Amos 3:1-8

PENITENCE PROMOTEDREASON CALLS FOR REPENTANCE THE LORD DOES NOT ROAR WITHOUT CAUSE

TEXT: Amos 3:1-8

1

Hear this word that Jehovah hath spoken against you, O children of Israel against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying,

2

You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities.

3

Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?

4

Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

5

Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is set for him? shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all?

6

Shall the trumpet be blown in a city, and the people not be afraid? shall evil befall a city, and Jehovah hath not done it?

7

Surely the Lord Jehovah will do nothing, except he reveal his secret unto his servants the prophets.

8

The lion hath roared; who will not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken; who can but prophesy?

QUERIES

a.

Doesn-'t God know any other people than Israelites?

b.

What is the message of the epigrams in Amos 3:3-6?

c.

Does Jehovah reveal every thing He does to the prophets?

PARAPHRASE

Listen, you chosen people, to the indictment which the Lord brings against youagainst all the covenant people which I brought up out of the land of Egypt! Be reasonable, and think: I chose you over all the other nations of the earth to grant special knowledge and privileges and you are unique in being blessed; it is logical, then, since you have openly defied Me and disobeyed Me that I should punish you with a special severity! Does not common sense tell you that when two people meet together at an appointed time and place there was a previous cause for such a meetingan agreement to do so? Will a lion roar in the forest without causeunless his prey is doomed? or will the young lion growl in his den if he has not taken his prey there for his feast? Does a bird ever get trapped unless someone places a trap there to catch it? or when you see a trap being sprung does it not indicate to you some cause behind its springing? What if the warning signal is blown on the trumpet in a citywill the people pay no attention to it and go on their way heedless? I have been blowing a warning trumpet in your ears over and overdo you not realize that the evils which have befallen you in the past were from Me as warnings? Most assuredly God will not visit His judgment upon anyone without first warning them by revealing it through His messengers. But I tell you truly, God has roared like a lion who is about to pounce on His preywhoever does not fear is doomed! The Lord God has spoken! His prophet cannot remain silenthe must deliver the Lord's message!

SUMMARY

In a series of seven questions the Lord teaches a lesson in clear logical thinking in matters of sin and judgment, privilege and responsibility.

COMMENT

Amos 3:1-2 HEAR THIS WORD. AGAINST THE WHOLE FAMILY WHICH I BROUGHT UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT. YOU ONLY HAVE I KNOWN. I WILL VISIT UPON YOU ALL YOUR INIQUITIES. God's indictment is against the whole covenant people. Judah has already been warned (Amos 2:4) that she will be judged. But for the moment this particular prophet is concerned with the northern kingdom, Israel. No other people on earth were, at that time, privileged to be the recipients of the grace of God and the oracles of God in such a measure as Israel. She was a favored nation in this respect. Much was given her, much was expected! Romans 9:10, Romans 9:11 show in no uncertain terms that God's choice of Israel was not due to any necessary merit in the case of Israel whereby God owed it to them. Their special privilege came by the Divine sovereign choice of God, Their blessing was unmerited favorgrace! This unique distinction demanded from its very uniqueness a special obligation of reciprocal love and obedience on the part of Israel (Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Deuteronomy 32:34; Psalms 147:19-20). With greater privilege comes more severe punishment if the obligations are despised (Leviticus 26:14 ff).

Amos 3:3-6 SHALL TWO WALK TOGETHER, EXCEPT THEY HAVE AGREED?. SHALL THE TRUMPET BE BLOWN IN A CITY, AND THE PEOPLE NOT BE AFRAID? SHALL EVIL BEFALL A CITY, AND JEHOVAH HATH NOT DONE IT? In a series of seven questions the Lord teaches a lesson in clear logical thinking in matters pertaining to sin-punishment relationships. Reason demands repentance! Amos 3:3 has often been quoted in treatises on Unity. However, Amos 3:3 has nothing to do with the subject of unity. It is simply an illustration of the universal law of cause and effect! Two people do not meet and walk together (effect) without previously making some appointment (cause) or arrangement to do so. Just so, says Amos, since every effect has its cause, your sin will cause God's judgment to come upon you due to the special relationship between you and God and even as God promised in His word.

These people of Israel had rationalized their sins so long they had lost the ability to see the very basic principle of cause and effect and to apply this to their relationship to God. But God is roaring like a liondoes a lion roar in the forest unless his victim is doomed? God does not roar without a cause any more than a lion does!

Birds caught in a snare logically demands that someone previously had set the snare. And when one sees a snare being sprung he must logically reason that something caused it to spring.
If a mighty blast of the warning trumpet is blown in the city do the people pay no attention to it? Do not all the disasters happening even now in your cities and villages sound a warning trumpet to you that God is beginning His judgment? How senseless and indifferent can this nation be? But, just like the unbelieving and scoffing today, Israel probably rationalized, All these droughts, famines, disasters, wars are bound to happen in every country. But the prophet warns them, Shall evil befall a city, and Jehovah hath not done it? Local and national calamities are not due merely to natural causes, are not only the consequence of human mistakes, or faulty legislation, or political folly, or inadequate statesmanship. These and other matters may be secondary or contributory causes. But the Prime Mover of this Universe is Jehovah God! He has done it (Isaiah 45:1-7)! God is the author of both wed and woe! He does what He does from a just cause and for a just and merciful purpose. He does what He does from an omniscient sovereignty! The cause is man's sin, against which God has warned man time and again. The purpose is to warn man against rebelling against his Creator and to call the sinner to repentance, back to his God, the highest Good! Whatever the Lord does, whether tribulation or triumph, is good (Romans 8:28) Incidentally, there is excellent manuscript evidence today that Romans 8:28 should be translated, God works all things together for good. etc. instead of All things work together for good. etc. This divine sovereignty working all things, weal and woe, together to serve His purposes, is one of the exhilarating thrusts of prophetic literature!

Amos 3:7-8 SURELY THE LORD. WILL DO NOTHING, EXCEPT HE REVEAL HIS SECRET UNTO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS. THE LORD. HATH SPOKEN; WHO CAN BUT PROPHESY? God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11-20); He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9); so He revealed His secret plans for the judgment of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous to His prophets (watchmen and shepherds) (Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1, etc.) and they revealed them to man as facts to be believed; commands to be obeyed; warnings to be heeded; promises to be enjoyed. In the sure word of prophecy we have a light shining in a dark place, (2 Peter 1:16-21); in His word we have all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4); in His word we have doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness that the man of God might be complete, thoroughly furnished unto every good work, (2 Timothy 3:16). So the Lord has roared; who is so insensible that he will not fear? God has spoken; how can God's messenger be silent? Even as Paul said, Woe is me, if I preach not the gospel. Necessity is laid upon every man called of God (and all Christians are called of God); the love of Christ should constrain every man (2 Corinthians 5:11-15) and knowing the fear of the Lord, we should persuade men! The Lord has spoken; who can but preach!

QUIZ

1.

In what way did God know the covenant people?

2.

What scriptures should they have known that promised severe punishment if they forgot His commandments?

3.

What universal principle of reasoning is taught in Amos 3:3-6?

4.

Is God actually the author of woe? What scripture says so?

5.

Why does God bring woe upon men?

6.

In what way is God justified when He punishes men for their sins?

7.

Why should men who know God's will speak to other men about it?