The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Judgment on Israel's Neighbors
2 And he said:
“The Lord roars from Zion
and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
and the top of Carmel withers.”
3 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Damascus,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have threshed Gilead
with threshing sledges of iron.
4 So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
5 I will break the gate-bar of Damascus,
and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven,
and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden;
and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir,”
says the Lord.
6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Gaza,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they carried into exile a whole people
to deliver them up to Edom.
7 So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
and it shall devour her strongholds.
8 I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod,
and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
says the Lord God.
9 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Tyre,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,
and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre,
and it shall devour her strongholds.”
11 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Edom,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because he pursued his brother with the sword
and cast off all pity,
and his anger tore perpetually,
and he kept his wrath forever.
12 So I will send a fire upon Teman,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.”
13 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,
that they might enlarge their border.
14 So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,
and it shall devour her strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
15 and their king shall go into exile,
he and his princes together,”
says the Lord. Amos 1 ESV
Amos 1
The words of Amos - The title of this short book is the author's name, and his name means "burden" or "burden bearer".
Who was among the shepherds of Tekoa - So, he is a raiser and tender of sheep in a small town south of Jerusalem, some say his occupation is best understood as a sheep breeder. He also tended figs.
…13But never prophesy at Bethel again, because it is the sanctuary of the king and the temple of the kingdom.” 14“I was not a prophet,” Amos replied, “nor was I the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore-fig trees. 15But the LORD took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’… Amos 7: 13-15
Uzziah King of Judah - This king had a mostly good reign, seeking to do what was right in the eyes of God, but he became proud and crossed a line of priestly duty. That time period would place Amos as a contemporary to the prophets Isaiah, Jonah and Hosea. He was called from Judah which is in the south to prophesy to the northern kingdom, whose king at that time was Jeroboam II.
…24And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit. 25This Jeroboam restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word that the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher. 26For the LORD saw that the affliction of the Israelites, both slave and free, was very bitter. There was no one to help Israel,… 2 Kings 14: 24-26
1This is the vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me.… Isaiah 1: 1-2
Two years before the earthquake - I guess this was a pretty bad earthquake since Zechariah refers back to it years later.
…4On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half the mountain moving to the north and half to the south. 5You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him. 6On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost.… Zechariah 14: 4-6
Utters His voice from Jerusalem - Jerusalem is in Judah, and it is the place of the temple and true worship. Amos is sent to remind them of this, that they do not worship God in spirit or in truth. They have set up calves, the work of the original Jeroboam, and the people have followed into apostasy.
The top of Carmel withers: Carmel was a prominent mountain in the north of Israel, the site of Elijah’s dramatic confrontation with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19-40). Since Elijah served before the time of Amos, it may be that Amos was reminding Israel of this victory of the Lord GOD over idolatry. - Enduring Word
Damascus - This is the capital of Syria, Israel's enemy to the north, and their sin has multiplied, 3 and for 4, it keeps going. Syria did go into exile; they were taken by the Assyrians.
Gaza - This is a city of the Philistines.
“The condemnation here is not against slavery in and of itself, just as the previous oracle was not against war in and of itself. The crime is not that soldiers were enslaved after being taken in battle, which was the standard practice, but that the Philistines used their temporary supremacy to enslave whole populations – soldiers and civilians, men and women, adults and children, young and old – for commercial profit. Gaza did not even need the slaves. She merely sold them to Edom for more money” (Boice).
Tyre - A famous city of trade in Lebanon, she had the same guilt of Gaza. Tyre was known for her pride, a city that had both a mainland part and an island fortress, which they thought to be impregnable, yet it was destroyed by Alexander the Great. Amos was not the only prophet to speak against Tyre.
Edom - This was named after Esau, the brother of Jacob. Jacob becomes Israel, and there was turbulence between the brothers, and so it becomes a picture of a future relationship between the nations. Edom later attacks Judah, and there is anger and resentment that he holds on to rather than making peace with his brother. He helps his brother's enemy, Babylon, sack Jerusalem.
20In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. 21So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes. 22So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.… 2 Kings 8: 20-22
…22But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD, 23and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” 24When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb.… Genesis 25: 22-24
Ammonites - They would be punished for their atrocities, probably ripping open the women to remove future Israelites from the land, an act of genocide.
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