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Amos 2 - Corruption of Gifts

Moab

Amos 2:1-3 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom. So I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet; I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and will kill all its princes with him,” says the Lord. The area of Moab was across the Dead Sea from Judah and to the Southeast of Israel. Moab’s neighbor immediately to the south was Edom. With a certain sense of poetic justice God judges Moab for the act of burning the bones of the king of Edom. It was an act that indicated special contempt. During the Babylonian period Moab initially supplied troops to Babylon. A later rebellion against Babylon (Jer 41) resulted in swift and terrible retribution effectively ending Moab as an independent state. As indicated above, Babylon effectively destroyed both Moab and Ammon at about the same in about 582 BC.

Judah

Amos 2:4-5 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked. So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.” All six of the previous judgments were for extreme violent acts. Judah, however, was facing punishment for turning aside from God’s law. Judah is held to a higher standard because they have the gift of God’s law and they promised to obey it. The same lesson applies to the contemporary church. Those in positions of religious authority who study and profess scripture are held to a higher standard. This message to Judah should serve as a sobering reminder to the church today. With regard to the specific prophecy against Judah, the Southern Kingdom was attacked and many of its villages fell to Assyria prior to Assyria’s arrival at Jerusalem in 701 BC. Hezekiah’s revival turned back God’s full wrath. This prophecy found its ultimate fulfillment in the Babylonian conquest of Judah culminating in the temple destruction of 586 BC.

Israel

Amos 2: 6-8 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals—those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned; they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. The prophecies against Israel’s neighbors were each brief. The prophecy against Israel continues from Amos 2:6 through the end of chapter 6. The final chapters contain visions of judgment also directed toward Israel. This passage begins with the same metaphorical “for three transgressions, and for four.” Up to this point Amos’ audience was likely pleased. The pagans were being judged for their mistreatment of Israel. Rival brother Judah was being judged for backsliding. Interestingly, Israel is not being judged for idolatry. Instead, the focus of God’s accusation is social injustice. They sold out their faith in God for the satisfaction of selfish desires. They turned against the poor and afflicted. They went to the temples of whoredom, father and son sharing the same women. They got drunk on wine purchased with money stolen under the guise of taxes.

God’s Good Gifts

Amos 2:9-11 “ Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars and who was as strong as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. And I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?” declares the Lord. Amos reminds Israel that it was the Lord who dealt with their enemies, the Amorites, when they first came into the land. It was God who brought them out of Egypt. It was God who raised up prophets from among them. Amos ends with the rhetorical question, “Isn’t this true?” God does not ask questions to learn from men. Rather, God asks questions to make men examine themselves and the truth God reveals to them. There is one additional interesting thing to note about this passage. This reference to Nazirites as prophets is probably the basis for the idea that the savior, a prophet like Moses who will speak with the authority of God (Dt 18:15-18), would come from Nazareth (Mt 2:23).

Israel Corrupts God’s Gifts

Amos 2:12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’ With this the proverbial hammer drops. It is one thing to become corrupt. To legitimize corruption it is necessary to silence the social conscience of the people. In Israel’s case its social conscience was its prophets. When the prophets cry foul on Israel’s corruption, the prophets had to go. The reference to making them drink wine suggests bribery. Those who could not be bought were often or exiled or executed. Amos himself faced retribution for his prophecy (Amos 7:10). This accusation aimed at ancient Israel could just as easily be aimed at modern America. The United States has a strong Christian heritage. Most of the founding fathers were professing Christians. The great awakening of the mid-18^th century helped raise popular support for the American Revolution. During America’s darkest hours, Christian abolitionists in the North helped unify support for the Union during the Civil War. Their efforts led to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Political and religious freedom is a distinctly Christian notion. Defending freedom for others is a major part of the American way of life. Although America has often been drawn into foreign conflicts against its will, such as in most of the major conflicts of the 20^th century, it was the American ideal of promotion freedom that strengthened our resolve to press on to victory in two world wars. In the latter half of the 20^th century American resolve began to show signs of weakening, first in Korea then in Vietnam. Moral decline inevitably results in a loss of popular support for a strong defense. There can be little doubt that America is experiencing moral decline. Christian values are being eroded. The government of the U.S. derives its authority from its people. Moral decline among the people is both the cause and the effect of government sanctioned sin. In America sin forms. Since the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Rowe vs. Wade, We the People support child sacrifices on the alter of convenience in the form of abortion. There is growing support in America for legalization of euthanasia. Sexual immorality takes many forms from pornography to public and commercial nudity to homosexuality and its many forms enjoy increasing governmental and societal support. There are countless forms of tax and debt evasion tactics allowed and promoted. Christian morals like personal responsibility, defending the weak, humility, and purity are running jokes in many circles. In its place you will find defense of freedom to be immoral and a culture of death. Military weakness follows moral weakness, particularly when the military exists largely to defend life and liberty. Immorality is whitewashed in the name of tolerance. Tolerance has come to mean that all sin is tolerated. The only voices being squelched by tolerance are those who disagree with sin. In much the same manner as ancient Israel, modern America strives to silence voices speaking out against its sin. Federal hate-crimes legislation enacted in 2009 is designed to silence those who speak out against sin. There is concern in the Christian community that such laws will be used against those in ministry to stop speech against homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, and a litany of other forms of government endorsed debauchery.

Payback

Amos 2:13-15 “Behold, I will press you down in your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses down. Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life; he who handles the bow shall not stand, and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself, nor shall he who rides the horse save his life; and he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day,” declares the Lord. The accusation was made and the evidence was given. This passage describes the punishment. Israel will be crushed. There will be no escape for the nation. Fear and cowardice will overcome them. Their physical defenses will not save them. This part of the prophecy was certainly fulfilled when Israel was conquered in 722 BC. If no other lesson is learned here, it should be understood that what God declares will happen, will happen. If God’s wrath is this great, imagine how great is the goodness of His loving kindness toward those whom He loves.
 

Majoring in the Minors

Amos Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

» left by Teresa^(1,655) (1 year 153 days ago.)

Thank you Lance. This book serves as a reminder that those who know God, who have tasted of His goodness will be held to a higher standard. As Scripture says. Judgment begins in the house of God. Keep them coming. Blessings, Teresa

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