Amos 2:9-12

PUNISHMENT PROMISED, THE COVENANT NATIONSISRAEL

TEXT: Amos 2:9-12

9

Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.

10

Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.

11

And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith Jehovah.

12

But ye gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

QUERIES

a.

Who were the Amorites and why refer to their height?

b.

Why mention the prophets and Nazirites?

PARAPHRASE

I remind you that it was I who cleared the promised land of the giant Amorites for you would not have been able to possess the land had I not done so. These Amorites, by your own admission, were too strong for you to overcome by yourself, yet I utterly exterminated this nation for you. I remind you that it was I who delivered you from your slavery in Egypt and sustained you forty years in the wilderness and gave you the land of the Amorite as your possession. I remind you that it was I who raised up some of your sons as My special messengers, prophets, who were empowered by My Spirit to reveal My word to you; and I raised up some of your sons to become Nazirites, especially holy men, to set before your eyes an example of your holy calling and to show you that I am able to give men the power to live holy lives. Is this not true, You children of the covenant? says the Lord. But instead of giving heed to these manifestations and examples of My holy will you held my word in contempt and caused the Nazirites to sin by tempting them to drink wine and you commanded My prophets to refrain from declaring My word!

SUMMARY

Amos makes a vivid contrast between the faithfulness of God toward Israel and Israel's unfaithful contempt of God's grace toward them,

COMMENT

Amos 2:9. DESTROYED I THE AMORITE BEFORE THEM. LIKE THE HEIGHT OF THE CEDARS. God delivered, led, sustained and fought for Israel. When Israel came to the borders of the Promised Land and sent men in to spy out the land the report came back that the people were as giants and the Israelites were like grasshoppers in comparison (cf. Numbers 13:32-33) but God gave Israel victory and so completely overthrew the Amorites that they were eradicated. God removed them so thoroughly that they never were a nation again.

Amos 2:10 ALSO I BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, AND LED YOU FORTY YEARS. God nurtured Israel like a father and mother nurtures a child (cf. Hosea 11:1-4; Ezekiel 16:4-8). When Israel was an unpitied, disorganized, unloved, nomadic tribe of slaves in Egypt, Jehovah God took them and pitied them, delivered them from their slavery, fed them, clothed them, protected them, gave them a Land, blessed them, and still they held Him in contempt. They forgot what they were before He blessed them! They took Him for granted! They became ungrateful, exactly as Moses warned them not to do (be sure to read the entire 8th chapter of Deuteronomy in this connection)! Ingratitude is, like its sister pride, one of the worst of sins!

Amos 2:11-12. I RAISED UP. PROPHETS. AND NAZIRITES. BUT YE GAVE THE NAZIRITES WINE TO DRINK. AND COMMANDED THE PROPHETS. PROPHESY NOT. Nothing demonstrated the grace of God so well as the fact that God raised up some men from among the covenant people to be His prophets, to deliver to the people the Light of Life, the Bread of Life, the Word of God. The patience and longsuffering of God waited upon the people through the prophets as He sent them to turn the prodigal nation from its rebellion, but the people would not! They commanded the prophets to cease their preaching (cf. Amos 7:12; 1 Kings 18:17; 1 Kings 19:1-3).

The verb nazar is used to dedicate, consecrate, separate. The word nazir, translated Nazirite, is literally one consecrated, devoted. This was the primary mission of the Naziriteconsecrationand to that end he dedicated himself either for life or for a brief period of time. Samson is an example of a man used by God in such a life. The primary concern of the Nazirite was to manifest his consecration to God by a particular manner of life, (cf. Numbers 6:1-21). This life consisted of: (a) totally abstaining from products of the vine and all intoxicants; (b) refusing to cut their hair lest a man-made tool profane this god-given growth; (c) avoiding contact with the dead; and (d) declining unclean. food. So the Nazirite was given to the people to demonstrate by holy living what the prophet taught in precept. This does not mean, however, that the prophets themselves did not live godly livesfor they did. The Nazirite was to set before the eyes of the people the object of their divine calling. to show them how the Lord wants them to be a holy people. also to show them how the Lord bestowed the power to carry out this object (K & D). It was in the contempt and abuse of these gifts of grace that the ingratitude of Israel was shown in its worst light. Instead of listening to the prophets and living like the Nazirites and becoming the holy people God desired them to be, they tempted the Nazirites to break their vows and drink wine and they forbade the prophets to preach! Open, flagrant, impudent rebellion, this is sinning against knowledge, sinning with a high hand, (cf. Numbers 15:30-31); this is shaking the first against the Heavenly throne.

QUIZ

1.

Why does Amos speak of the Amorites being as tall as cedars?

2.

What should the people of Israel remember about their former condition?

3.

What great sin were they guilty of?

4.

What is a Nazirite? What purpose did he serve in the O.T. dispensation?

5.

When one sins against the knowledge of God's will he has what kind of sin is it?