What The Lord Says

This is what the Lord says – Amos 1:3a (NET)

The prophet Amos was put in the interesting position of declaring the fact of God’s judgment on the nations that surrounded Israel. He prophesied during the time of the divided kingdom (Israel/North, Judah/South), prior to both the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests. He introduces God’s judgment with evocative words, saying that “The Lord comes roaring out of Zion; from Jerusalem He comes bellowing! The shepherds’ wilt; the summit of Carmel withers” (1:2). With that said, Amos launches into the telling of judgment.

Beginning with Syria, it is written, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because Damascus has committed three crimes---make that four!---I will not revoke My decree of judgment… I will break the bar on the gate of Damascus’.” (1:3a, 5a) Moving on to the land of the Philistines, we read, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because Gaza has committed three crimes---make that four!---I will not revoke My decree of judgment… So I will get Gaza’s city wall on fire; fire will consume her fortresses… the rest of the Philistines will also die’.” (1:6a, 7a, 8b) Following that, the prophecy of judgment is directed against Tyre. There, we read, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because Tyre has committed three crimes---make that four!---I will not revoke My decree of judgment… They failed to observe a treaty of brotherhood. So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; fire will consume her fortresses’.” (1:9a,c-10) Continuing on, Amos speaks for the Lord against Edom, writing “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because Edom has committed three crimes---make that four!---I will not revoke My decree of judgment. He chased his brother with a sword; he wiped out his allies. In his anger he tore them apart without stopping to rest; in his fury he relentlessly attacked them. So I will set Teman on fire; fire will consume Bozrah’s fortresses’.” (1:11-12) Looking now to Ammon, we read, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Ammonites have committed three crimes---make that four!---I will not revoke My decree of judgment. They ripped open Gilead’s pregnant women so they could expand their territory. So I will set fire to Rabbah’s city wall; fire will consume her fortresses’.” (1:13-14). Finally, in these decrees about the surrounding nations, we come to Moab and read “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because Moab has committed three crimes---make that four!---I will not revoke My decree of judgment. The burned the bones of Edom’s king into lime. So I will set Moab on fire and it will consume Kerioth’s fortresses. Moab will perish in the heat of battle… I will remove Moab’s leader; I will kill all Moab’s officials with him’.” (2:1-2a,3) All of these pronouncements are punctuated with the phrase “The Lord has spoken!”

One can imagine his hearers in Israel and Judah listening to him with eager and rapt attention, excited about the judgment that was going to rain down upon their enemies and adversaries. We can envision them applauding Amos and his words before something interesting happens. Amos does not stop with Moab, but continues on to say, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because Judah has committed three covenant transgressions---make that four!---I will not revoke My decree of judgment’.” (2:4a) Before Israel can feel secure, he goes on to report, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions---make that four!---I will not revoke My decree of judgment’.” (2:6a) It is impossible to miss the shift in language. We have gone from hearing about “crimes,” to hearing about “covenant transgressions.” Israel and Judah, as God’s covenant people, clearly were held to a different and higher standard than the surrounding nations. The evil that was bringing God’s judgment upon them was of far greater consequence. Of Judah, God says, “They rejected the Lord’s law; they did not obey His commands. Their false gods, to which their fathers were loyal, led them astray. So I will set Judah on fire, and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses” (2:4b-5). This would be fulfilled when the Babylonians would come forth to conquer. Of Israel, God says, “They sold the innocent for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the dirt-covered head of the poor; they push the destitute away” (2:6b-7a). Judah was condemned for idolatry, whereas Israel was called to account for rampant oppression as well as idolatry.

As we move forward, we reach the end of the third chapter, in which God says, “Certainly when I punish Israel for their covenant transgressions, I will destroy Bethel’s altars. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. I will destroy both the winter and summer houses. The houses filled with ivory will be ruined, the great houses will be swept away” (3:14-15a). In the fourth chapter, there is a greater elaboration on Israel’s transgression, as we read, “You oppress the poor; you crush the needy” (4:1b). God’s response to this is to say “Certainly the time is approaching when you will be carried away in baskets, every last one of you in fisherman’s pots” (4:2b). Furthermore, we find God saying, “But surely I gave you no food to eat in any of your cities; you lacked food everywhere you live. Still you did not come back to Me… I withheld rain from you three months before the harvest…. People from two or three cities staggered into one city to get water, but remained thirsty. Still you did not come back to Me. I destroyed your crops with blight and disease. Locusts kept devouring your orchards, vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees. Still you did not come back to Me… I sent against you a plague like one of the Egyptian plagues. I killed your young men with the sword… Still you did not come back to Me” (4:6a, 7a, 8a, 9a, 10a,c).

All of this is quite significant. With these words of what God will do to His people, we find reference to the curses that are set forth in Deuteronomy. When we read “Still you did not come back to me,” we think about what God promised upon national repentance (2 Chronicles 7:14-if My people…), which would be a restoration from the curse of conquering and exile. This is the promise that would be seized upon by Daniel, which leads to Judah being restored to their land (though still in exile), and re-gathered for identification as God’s covenant people. Though Daniel and Judah recognized the curses and repented, Israel, on the other hand, did not. Though God brought His promised curses, this was not productive of repentance. They did not return to Him. What ultimately happened? Israel was conquered by Assyria, scattered through the Assyrian empire, and the ten tribes that made up the kingdom of Israel were dispersed, never to be re-gathered or identified as part of God’s covenant people. “The virgin Israel has fallen down and will not get up again” (5:2a). Truly, God is faithful to His covenant promises and deals seriously with covenant transgressions.