Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Amos was written between 760 and 753 B.C. It was written when Uzziah reigned in the south and Jeroboam II reigned in the north. Social injustice is the theme of the book and the judgments that come upon nations because of them. Amos decried Israel’s iniquity (and those nations around Israel) and pleaded for them to return to the Lord in true worship so the judgment could be lifted. He also promised a future restoration of the WHOLE nation of God’s children through an anointed king.

Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and Ammon are all told by the Lord that because of their multiple sins (not just four, but four symbolizing a lot), they would be judged. There were some main points. Damascus was needlessly cruel and oppressive. They would be broken and taken into captivity. Gaza took whole peoples captive, delivering them to Edom. They would be devoured with fire. Tyre also capture whole peoples and delivered them to Edom, forgetting the ‘covenant of brotherhood’ – possibly David’s covenant with Hiram, the king of Tyre. Fire would devour their walls and them. Edom had cast off all pity, was wrathful and pursued with the sword. They would be devoured. Ammon ripped open pregnant women in Gilead so they could decimate the population and expand their territory. Their walls would burn, they would be devoured, and the day of battle would be like a whirlwind. Their king and their princes would go into captivity.

Moab would also be judged for burning the king of Edom to lime. Depending which Rabbi you are reading, the transgression of burning the bones to lime was either because they did it and then plastered the royal walls with it – treating a corpse with disgrace is an abomination – or because the king of Moab burnt the son of the king of Edom on top the wall (2 Kings 3:27) which put enmity between Israel and Edom because Israel was the cause of Moab’s burning of the son (I’m not sure I see that one myself based on 2 Kings). They would be set on fire and devoured with shouting and trumpets. Judah also was a repeat sinner. They had despised the Law of Yahweh. They had NOT kept His commandments and lied to each other in order to lead themselves away. They would be set on fire and devoured. Israel also sold the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals. They perverted the ways of the humble and committed deviant sexual practices – like a father and a son having sex with the same woman. No one would outrun this judgment. It would come as surely as He took them out of Egypt and defeated the nations which were mightier than they in order to give them the Land. If people who were bigger and greater than they hadn’t stood a chance, what chance would they have? The most courageous of men would be naked on that day.

The Lord had spoken this word against them. The Lord who had chosen these people as His very own special family. Because of their betrayal, He would punish them for their iniquity. The Lord does NOTHING without revealing it to His prophets. Men who walked side by side with Him. The Lord God had spoken. They could not HELP but prophesy. HE gave them the authority and the people had better listen to them. If not, they would be surrounded. They would be conquered. And only small crumbs would be leftover from that destruction.

The Lord TRIED to get them to repent with corrections. He tried famine. He tried drought. He did it in a supernatural way which left no doubt HE was doing it – rain on one city and none on the one next door, for example. They missed the lesson. They simply adapted and continued on in their lives. No THOUGHT for Him or repenting and returning to Him. He sent blight and mildew. He let locusts eat their crops. Plagues came after them like in Egypt. Young men were killed in battle. Horses were killed. He even overthrew some. But NOTHING worked. They REFUSED to turn and return to Him. So because of this, judgment was coming. Because of their refusal to submit and obey, they WOULD bear the judgment for their iniquity. The Lord God would do this.

“For thus says my Lord Yahweh, “The city that marches out with a thousand will only have a hundred left. And the one that marches out with a hundred will only have ten left for the house of Israel.” For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel, “Seek me so that you may live.” (Amos 5:3-4)

Only a tenth of ALL the Israelites would live through this. The Lord was speaking a lamentation for them. A funeral lament. He begged them not to go worship the golden cattle (1 Kings 12:28-30). He begged them not to go and disdain His ways. He begged them to use justice. To perform it in the Land. The Lord had proclaimed terrible things upon the Land and its inhabitants. There would be wailing throughout the whole land in the Day of the Lord. It would be like fleeing a lion and running into a bear. The Day would be dark, with no brightness. No offerings would be accepted. No fattened peace offerings would be paid attention to. He didn’t want their songs or their musical instruments (nothing wrong with them if they are used with the proper intent to glory GOD, not ourselves). God wanted to see justice and righteousness. God pointed out that even trekking in the desert they had worshipped idols. He was RIGHT THERE in a pillar of fire and cloud, but they STILL committed adultery with idols. Because they did that, He was going to send them beyond Damascus in total captivity.

Summary

Key Players: God, Amos

Key Verse(s): Amos 2:4-8; 3:1-8, 13-15; 4:6-10; 5:11-17, 25-27