Reflections on Amos 3

Amos 03 (Contemporary English Version)


1. People of Israel, I rescued you from Egypt. Now listen to my judgment against you.
   
2. Of all nations on earth, you are the only one I have chosen. That's why I will punish you because of your sins.
   
3. Can two people walk together without agreeing to meet?
   
4. Does a lion roar in the forest unless it has caught a victim? Does it growl in its den unless it is eating?
   
5. How can anyone catch a bird without using a net? Does a trap spring shut unless something is caught?
   
6. Isn't the whole city frightened when the trumpet signals an attack? Isn't it the LORD who brings disaster on a city?
   
7. Whatever the LORD God plans to do, he tells his servants, the prophets.
   
8. Everyone is terrified when a lion roars-- and ordinary people become prophets when the LORD God speaks.
   
9. Here is a message for the leaders of Philistia and Egypt-- tell everyone to come together on the hills of Samaria. Let them see the injustice and the lawlessness in that city.
   
10. The LORD has said that they don't even know how to do right. They have become rich from violence and robbery.
    
11. And so the LORD God has sworn that they will be surrounded. Enemies will break through their defenses and steal their treasures.
    
12. The LORD has promised that only a few from Samaria will escape with their lives and with some broken pieces of their beds and couches. It will be like when a shepherd rescues two leg bones and part of a sheep's ear from the jaws of a lion.
    
13. The LORD God All-Powerful told me to speak this message against Jacob's descendants:
    
14. When I, the LORD, punish Israel for their sins, I will destroy the altars at Bethel. Even the corners of the altar will be left in the dirt.
    
15. I will tear down winter homes and summer homes. Houses decorated with ivory and all other mansions will be gone forever. I, the LORD, have spoken!
    

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Chapters one and two of Amos announced the judgment that was to come against Israel, the Northern Kingdom. Chapter three begins a series of five messages explaining more fully the reasons for this judgment. We already know that the central reason for this judgment against Israel is because she has withdrawn from God which has also led her to carry out atrocities to her own people, such as selling people into slavery who were unable pay insignificant debts within an unreasonable time period, or perverting the legal system to exploit the poor. Now Amos is telling them that at the core of God's judgment against them is their special position of privilege. They had no excuse for such covetous deeds to gain wealth. God had already provided them these things and would have continued to do so had they remained faithful to Him. "I have known only you out of all the clans of the earth;" God says in verse 3, "therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities." God had a special relationship with Israel He did not have with any other people on earth.

Now, as surely as two do not walk together unless they have agreed to meet or as surely a lion does not roar in the forest unless it has a prey, etc., so also is God's judgment on Israel sure. And as sure as is His judgment, so also is sure that "the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who will not prophesy?" (verses 7-8) And here is what God reveals through the prophets. In this case it is the prophet Amos. He reveals that the people are incapable of doing right. Instead, they store up violence and destruction in their citadels. Therefore, imaginary heralds are sent to Ashdod and Egypt to invite them to the mountains above Samaria to see what the city is like. These emissaries from two countries well known for their injustice, will be astonished at what they observe in Israel's capital. Then the coming catastrophe is announced. An enemy will surround the capital city of Samaria, destroy its strongholds and plunder its citadels. How complete will be the destruction? It is compared to a shepherd who is able to snatch only a leg or an ear from the lion's mouth - all that is left of the sheep. All that will be rescued from those living in Samara will be "the corner of a bed or cushion of a couch." That is how complete will be the destruction.

Two points of the destruction are specifically mentioned in the last verses of the chapter: the horns of the altar at Bethel will be cut off, and the winter and summer houses will be demolished. The horns of the altar signify that there is no recourse for Israel - no rescue. These horns served as protection for citizens of Israel who were pursued for a murder they did not commit. They could grasp hold of the horns and receive asylum. This protection was not available to Israel in this situation. The winter and summer houses represented the luxurious mansions the rich had acquired through their exploits.

Unfaithfulness to God and turning away to other gods was a big part of what brought Israel to this situation, but at the core is trust. Why did Israel exploit those who were vulnerable and become obsessed with luxury? A core reason is that they didn't trust God to provide sufficient to what they wanted. He had prospered them to a point under Kings David and Solomon that they were one of the most prosperous and strongest nations. Yet they didn't trust God. Why? Why do any of us fail to trust God? At least a part of the problem is that we take our eyes off God and begin to look at what others have and desire it. But what we see with our back to God we pursue apart from God.