Amos 3 - Live Studio Audience

by Lance Ponder⁽⁹⁰⁾
http://fkiprofessor.xanga.com

Special Treatment

Amos 3:1-2 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Of all the peoples on earth, Israel had a special relationship with the Creator. From this passage it is clear that this word from God is not limited to the Northern Kingdom. God raised up Moses as a leader for all the tribes. It was God who raised up Moses and it was God who brought the people from slavery in a foreign land to freedom in the Promised Land. There are no records in any other culture suggesting God (or even any pagan god) was ever so directly involved with one people. This passage supports Jesus’ statement that to whom much is given, much is also required (Lk 12:48). In fact, the entire saga of Israel is compelling evidence that Jesus meant what he said about expecting more from those who receive more. Consider this: it always hurts more when a close friend betrays you than when someone you do not know hurts you. In this instance it is God who has been betrayed by an ungrateful, idolatrous people.

Common Sense

Amos 3:3-6 “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet? Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing? Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing? Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it? This is a series of rhetorical questions. The common sense answer to each question is no. The last question in the series is the one which makes the leap from natural common sense to supernatural common sense. The point Amos is coming up to simple. The judgment about to be executed against Israel can only be accomplished by divine authority. God claims responsibility for disaster as well as blessing. We humans tend to take credit for the good and blame other humans for our problems. We forget that God is the Creator and He has all authority. Nothing happens without at the very least His permission.

Prophets of Revelation

Amos 3:7-8 “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?” This passage explains the rhetorical questions posed above. In one sense Amos is justifying himself before an audience which has by this time started to grow ugly. Prophecy against foreigners, even against Judah, was just fine. Israelite ego makes the last prophecy much harder to swallow. Even though Amos was justifying his necessary role as prophet, the statement he makes here is as profound as it is true. Consider the first examples in scripture found in the creation account. In each case God declares what He will do, He does it, then He judges the result. He told Noah about the coming flood, helped Noah prepare, then brought about the flood and its judgment. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all received the promise of redemption through their lineage. God carried out His plan and when He judged it complete Jesus cried out from the cross, “It is finished!” There are dozens of other examples of God declaring His intentions through prophets followed by execution of His will. Sometimes the results are declared and sometimes they are implied, but always the will of God is complete. God is not a man that He would keep His plans a secret. God has nothing to fear and no reason to hide His plan. In fact, God actively seeks to reveal Himself, His character, and His will. God’s love for man is as unchanging as it is unfathomable.

Recorded Before a Live Studio Audience

Amos 3:9-11 Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst. They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.” Therefore thus says the Lord God: “An adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered.” Not only has God thrown down the gauntlet against sinful Israel and declared its forthcoming punishment, but as if to add insult to injury the Lord invites Israel’s neighbors to behold the spectacle of its fall. Almost certainly there were Egyptian and Philistine agents observing and reporting the conditions in Israel as it fell to Assyria.

Kingdom’s End

Amos 3:12 Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. In summary, the prophet is basically saying there will not be much left when the dust settles. The reality was perhaps worse than this prophecy predicted. Assyria took everything and everyone of any value back to Nineveh. All of the able-bodied men and women were distributed throughout Assyria for labor. The Assyrians were notoriously cruel in their treatment of exiles. Only the weak or those too old to be of value were left behind to suffer alone. 2 Ki 17 recounts the essential facts of the fall of Israel, the removal of exiles, and the attempted resettlement of Samaria by a mix of exiles and refugees from other Assyrian conquests. Interestingly, that passage describes a sort of rescue involving returning a single priest to help end animal attacks on the new residents of the land.

Struck Down

Amos 3:13-15 “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord God, the God of hosts, “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. I will strike the winter house along with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end,” declares the Lord. The command to hear and testify is first to the prophet, then to any of the faithful who will listen to the prophet. There is a specific reference to the altars of Bethel. Bethel was one of the two main centers of pagan worship established by the kings of Israel. Jeroboam setup golden calves as idols in Bethel and Dan (1 Ki 10:25-33). The first two commandments (Ex 20:3-6) expressly forbid idolatry and make it clear that God hates idolatry. Israel’s sin was compounded twice. First, setting up calves repeated the sin that almost got Israel destroyed in the wilderness. Second, Bethel was a special place in Israel’s collective history for several important events starting with God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:7-8). Just as these golden idols were removed by Assyria as trophies, the homes of Israel’s wealthy were razed and many of their families broken up.

Majoring in the Minors

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

Article submitted Wednesday, August 25, 2010 & read 189 times.

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» left by Teresa (1 year 150 days ago.)

There have been a few times in my life that my stubborness caused God to create for me an audience - yikes! It's humbling, it works. God's love demands correction. Any loving parent would correct their child. Good stuff! Teresa
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» left by Lance Ponder⁽⁹⁰⁾ (1 year 147 days ago.)

Kahn Sinh said, "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

But I say, "Humility is dish best served piping hot."

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