelites to give to the needy
without demanding repayment (Deut. 15:7f), but I guess ?business was
business? for most Israelites.
Verses 9-11 recounts God?s provision for Israel.
This reminds me of the unforgiving servant who refused to forgive
his fellow slave a small debt, when he had just been forgiven a huge
amount. I think God is heightening Israel's guilt by setting their
rebellion against the backdrop of his own gracious acts toward them.
It was He who conquered Canaan for Israel. At Jericho, Ai, etc. and
later with Gideon and Samson. They took his forgiveness and
salvation and provision but did not pass it on to others.
(2) Engaging in pagan religious practices
(2:7b)
Verse 7 - is probably a reference to the fact that
the Israelite men were going to pagan temples and participating with
the temple prostitutes.
(3) Abusing the system of pledges and fines
(2:8)
Verses 8 may also be referring to a different
scenario - First, they weren't supposed to keep a cloak taken as a
pledge overnight (Ex 22:26-27). It was assumed that only the very
needy would borrow anything and so lenders were not to charge
interest and profit from another person's misfortune, nor were they
to keep coats that were given as collateral overnight. The poor
persons would need it to stay warm. The poor person probably was
required to give his coat as collateral so he couldn't go from place
to place borrowing from every merchant. If a guy came in without a
coat, that meant he had already borrowed for the day and he wouldn't
be able to borrow anything else. He needed his coat back so he could
stay warm that night and have something to use as collateral the
next day. So these merchants were keeping the coats and, to make
matters worse, we see the second sin - they used them to sleep on at
night as they ?worshipped? at pagan altars.
(4) Showing lack of respect for God's special
servants (2:12)
Verse 12 shows the corruption and rejection of the
religious system and the rejection of religious leaders. The
Nazarites had taken a vow not to drink any alcohol, but the
Israelites were coercing them to break their vows. They had no
commitment to God and had no respect for those who did.
Does anything stand out to you at first
glance?
I think two things stand out:
First, Amos finally lists four sins. This is the
point of his 3/4 formula. He didn't list four sins for the other
nations because Israel is the target of the coming judgment.
Second, These sins don't look nearly as bad as
those of the other nations. So what is the point? Why does God
consider Israel to be worse than all the other nations?
I think this points us to the theme of the
book.
THEME: God requires more from those to whom He has
given more. Luke 12:48
God had given the Jews the law. They knew better.
That was God's complaint against Judah in verse 4 -- that Judah
rejected the Law. And it is God's complaint against Israel, but he
elaborates because Israel is the target audience and he really wants
to drive the point home.
Summary
Amos wants you, the listener, to ask the question,
?Why are these lists so short?? Then he gets to Israel who has many
more sins listed than every other nation. Israel is really guilty -
more guilty than all the rest.
What do all these sins of Israel have in common?
Love of money and things had replaced love for people. Money had
become their god. Does this have any practical application for
America and for us?
The sins of Israel don't look as bad as those of
the other nations. After all, the other nations were going to war,
murdering people and ripping open pregnant women. But Israel's sins
are worse because they knew better. Theirs was the sin of
hypocrisy.
Application
One obvious problem in Israel was the sin of
materialism. We certainly face this problem in our society. We can
see how the Israelites compromised God's laws and principles to
achieve success (which they defined as wealth). We need to be
careful that we do not fall into the same trap. The Israelites did
something else. Their theology said that the wealthy person was a
righteous person. We see that over and over again in the parables in
the NT. This further passified their conscience as they told
themselves that their prosperity was God?s sign of approval.
We see how the Israelites abused people in need. I
don't know if we overtly abuse people, but how concerned are we for
the poor? What are we doing for them? Are we ignoring them or
ministering to them? I think in our society we expect Uncle Sam to
take care of them. We criticize big government, but we depend on
government to do what we ought to be doing.
I said the Israelites? theology said prosperity
was a sign of spirituality. Is our theology such that we assume they
are poor because they are ungodly?
The main point of this section is this: We look at
society and think other people are bad...abortion, homosexuality,
murder, etc. but we do things that are, in God's eyes, worse,
because we know better. God expects more out of His people. This
doesn't mean we ignore the other sins. They are terrible, but don't
gloss over what we think are little sins, or what we have
rationalized away as not even being a sin.
Remember: To him who has been given much is much
required.
III. The Reasons for Judgment
(Amos 3-6)
A. The First Message (3:)
1. The Unique Relationship (3:1-2)
When you get to 3:2 you see that Israel is chosen
and you would normally think that means special treatment. That is
what the Jews thought at that time. There was a aberrant doctrine of
eternal security floating around Israel. They thought they were
immune from judgment, because they were the chosen people living in
the chosen city. They thought it didn't matter what they did. They
took their relationship with God for granted. I think 6:8 may be a
reference to this attitude.
But to God, being chosen, means having
responsibility. Israel forgot the stipulations of the covenant made
in Deut. They were only secure as long as they followed God. That
was part of the OT law.
How does this relate to us since we are not under
the covenant blessings and curses?
The father/child relationship is probably the most
helpful for understanding this. I treat my children differently than
other children. I wrestle with them, play games, take them out to
eat breakfast, buy them things, etc., but I also spank them when
they disobey. If I?m watching several kids at my house, I don?t
spank other people?s kids when they disobey. It would probably be
fair to say that I expect more from my kids than the other kids. I
know I?ve told my kids not to do carrier landings on the coffee
table (explain). If they do it, they will get a spanking. ...
In the same way, we are children of God. We can't
remove the relationship no matter how much we sin. What we can
change is whether or not he needs to discipline us or whether He can
continue with His planned blessings for us. When Israel was bad,
they were still God's chosen people, they just didn't get to enjoy
His blessings. Instead, God had to discipline them. And He
disciplined them for transgressions that didn?t seem as bad to us as
the other nations. But they knew better.
We have a tendency to want to earn God's blessings
and we think we deserve God's blessings. (That is one of the main
lessons from Hosea) but there is a fine line here that we need to
understand. We do not earn God's blessings by being good. We just
free God up to graciously bless us.
2. The Inevitable Judgment (3:3-8)
In 3:3-8 Amos uses seven rhetorical questions to
show that the judgment of God is inevitable. There is a progression
here:
- 3:3 No element of force or disaster
- 3:4 One animal overpowering another
- 3:5 Man overpowering animals
- 3:6 Man overpowering other men
- 3:6b God overpowers man. Climax
- 3:7-8 God always reveals Himself and His plan to mankind. He
tells us what He wants us to do, but with that information comes
responsibility to do it. If we fail to do it, judgment will
follow.
EXAMPLE: The theme of this whole book and
especially this section causes me to go back to the
parenting/discipline process for an analogy. When Mandy does
something wrong, but I have never before told her not to do that, I
usually tell her what she is doing is wrong and not to do it again.
But I don't discipline her then. However, if I've told her not to do
something and she does it anyway, the discipline is sure to follow.
Because she knew better. And the Israelites knew better!
3. Unparalleled Oppression (3:9-10)
3:9 Ashdod (Philistines) and Egypt were former
oppressors of Israel. But things were so bad in Israel now that Amos
is sarcastically calling them to witness the internal oppression
going on now. It is like saying, ?You thought you oppressed them?
You don't even know how to oppress compared to them. Watch them
oppress themselves.?
4. The Coming Catastrophe (3:11-15)
Because of the oppression God was going to send an
enemy in to destroy them. And in case some of the listeners thought
God would save them again this time, Amos compares God's saving them
to a shepherd snatching a leg bone or ear from a lion's mouth. Only
a few people would be spared.
The reference to the lion in 3:12 goes back to the
first verse of Amos. Remember he said, ?The LORD roars from Zion and
thunders from Jerusalem...? This is just another literary device
Amos uses which shows his skill as a writer.
So, the point of the first message is that Israel
was chosen and because of their rebellion and internal oppression,
judgment was certain.
B. The Second Message (4:)
4:1 This is certainly a colorful and sarcastic
section. Women are normally sensitive and compassionate, but note
the contrast here. The women are compared with the fat cows living
on the lush pastures of Bashan. The idea here is that these spoiled
women demanded luxury from their ?masters? (not the typical word for
husband--more sarcasm and reversal of roles) and the only way their
husbands could meet their demands was by oppressing the poor.
How does this apply to us? Are we guilty of this?
Are we so materialistic and so demanding that our spouse has to work
overtime to make enough money to satisfy our demands? Do we have to
cheat other people in our business in order to make the most money
we can?
4:2 The cattle imagery is continued by the meat
hook imagery. See Ryrie's note.
So, economic exploitation was one problem, now, he
describes another.
4:4 continues the sarcasm. Bethel and Gilgal were
important sites in Israel's salvation history. (Gen 28:10-22; Josh
4-5) Normally the priest would call people to come worship, but here
we see Amos calling the people to come to Bethel and Gilgal to sin.
The sacrifices and tithes that they were bringing to God had become
a sham. They did everything to impress other people (vs 5), not to
worship God. They were actually going to church to sin. Not to
mention the fact that they weren?t going to Jerusalem to worship,
which was the only authorized worship center for Yahweh.
4:5 Notice it says ?proclaim freewill offerings
and make them known.? I think this shows that they were bragging
about their spirituality, their giving, etc. They were doing things
to be seen.
We might ask ourselves if we are guilty of
this.
4:6-11 shows God's response to their hypocrisy and
His repeated attempts to bring them back to Him. The phrase, ?Yet
you have not returned to me? is repeated five times.
Amos 4:6 says ?yet you have not returned to me,?
declares the Lord. The punishments mentioned in the next few verses
are an allusion to the promised curses of Deuteronomy 28.
- Famine is mentioned in Amos 4:6 and in Deuteronomy 28:17-18.
- Drought in Amos 4:7-8 and Deut 28:23-24.
- Locusts in Amos 4:9 and Deut 28:38.
- Plague in Amos 4:19 and Deut 28:60.
I think this shows God's patience - that He tried
so many times, and it shows His mercy because we see that He started
out with less severe measures and then increased the severity.
(Famine, drought, crop failure, disease and war.)
C. The Third Message (5:1-17)
Chiastic structure
Chapter 5 is divided into two sections using a
favorite literary device called a Chiasm. Explain: Draw X and show
abcba...
Sometimes a Chiasm was just used as an outline and
sometimes it really points us to the key idea of main point of the
section. So not only is it fun to look for these, but it usually
helps us understand the main idea of the author.
If we outline these two messages, it points to the
overall truth that: the nation would be judged by its mighty
Sovereign God, but individuals could yet repent and live.
C. The Third Message (5:1-17)
D. The Fourth Message (5:18-27)
Remember Isa 6: When Isaiah saw the glory of God
on his throne, it caused him to repent and make himself available to
serve God.
That is the point of the third and fourth
messages. The Chiastic structure points us to that. The sovereignty
of God in message three should cause the repentance in message
four.
There are a few things I'd like to point out about
these messages.
In 5:1 Amos summons the people to hear his lament
over Israel.
Israel's demise was so certain that Amos lamented
her fall as though it had already happened. This should have been as
shocking to the Israelites as it would to one of us to read our own
obituary in the newspaper.
5:2 Virgin Israel - a picture of being in the
prime of life and experiencing a premature death. Israel could have
and should have had a long prosperous life. Actually, God's plan was
for an eternal kingdom for them.
5:10 They hate the one who points out their
wickedness. Doesn't that sound like America. One example that comes
to mind is the abortion issue. The Pro-life people are abused and
beaten and thrown in jail when they try to protest (point out or
reprove) those having and performing abortions. People don't want to
be told that they are sinning. Darkness hates the light.
5:17 Just as God passed through Egypt (in
judgment), He was going to pass through Israel. Ex 12:12
5:18-20 Pictures a man fleeing from one thing
after another with no escape to be found.
5:23 Shows that their worship and singing was just
noise in God?s ears because their worship was merely external.
5:24 shows that God desires justice. How you treat
your fellow man is what is important to God and that is what shows
that you love God. Over and over again we see the theme repeated
that we are to love God and show it by our love for our
neighbor.
This reminds me of the parable of the Good
Smaritan. In the story, the priest and levite are on their way
from Jerusalem. If they were on their way to
Jerusalem, they might have been able to use the excuse that they
didn?t want to become defiled and not be able to worship God. But
they had already ?worshipped God? (which supposedly showed that they
loved God) but they refused to help the injured man (they did not
love their neighbor) and that demonstrated that they really did not
love God. Their worship was also merely external.
E. The Fifth Message (6:)
1. Their Boastful Complacency
6:2 This message addresses the problem in Israel
in which everyone felt they were better because they were the chosen
people.
2. Their Luxurious Indulgence
I think this section speaks for itself:
4 You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on
your couches.
You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.
5
You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical
instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest
lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7
Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
your
feasting and lounging will end.
3. The Complete Devastation
6:8 We've already mentioned the aberrant doctrine
of eternal security going around in that day. They thought they were
invincible - partly because they were God's people, and because of
their own strength. The rest of this chapter shows how wrong they
were.
6:12 ?you have turned justice into poison.? The
judicial system which was designed to preserve the nations health,
had become a lethal poison within its body. This sounds exactly like
America with all the lawsuits that are going on and the lack of
punishment for crimes.
6:13 says rb*d* aOl=
<yj!m@C=h^ or (h^C=m@j'< l=l)a
d`b*r) which is translated in the NIV as ?you who rejoice in
the conquest of Lo Debar.? Lo Debar was a city on the East side of
the Jordan which they had conquered. rbd
(d*b*r) can mean either ?word? or ?thing?
and with the negative (loa) could mean
?no thing.? Therefore, Amos could be making a play on words (Lo
Debar vs Lo Dabar) saying that they rejoice in nothing.
6:14 Reference to Assyria.
Hamath was a city in the north. The Brook of
Arabah marked the southern border of Israel during Jeroboam II's
reign. Mentioning these two cities shows how complete will be the
destruction.
IV. The Results of Judgment - Five Visions
|
The Three Billy
Goats Gruff
Once on a time there were three billy goats
who were to go up to the hillside to make themselves fat, and
the name of all three was ?Gruff.?
On the way up was a bridge over a river they
had to cross, and under the bridge lived a great ugly troll
with eyes as big as saucers and a nose as long as a poker.
So first of all came the youngest Billy Goat
Gruff to cross the bridge. ?Trip, trap, trip, trap!? went the
bridge.
?Who's that tripping over my bridge?? roared the
troll.
?Oh, it is only I, the tiniest Billy Goat Gruff, and
I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat.? said the
billy goat with such a small voice.
?Now, I'm coming to
gobble you up!? said the troll.
?Oh, no! pray don't take
me. I'm too litte, that I am.? said the billy goat. ?Wait a
bit till the second Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much
bigger.?
?Very well, be off with you,? said the troll.
A little while after came the second Billy
Goat Gruff to cross the bridge. ?Trip, trap, trip, trap? went
the bridge.
?Who's that tripping over my bridge?? roared
the troll.
?Oh, it is only I, the second Billy Goat Gruff,
and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat.? said the
billy goat and his voice was not so small.
?Now, I'm coming
to gobble you up!? said the troll.
?Oh, no! Don't take me,?
said the billy goat. ?Wait a bit till the big Billy Goat Gruff
comes. He's much bigger.?
?Very well, be off with you,?
said the troll.
Just then up came the big Billy Goat Gruff.
?T-r-i-p, t-r-a-p, T-r-i-p, t-r-a-p!? went the bridge, for the
billy goat was so heavy that the bridge creaked and groaned
under him.
?Who's that tramping over my bridge?? roared the
troll.
?It is I! the BIG BILLY GOAT GRUFF!? said the billy
goat, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his own.
?Now, I'm
coming to gobble you up!? said the troll.
?Well, come
along! I've got to spears,
And I'll poke your eyeballs out
at your ears,
I've got besides to great big stones,
And
I'll crush you to bits, body and bones.?
That was what the billy goat said, and so
flew at the troll, and poked his eyes out with his horns, and
crushed him to bits, body and bones, and tossed him into the
river. Then he went up to the hillside.
There the billy goats got so fat they were
scarce able to walk again, and if the fat hasn't fallen off
them, why they're still fat and so --
?Snip, snap, snout.
This tale's told out.? |
You are probably wondering why I told you that
story. Well, I did so because it illustrates what goes on in oral
literature. You typically read stories like this and the three
little pigs to children who can't read. They become totally caught
up in the story and the author sets them up for the unexpected
conclusion. The NT does this for us with the story of the Good
Smaritan in Luke 10.
That is what Amos does to his audience with the
next three visions. He uses the same literary technique. The first
two visions are similar but the third one is different and catches
the listener or reader's attention.
A. The Vision of the Locust Swarm (7:1-3)
1. The vision of destruction - 7:1-2a
2. The plea for mercy 7:2b
3. The suspension of judgment 7:3
B. The Vision of the Fire (7:4-6)
1. The vision of the all consuming fire 7:4
2. The plea for mercy 7:5
3. The suspension of judgment 7:6
C. The Vision of the Plumb Line (7:7-9)
1. The vision of the Plumb Line 7:7-8
2. The promise of Judgment
The third vision does not begin with judgment nor
have a plea for mercy and the subsequent cancellation of judgment.
The rhetorical purpose of this trilogy of visions is to set the
audience up for the message of the third vision. The contrast of the
third vision with the first two should draw attention to what is
being said emphasize to the audience that Israel is ?out-of-line?
and doesn't measure up to God's standards. The prophet had asked for
mercy in the first two visions, but when he was shown just how bad
the people were (with the plumb line), he didn't ask for mercy
because he could see that the judgment was deserved.
What is the main point of these visions? First we
notice that the first two visions are like motion pictures. Amos
responds to them emotionally and is overwhelmed by the destruction
and effect on the nation. The third vision is like a snapshot. It
invites reflection from the one seeing it. Amos sees the nation as
God sees it. He looks at the situation theologically (the plumb
line) and from reality (Amaziah's response) and sees that the
judgment is deserved.
Too often we respond to bad things emotionally and
blame God or think that it isn't fair, but we don't see what is
going on from God's perspective.
The Reaction (10-17)
The biographical account in 7:10-17 seems out of
place but really isn't. It shows the reaction of the leaders of
Israel (especially the priest) to the message of Amos. They rejected
his warning and this proves that the visions are correct. The nation
is corrupt all the way up to the priests and the king.
Amaziah's report is not accurate. He accuses Amos
of conspiring to kill Jeroboam with the sword (7:11) but Amos'
prophecy and reference to the sword was figurative language
(metonomy of adjunct) referring to God's judgment on Jeroboam or
perhaps it was picturing the severing of the king's line. Amaziah
also says that the Israelites will go into exile. Amos didn?t say
that.
Amos responded to Amaziah's accusation by
describing in more detail what God's judgment would bring. It is
ironic that the details of Amaziah's saying would indeed come true.
Many would fall by the sword and the rest would be hauled away into
exile.
D. The Vision of Ripe Fruit (8:)
The vision in 8:1-3 fits in nicely with the
preceding section. The three visions, culminating with the vision of
the plumb line, showed that judgment was very much deserved. The
response of Amaziah, the priest, showed the corruption of the
nation, even up through the leadership. It also showed that the
warning was rejected. Finally, the vision of the basket of ripe
fruit showed the time was ripe for executing the judgment. The time
was now.
There is word play in 8:2 between the word for
?fruit? (Jy!q*) q*y!J and the word for ?the end? (JQ@h^) h^ Q@J. They both
sound the same. I believe this figure of speech is called
paronomasia. When Amos said he saw a basket of Jy!q*, God says,
?Yes, the JQ! has come.?
This is one figure of speech that could be
transferred into English. It is not the same type of figure of
speech, but the idea is similar. The NIV says the fruit is ?ripe?
and God says the time is ?ripe? for judgment.
8:5 shows the hypocrisy of the people. They went
to worship on the Sabbath, but they resented the Sabbath because
they couldn?t go to work and make more money by cheating others. If
the law can be summed up by loving God and loving your neighbor, the
Israelites showed that they did neither. And as we have pointed out
before, if you don?t love your neighbor, it proves that you don?t
love God.
8:11 shows that it is worse to go without hearing
the word of God than to go without food.
E. The Avenging Lord (9:1-10)
9:8-9 shows that God will shake the nation to
separate the wheat from the chaff. And when God shakes, no chaff
will remain. Time and again, we see God will sort everyone out in
the end and He will determine who will be saved and who will not. We
have a tendency to want to judge others and determine if they are
saved, but that is God?s job.
V. Restoration (9:11-15)
The ultimate purpose for God's judgment is not
revenge, it is restoration. God punishes us to bring us back to Him.
This is always the purpose for discipline. You see it in Mat 18 when
Jesus talks about reproving your brother. The goal is to bring him
to the point where he sees his sin and repents. Peter understands
this and so he asks the question in Mat 18:21 about how many times
we must forgive. Jesus? answer is - always.
A. Political Renewal (9:11)
There will come a time when God will restore
Israel.
B. National Purpose (9:12)
9:12 shows that it will be time when godly people
from other nations will be included. That was Israel's purpose all
along -- to be a testimony to the world of how great God is and lead
the nations to Him. In Eze 17:22-23 God says:
22Thus says the Lord GOD: ?I myself will take a
sprig from the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it out; I will
break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I
myself will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain; 23 on the
mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bring forth
boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar; and under it will
dwell all kinds of beasts; in the shade of its branches birds of
every sort will nest. (RSV)
Matthew 13:31-32 Another parable he put before
them, saying, ?The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed
which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of
all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and
becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in
its branches.? (RSV)
In these passages the birds represent the nations
partaking of and benefitting from the establishment of the
kingdom.
Application: It is the church's and the individual
believer's role to attract the nations to God and bring them into
the kingdom.
C. Prosperity, Peace and Permanence
Verse 15 says they will not again be rooted out
from their land. This has to be a reference to the millennium and
eternity. The many references to the land promise made to Abraham
are one reason I believe there is still a future for Israel and they
haven't been replaced by the Church.
Application/Conclusion
Although the unbeliever's sins often appear worse
to us, in God's eyes, those of the Christian are worse because we
should know better. Chapters 1-2
Just like the Israelites looked down on her
neighbor's for the atrocities they committed, I think we look down
on those that commit gross sins and think that we are better than
they, not realizing that God hates our sins of hypocrisy and
idolatry more. Chapters 1-2
Just like God was patient with Israel and gave
opportunity to repent. God also is patient with us an gives us time
to repent, but don't abuse God's grace because we don't know when He
will finally bring judgment. Chapter 4
Just like Amos reacted to God's judgment
emotionally and thought it was unfair, we often do the same. When
Amos saw things from God's perspective, he didn't protest any more.
Chapter 7
God will restore Israel and will set up his
kingdom so that all the nations can benefit from His rule.
