Verse 1.
“The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from
Tekoa, which he envisioned in visions concerning Israel in
the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of
Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the
earthquake.”
“Amos”
(a name which means “burden”
or “burden-bearer”) was an
ordinary man, either a worker or small-business owner who
tended sheep for a living. He also was a “tender
of sycamore fruit” (Amos 7:14). As a grower of
sycamore figs, his job included puncturing the fruit before
it ripened, allowing any insects to escape. He was not a
prophet nor did he come from a family of prophets (Amos
7:14). He was from “Tekoa,”
a rural community in the small country of Judah, south of
the nation to the north called “Israel.”
Tekoa was 12-miles south of Jerusalem, in Judah.
God called this ordinary man to be a
prophet, sending him primarily to the nation Israel
(composed of 10-Hebrew tribes), which was definitely not his
own country. “Uzziah” was
king of Judah from 787 to 735 BC. “Jeroboam”
II reigned in Israel from 790 to 749 BC. Those in Judah,
like Amos, were considered “country bumpkins” by the
“sophisticated” people of Israel. Amos’ way of speaking and
his appearance would have seemed contemptible to his
audience. The “earthquake”
mentioned in this verse was also referred to in Zechariah
14:5.
Verse 2.
“He said, ‘The Lord roars from Zion and from Jerusalem He
utters His voice; And the shepherds' pasture grounds mourn,
and the summit of Carmel dries up.’”
The Lord is not shy about expressing
Himself. He knows the world needs to hear what He has to
say, and He often “roars (to the world)
from Zion.” Jesus told us about the true nature of
God when He walked this earth, stating He is “Gentle
and lowly in heart,” and in Him, “You
will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). The
reason God “utters His voice”
so loudly to the world, is because our need is very great
and we often do not listen unless somebody yells at us.
It’s important to note that, at the
time these words were written, Israel’s (and Judah’s)
borders were secure and both countries were prospering. The
shepherd’s pastures were rich and green and the slopes of
Mount Carmel were extremely fertile. Humans approach life
“logically” and the prophesy that Mount Carmel would become
a barren, unfertile place, as in this verse, would have
seemed illogical to contemporaries. Logic is good, but
looking to the Lord is far better. Israel was filled with
pride, deceit, idolatry, greed and materialism. It was time
for them to change, as it is for us all, and God WOULD get
their attention.
Verse 3.
“Thus says the Lord, ‘For three transgressions of Damascus
and forfour I will not
revoke its punishment, because they threshed Gilead withimplements of sharp iron.’”
Each of Amos’ eight prophesies in
Chapters 1 and 2 begin with the statement, “for
three transgressions of… and
for four,” which is an idiomatic expression that
translates into English something like: “All
right, you’ve done it; now you’ve gone too far.” You
might also say: “That’s the last
straw.” Damascus, in Syria, had hated the people of
Israel, at least since the time David of Israel killed
22,000 of them, as recorded in 2 Samuel 5 & context. They
had taken revenge.
“Gilead”
was an area east and slightly south of the Sea of Galilee,
in Israel. It was south and a bit west of Syria (Damascus),
which made it sometimes become a “buffer” state between the
two countries, but mostly Gilead was a war-zone. We know
from Scriptures like Hosea 6:8, that God intended to judge
GILEAD because of THEIR sins, but WOE to those who harm His
people, even when those people are far from Him.
Verse 4.
“So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael and it will
consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.”
“Hazael” was a very effective leader
of Syria, anointed as king of that place, interestingly, by
Elijah the Prophet (1 Kings 19:15 & context). Hazael did
well in wars against Israel and Judah, such as the battle
that resulted in the wounding of Ahab’s son, Joram (2 Kings
13:3 & context). This verse in Amos, by the way, is quoted
in Jeremiah 49:27.
Hazael died and his son was “Ben-Hadad”
III (2 Kings 13:3), a man who essentially lost all the
territories in Israel captured by his father. “Three
times Joash defeated him and he recaptured the cities of
Israel” (2 Kings 13:25). If you are ever tempted to
hurt someone, remember these verses. God will allow harm to
come to His people as a means of getting their attention and
rescuing them from sin, but woe to the ones who do them harm
– THEIR “citadels” will be
consumed because the Lord will make it so.
Verse 5.
“’I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, and cut off
the inhabitantfrom the
valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden;
so thepeople of Aram will
go exiled to Kir,’ says the Lord.”
To “break
the gate bar” of a city was a phrase that meant the
place would become open to attack by an enemy. When the
gates were breached, the city was lost. Damascus, in Syria,
was to be taken by its enemies. “Aven”
meant “wickedness” or “vanity,”
a name applied to “Bethel”
(“House of God”), a town of the Tribe of Benjamin. God was
saying in this verse that the place which was called by its
people, “House of God,”
actually had become a “House of
Vanity.”
“Beth-Eden”
is the “House of Eden” or
“House of Delight” or “Pleasantness.”
“Aram” was a son of Shem
(Genesis 10:22, 23). The area of Damascus, Syria, was
originally settled by nomads from the area of the River Kar,
southwest of the Caspian Sea. “Kir”
has been associated with that place, and the reference here
is that the Syrians would be deported back to where they
came from. A large number of Syrians were carried away some
50-years after this verse, when Tiglath-Pileser sacked
Damascus (2 Kings 16:9).
Father, You have an infinitely
long memory and You do judge sin. The penalty for the sins
of humanity fell on Christ Jesus, and since our debt has
been paid, we ask that all who read these words will trust
in Him, for He IS our salvation. Thank You, Lord. Forgive
us as we trust in Your Son. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible
Study Amos
1:6-10
Verse 6. Thus says the Lord, For
three transgressions of Gaza and for four Iwill not revoke its punishment,
because they deported an entire population to deliver it up
to Edom.
Gaza
(Strong Place) was a city of the Philistines, an ancient
enemy of Israel. The people called the Philistines
were located in and around a group of city states
near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, mostly in what is
now, once again called Israel. However, Gaza is
periodically independent and the Philistines also had
holdings in Lebanon. They were fierce warriors who had iron
chariots and other iron weapons of war, enabling the
Philistines to win in battle. Israel did not have iron
weaponry until the time of David.
The Philistines
were a non-Semitic people who came from Caphor (Jeremiah
47:4, Amos 9:7), and they arrived in large numbers during
the time of the Judges. This verse intimates that those in
Gaza took thousands of slaves, and the way the slave trade
typically worked in that time is this: The Philistines took
as many slaves as possible and sold them to the Phoenicians,
a sea-going people, who, in turn, sold them to the world.
Obviously, from this verse, they also sold Israelite slaves
to the Edomites, who hated the Jews and would have treated
them with extreme cruelty. God has an infinite memory, and
He would JUDGE the sin of Gaza.
Verse 7. So I will send fire upon
the wall of Gaza and it will consume her citadels.
Gaza was a strong,
well-fortified city, which was originally a Caananite town
(Genesis 10:9). The place was assigned by Joshua to the
Tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:47), but was not occupied until
later (Judges 1:18). It was captured by the Philistines
(Judges 13:1) and held by them until the time of Hezekiah (2
Kings 18:8). Samson was imprisoned in Gaza, dying as a
suicide in the place, but his death was actually for Gods
purposes (Judges 16:1, 21).
Gaza was conquered
by the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib, when he invaded Judea in
the time of Hezekiah. The place was also overrun by Pharoah
Necho of Egypt (Jeremiah 47:1). Alexander the Great spent
more than two months in siege of Gaza, as told by Josephus
(Ant. 11.8.4). God indeed sent fire
upon the wall of Gaza and its citadels were consumed, just as He had said.
Verse 8. I will also cut off the
inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter, from
Ashkelon; I will even unleash My power upon Ekron, and the
remnant of the Philistines will perish, says the Lord God.
Ashdod and
Ashkalon were fortified city-states, populated by enemies of
Israel called Philistines, a people from Caphor,
which is thought to be Cappadocia, in Asia Minor. Ashdod
translates as waster,
and it was in same place as Azotus
in Acts 8:40. Ashkelon
means Holm-Oak, and it
was the only Philistine city that was right on the
Mediterranean Sea. It was midway between Gaza to the south,
and Ashdod to the north. Ekron
(Extermination) was more
inland, but still west of Jerusalem.
Anyone who does
not think God interferes in the affairs of nations should
read the verses in this section of Amos. The people of
Ashdod would be killed and the leadership of the Philistines
would be destroyed, and God would unleash
(His) power on Ekron.
Ashdod was taken by Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:6) by Sargon
(Isaiah 20:1) and by Egypt (in 635 BC), after a siege of
29-years. Sennacherib took Ashkelon and sent the royal
family to Assyria. He also took Ekron. The Philistines did
perish, just as this verse
said they would.
Verse 9. Thus says the Lord, For
three transgressions of Tyre and for four I will not revoke
its punishment, because they delivered up an entire
population to Edom and did not remember the covenant of
brotherhood.
Tyre
was not Philistine, but instead was a well-fortified
Phoenician city-state on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
in what is now Lebanon. Phoenicia
means purple and the
name likely came from the dark reddish-purple dye the
Phoenicians discovered within the Murex shell fish. The
Phoenicians were a powerful force in the area of the
Mediterranean Sea for many centuries, founding colonies in
Carthage, in North Africa, and in Spain. Some think the
Phoenicians even reached Great Britain. The Phoenicians of
Tyre had been friendly with David and Solomon and were
helpful to them (2 Samuel 5:11, 1 Kings 5:1, 7). A treaty
existed between the countries.
By selling Jews as
slaves, the covenant of
brotherhood (treaty) was broken and Tyre would pay
for what they did to Gods people. Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon besieged Tyre for 13-years, and the resourceful
people of Tyre rebuilt the city on an offshore island.
Alexander the Great later took the bricks and stones from
the previous location and had them thrown into the sea
between the island and the mainland, turning it into a
peninsula. The city was taken and destroyed. Alexander may
not have known he was fulfilling prophesy, but God knew, for
He remembers sins, evidenced by His memory of the sins of
Tyre.
Verse 10. So I will send fire
upon the wall of Tyre and it will consume her citadels.
The leadership and
people of Tyre thought that by rebuilding their city on an
offshore island in the Mediterranean Sea, they would be
invulnerable to the kind of land-based attack that
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had brought against them. The
off-shore city of Tyre had walls 150 feet high and strong
fortifications. It seemed that nothing from land or sea
could come against them. They were safe they thought.
No sinner is safe
from God. Pride is sin, and Tyre was proud and confident in
her walls, her riches, her fleets of ships, and her success
as a trading nation. As Solomon correctly observed, Pride
goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall
(Proverbs 16:18). Tyre was taken after a siege of seven
months, its walls were demolished, the houses were burned
down, ten thousand were killed, and their women and children
were sold as slaves.
Father, it says
in Your Word that ALL have sinned
and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) -
we are judged for what we have done. Help us to understand
that judgment for our sins fell on Jesus Christ and the gift
of God is eternal life
through trusting in Him (Romans 6:23). Lord, forgive us.
We trust in You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study Amos 1:11-15
Verse 11. Thus
says the Lord, For three transgressions of Edom and for
four I will not revoke its punishment, because he pursued
his brother with the sword, while he stifled his compassion;
his anger also tore continually, and he maintained his fury
forever.
God once again
uses the phrase For three
transgressions and for four,
in announcing impending judgment on the Edomites, who were
the descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob (Israel).
Those of each country were as closely related to one another
as opposing nations can be. The red-colored city of Petra,
which was carved right out of the native rock, was the
capital of the country of Edom, a mountainous place. The
place was also called Seir,
or Mt. Seir (Genesis 32:3).
David conquered
that country and put garrisons throughout Edom (2 Samuel
8:14). Jehoram of Judah lost Edom in about 847 BC, when the
Edomites revolted against him (2 Kings 8:20). 50-years
later, King Amaziah of Judah defeated Edom (2 Kings 16:6),
and so it went. The Edomites hated the Jews and when they
got their chance, they pursued
them, killed them, and actually enjoyed the killing because
of never-ending anger.
Verse 12. So
I will send fire upon Teman and it will consume the citadels
of Bozrah.
Teman
(on the right) was a city and
also an area in northeast Edom, a place which at one time
was noted for the wisdom of its people (Jeremiah 49:7). The
area that was considered greater-Teman extended south to
include the city of Petra. There were at least two cities
named Bozrah (sheepfold).
This one was in Edom and another was in the country of Moab.
The Prophet
Jeremiah also pronounced doom on Bozrah (Jeremiah 49:13),
stating, Bozrah shall become a
desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse
a perpetual waste. The Palaces
of Bozrah are no more. Petra, which was part of the area of
Teman, was burned and everything related to it that could
burn was indeed destroyed by fire.
Verse 13. Thus
says the Lord, For three transgressions of the sons of
Ammon and for four I will not revoke its punishment, because
they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to
enlarge their borders.
Ammon
meant people or the
people, a term often used by ancient tribes for
themselves. The idea was that we are the people and other
groups are not. Quite a few names of the American Indian
tribes meant the people,
enabling them to feel comfortable about enslaving and
killing those in other tribes, on the ground that others
were not the people. The
Ammonites were descendants of Ben-ammi or Ammon (Genesis
19:38). They were related to the Moabites and often were
united in battle with them.
The Ammonites were
fierce in war and often fought the armies of Israel, in
attempts to extend their own borders westward. At one point
they thrust out the right eye of everyone in Jabesh-Gilead
(1 Samuel 11:2). They were brutal murderers (Jeremiah 40:14,
41:5-7, and this verse in Amos). God reasonably agrees that
to rip open pregnant women is a terrible thing to do, and He
indicates in these verses He would judge that crime. The
purpose of killing the unborn was to eliminate a future army
in 20-years, after those babies had turned into men. God
says, Vengeance is Mine
(Romans 12:19). He does repay.
Verse 14. So
I will kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah and it will
consume her citadels amid war cries on the day of battle,
and a storm on the day of tempest.
As Amos indicates
in this verse and Ezekiel stated in Ezekiel 25:1-7, the
country of Ammon would be completely destroyed. That
prediction was finally complete hundreds of years later, in
a battle against Judas Maccabeus (1 Maccabees 5:6). Rabbah
was a great city of the time and it was the capital of Ammon.
The Greeks later called it Philadelphia, after Ptolemy
Philadelphus, a Greek king of Egypt. The site of Rabbah is
now occupied by the city of Amman, the capital of the
country called Jordan.
The citadels of
the city of Rabbah had massive walls that seemed
unassailable to attackers, but Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
took the place (Jeremiah 27:3,6, 49:2,3). God Himself was
the inspiration for the ancient armies that took Rabbah,
though they did not know it. When you read Scripture, which
often reveals Gods intent behind outward occurrences, you
have to wonder about the many disasters that come upon this
world. God may indeed be speaking to us today are we
listening?
Verse 15. Their
king will go into exile, he and his princes together, says
the Lord.
When the leaders
on a battlefield are killed, the other soldiers often do not
know what to do. The same is true of the leaders of
governments, corporations and any group of people working
together. Strip away the leadership and the threat from that
entity will likely be gone. Exile
is very difficult for those who have been in power and the
leaders of Ammon undoubtedly suffered as they bitterly
remembered the past.
Jesus spoke of a
future hell as a place of everlasting
fire and everlasting
punishment (Matthew 25:41, 46). The Ammonite leaders
described in these verses were inveterate idolaters who had
no use for Almighty God, though all they had to do was look
over to Israel and its history to see His hand of love. All
YOU have to do is look in Gods written Word, the Bible, and
read the eyewitness accounts of the many who have been
Rescued by Him. Jesus said there is also a place of eternal
LIFE (Matthew 25:46). Avoid the exile of hell
TRUST in the Lord.
Father, we do
look to You and trust in You now. Forgive us our sins and
give us life everlasting in Your Son. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron
Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org "While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
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