#1140 Amos 3 The Sign Said Narrow

 

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:

2 “You only have I known

of all the families of the earth;

therefore I will punish you

for all your iniquities.

3 “Do two walk together,

unless they have agreed to meet?

4 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?

5 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?

6 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?

7 “For the Lord God does nothing

without revealing his secret

to his servants the prophets.

8 The lion has roared;

who will not fear?

The Lord God has spoken;

who can but prophesy?”

9 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.”

10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,

“those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

11 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.”

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.

13 “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,”

declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,

14 “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.

15 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. Amos 3 ESV

Amos 3

Against the whole family - This is the northern kingdom, sometimes referred to as Ephraim, and the southern kingdom, referred to as Judah. These are Jacob's children which God brought out of bondage in Egypt.

You only have I known - This encompasses a vast and long history, a relationship that starts with God's revealing of Himself to Abraham, His covenant with Abraham, the calling of the promised Seed through Abraham's son Isaac, His wrestling with Jacob, who He renames Israel, the father of the tribes that will be called out of Egypt by the prophet Moses. Moses was given the law, which was given to the people, who agreed to follow it but broke the covenant. They had the law, the prophets, the priest, the temple and the feasts, all of which was about God's redemptive plan through His Son, the Messiah, by the power of the Holy Spirit. No other family (nation) had received this much direct revelation from God, so when He says "known", it is very intimate, extraordinary.

…3Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4“As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.… Genesis 17: 3-5

…2Moses alone shall approach the LORD, but the others must not come near. And the people may not go up with him.” 3When Moses came and told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.” 4And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.… Exodus 24: 2-4

…46I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed. 47I delight in Your commandments because I love them. 48I lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love, and I meditate on Your statutes.… Psalm 119: 46-48

Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities - 

“The false deduction which is too often made is that if we are the privileged people of God, therefore we may look for His mercy, He will not punish us. That is not so. The measure of our privilege, in the Divine economy, is the measure of our responsibility. Therefore if we fail to fulfill that responsibility He will not pass over our sins, but rather will visit upon us all our iniquities. It is well that those nations who boast of the Divine favour, should lay this lesson to heart.” (Morgan)

Do two walk together - God initiated the relationship with Israel, starting with His covenant with Abraham, then His agreement mediated through His prophet Moses, accepted by Israel as above in Exodus 24. The questions that follow are rhetorical, understood to the audience in the affirmative. You cannot walk together unless you are on the same path, going in the same direction.

…22And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23So Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away.… Genesis 5: 22-24

1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless. 2I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”… Genesis 17: 1-2

The two may walk together. That is the end of all religion. What are creeds for? What are services and sacraments for? What is theology for? What is Christ’s redeeming act for? All culminate in this true, constant fellowship between men and God. And unless, in some measure, that result is arrived at in our cases, our religion, let it be as orthodox as you like, our faith in the redemption of Jesus Christ, let it be as real as you will, our attendances on services and sacraments, let them be as punctilious and regular as may be, are all ‘sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.’ Get side by side with God; that is the purpose of all these, and fellowship with Him is the climax of all religion.

It is also the secret of all blessedness, the only thing that will make a life absolutely sovereign over sorrow, and fixedly unperturbed by all tempests, and invulnerable to all ‘the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.’ Hold fast by God, and you have an amulet against every evil, and a shield against every foe, and a mighty power that will calm and satisfy your whole being. Nothing else, nothing else will do so. As Augustine said, ‘O God! Thou hast made us for Thyself, and in Thyself only are we at rest.’ If the Shepherd is with us we will fear no evil. - MacLaren's Exposition

Is a trumpet blown in a city - Here we come to the warning, this is why prophets were sent, and Israel itself was the prophet or priest nation, those that carried the oracles of God, that were to be the light to the other nations. Now when the trumpet was blown it was like the air raid horns of World War 2, or our present day alarms that say, "fire", or "tornado", and they demand a response. If there is a fire then you run from the building, and if there is a tornado you go to your bunker under ground. It strikes fear in the hearts of this people, for it says, "an enemy is at the gate, prepare". In the context here, Israel is not walking on the same path as Yahweh, and they are in breech of the covenant. Though they be His people, yet this is the God Who is infinitely opposed to sin and the One Who chastens those He loves. The prophets are the trumpet, warning that you are off the path, and headed towards a collision with God's wrath. "Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it?"

…6And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’ ” 7Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.… Luke 3: 6-8

The Lord God has spoken, who can but prophesy - In other words, I did not write this saga, this is God's word, His story, His book, all I can do is repeat what He has said, that is all any believer should do. We don't have the authority to change or water down what God has said, and it is a great disservice to men that many a so called "minister, pastor, preachers, teachers, evangelist, shepherds," feel that they have the right to make another more agreeable gospel. They sample the weather everyday, looking to see which way the winds of culture are blowing, and they adjust their message to the want of itching ears. Sadly, God won't adjust to this other gospel, but will judge according to His own words, so it doesn't matter who made you feel the best, or which teacher's style you preferred, no, but did he say what God said, or did he muck it up? Many will not tell the truth because it doesn't fill seats or coffers, and also because they know that many of you will want to kill the messenger.

…8For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long. 9If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail. 10For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.”… Jeremiah 20: 8-10

Proclaim in the palaces of Ashdod - He is calling the nations together as witnesses against Israel. Even those outside the covenant, who have not received the law will recognize your disgrace. 

Hubbard on the choice of the Egyptians and Philistines as witnesses: “Their reputations for injustice and brutality would be resented by the Israelites, who would consider themselves in every way morally superior to those whom God had summoned as witnesses.” It would also “show that covenant law is not the only criterion for testing Israel’s behaviour but that by any standards of international decency they have become culprits.” - Enduring Word

1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 2And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this?… 1 Corinthians 5: 1-2

An adversary shall surround the land - Assyria will come and destroy Samaria. This is when they usually prefer a second opinion, from a prophet that says what they want to hear.

As a shepherd takes from the mouth of the lion: Exodus 22:10-13 says that if an animal dies in the care of another man – such as a shepherd – that the shepherd must make restitution to the owner of the animal, unless he could bring remains that proved the animal was attacked by a predator.

i. “Amos’ comparison, then, makes the sarcastic point that when invasion strikes Israel’s devastation will be so complete that all that will be rescued is proof of death in the form of scraps of furniture.” (Hubbard) - Enduring Word

I will punish the altars of Bethel - They had made their own form of Judaism, an unauthorized form, like the strange fire of Nadab and Abihu, it was not the Spirit of the Lord. The apostate church today should quit feeling so comfortable in their traditions, God is going to judge, and you do not know who you worship at this point. Come out of her. The horns represent strength and this is going to be taken away, cut off.

The great houses shall come to an end - You taxed people to death, took advantage of the poor, sold the poor, and it was worth it to you so that you could live in luxury. You punished people by laws that you did not comply with yourself, hypocrites, repent while there is still time.