Reflections on Amos 2

Amos 02 (Contemporary English Version)


1. The LORD said: I will punish Moab for countless crimes, and I won't change my mind. They made lime from the bones of the king of Edom.
   
2. Now I will send fire to destroy the fortresses of Kerioth. Battle shouts and trumpet blasts will be heard as I destroy Moab
   
3. with its king and leaders. I, the LORD, have spoken!
   
4. The LORD said: I will punish Judah for countless crimes, and I won't change my mind. They have rejected my teachings and refused to obey me. They were led astray by the same false gods their ancestors worshiped.
   
5. Now I will send fire on Judah and destroy the fortresses of Jerusalem.
   
6. The LORD said: I will punish Israel for countless crimes, and I won't change my mind. They sell honest people for money, and the needy are sold for the price of sandals.
   
7. They smear the poor in the dirt and push aside those who are helpless. My holy name is dishonored, because fathers and sons sleep with the same young women.
   
8. They lie down beside altars on clothes taken as security for loans. And they drink wine in my temple, wine bought with the money they received from fines.
   
9. Israel, the Amorites were there when you entered Canaan. They were tall as cedars and strong as oaks. But I wiped them out-- I destroyed their branches and their roots.
   
10. I had rescued you from Egypt, and for forty years I had led you through the desert. Then I gave you the land of the Amorites.
    
11. I chose some of you to be prophets and others to be Nazirites. People of Israel, you know this is true. I, the LORD, have spoken!
    
12. But you commanded the prophets not to speak their message, and you pressured the Nazirites into drinking wine.
    
13. And so I will crush you, just as a wagon full of grain crushes the ground.
    
14. No matter how fast you run, you won't escape. No matter how strong you are, you will lose your strength and your life.
    
15. Even if you are an expert with a bow and arrow, you will retreat. And you won't get away alive, not even if you run fast or ride a horse.
    
16. You may be brave and strong, but you will run away, stripped naked. I, the LORD, have spoken!
    

---

Charges were brought against four nations in chapter 1: Damascus, Tyre, Edom, and Ammon. The final charge against a gentile nation is brought at the beginning of this chapter against Moab. The sin of Moab was that she "burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom." One may wonder how this could be a sin. Sin is not always an act itself, but the motive behind the act. Moab's sin was her rebellion against the "sovereign Lord of the universe, an assault against His own image in people." (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) Charges are brought next against Judah and then Israel. In essence, the gentile nations were charged with rebellion against God's "everlasting covenant" with all people made through Noah following the flood. (Gen 9:16) Judah and Israel's charges are rebellion against the Mosaic Covenant God made with Israel during her exodus from Egyptian bondage.

Against Judah, the specific charge is that the people let themselves be led astray by the lies of their ancestors. They followed the same false gods of their ancestors. Israel has a longer list of charges. First, there is the charge of selling people into slavery who could not pay their debts. These were honest people who would pay eventually and the sums were insignificant. The second charge is that they were perverting legal procedures to exploit the poor, and the courts were in collusion with the creditors in these exploits. A third charge is that a father and son were having sex with the same girl, and the fourth was that they were misusing collateral. When a person's cloak or other item was taken as collateral for a debt, that cloak was to be returned each evening so the person had protection against the cold at night. Not only were they not returning these items at night, they were flaunting their sin by spreading out the garments and lying on them at the sacrificial feasts by the altar.

All of these nations, both gentile and Jewish, were given judgments for punishment. God reminds Israel, though, of what He had done for her in bringing her out of Egypt and protecting her against enemies in their 40 year trek through the desert. And yet, Israel still rebelled against God's covenant with her. God does not take this rebellion lightly. It will not be overlooked. Judgment will come upon Israel and these other nations. God says to Israel, "I am about to crush you in your place," and there will be no escape. Not for the swift or the strong or the brave or the archer or the one on horseback. "Even the most courageous of the warriors will flee naked on that day."

A couple of questions might be asked in light of this account. One question would be, "Why would Israel rebel in this way against the God who had helped her in so many ways?" One response to this is that we are all susceptible to rebellion against God. Our thoughts and attention can easily be turned away from God and we begin to think He doesn't exist or His covenant isn't really that important or it is outdated, or whatever. That is why it is so important to keep our focus on God and His Word. That is why I spend time nearly every day reflecting on God's Word.

The second question that might be asked is, "How can a loving God bring such strong punishment on His people?" This question might be asked in many ways, but the question with which so many people struggle is how to reconcile God's love with God's judgment. The greatest problem in this struggle is that we people, with our limited understanding, are trying to fit God, who has unlimited understanding, into our limited grasp of love and judgment. We want God to fit our conception of these issues rather than fitting ourselves to His conception. Ultimately we just have to trust God.