Amos 3:9-15

REASON CALLS FOR REPENTANCE ISRAEL'S SINS ASTONISH EVENTHE HEATHEN

TEXT: Amos 3:9-15

9

Publish ye in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold what great tumults are therein, and what oppression in the midst thereof.

10

For they know not to do right, saith Jehovah, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.

11

Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: An adversary there shall be, even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be plundered.

12

Thus saith Jehovah: As the shepherd rescueth out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be rescued that sit in Samaria in the corner of a couch, and on the silken cushions of a bed.

13

Hear ye, and testify against the house of Jacob, saith the Lord Jehovah, the God of hosts.

14

For in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.

15

And I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith Jehovah.

QUERIES

a.

Why publish in the palaces of the heathen the sins of Israel?

b.

Who will the adversary be?

c.

What are winter and summer houses?

PARAPHRASE

The Lord says to the prophets, Go to Ashdod, whom Israel regards as a godless heathen city, and go to Egypt where Israel saw and experienced the ungodliness of that people, and tell them to come and see the overflowing excess of the sins and abominations of Israel. Tell these godless nations to come and be astonished at the godlessness of Israel where justice and righteousness is topsy-turvy. Israel does not even know how to do right. Her people are so eager to sin they pile one sin upon another in their palatial mansions like people storing up treasures. So, says the Lord, I will allow an enemy of Israel to surround her country and this enemy will bring upon Israel humiliating defeat and plundering and looting of Israel's treasures. Furthermore, all that will be left of Israel will be a few pieces like what a shepherd is able to gather up after a lion has taken one of his sheep for a meal. This is what will be left of all of Israel's luxurious trappings. Now, you heathen people, as you bear witness against Israel's profligacy, also listen to the judgment that the Great God of All The Universe is going to bring upon her. When I judge Israel I am going to especially overthrow her religion and show its impotence. I will completely tear down her altars at the very center of her religious worship in Bethel. I am going to make shambles out of all the ivory-inlaid palatial mansionssummer and winter housesall these great houses shall come to an end, says the Lord.

SUMMARY

The heathen are called to testify that the sins of Israel are so great that the judgment God is about to bring will be more than just.

COMMENT

Amos 3:9-10 PUBLISH YE. AT ASHDOD, AND IN. EGYPT. ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES UPON THE MOUNTAINS OF SAMARIA, AND BEHOLD. TUMULTS. OPPRESSIONS. FOR THEY KNOW NOT TO DO RIGHT. K & D point out that these two heathen nations are called to (1) see the acts of violence, and the abominations in the palaces of Samaria; and (2). bear witness against Israel (Amos 3:13). This, of course, implies that the sins of Israel are even worse than those of these heathen. Israel thought of the Philistines and the Egyptians as the worst of sinners. If such heathen as these are called to look upon the ungodliness of Israel, how great must have been her ungodliness! Everything was upside down. They were calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). They had perverted every good thing into something evil. Justice and order were overthrown by open violence (shades of 20th century America)! When they refused to have God in their knowledge (Hosea 4:6; Hosea 5:15, Amos 6:3; Amos 6:6; Amos 7:1-7; Amos 7:14-16), God gave them up (Romans 1:18-32) and they became worse than the heatheninsensible to practically everything that was right! They not only did not know how to do right they did not know they should do right! This is what disregard for the revelation of God leads toidolatry, ignorance, licentiousness!

Amos 3:11-12. AN ADVERSARY THERE SHALL BE. THY PALACES SHALL BE PLUNDERED. AS THE SHEPHERD RESCUETH. TWO LEGS, OR A PIECE OF AN EAR, SO SHALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BE. Just who this enemy (adversary) will be God does not choose to announce through Amos. From prophets very nearly contemporary with Amos (Hosea, Isaiah), we learn that this enemy shall be Assyria. The enemy will surround their beautiful, luxurious country with all its ivory-inlaid palaces and mansions and tear it to pieces. Israel will be so completely destroyed that about all that will be left is a few pieces, like what is left of a sheep when a lion gets through with it! The rich, luxuriant pleasurable things the rich have gotten themselves by oppressing the poor will be taken away from them by the Assyrians. They will have nothing left.!

Amos 3:13-15. TESTIFY AGAINST THE HOUSE OF JACOB. I WILL ALSO VISIT THE ALTARS OF BETH-EL; AND THE HORNS OF THE ALTAR SHALL BE CUT OFF. I WILL SMITE THE WINTER-HOUSE WITH THE SUMMER-HOUSE. Now the heathen are called to witness the punishment Jehovah is going to visit upon reprobate Israel. Jacob is a term used (cf. Hosea 10:11) along with Israel, Ephraim and Samaria, to signify the northern kingdom. It may be, however, as K & D say, Jacob is the whole of Israel, of the twelve tribes, as in Amos 3:1; for Judah was also to learn a lesson from the destruction of Samaria. The smiting off of the horns of the altar signifies the complete destruction of the altar. It may also have this special significance: the four horns on the four corners of the altar of burnt offering (Exodus 27:2), to which the sacrificial blood was applied (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:25-34; Leviticus 8:15), were symbolic of sure, reliable forgiveness and salvation. To these horns clung the guilty transgressors for safety (1 Kings 1:50 ff; 1 Kings 2:28-38; Exodus 21:14). So, even the symbols of salvation were to be torn off the altars of Bethel, which had neither God's permission nor promise, no right of existence, no authority to forgive sins, no power to save. Though nominally built in honor of Jehovah, they were tangible evidence of Israel's rebellion, an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord will strike down Bethel, the very heart of Israel's religion. He will wipe out this vain, idolatrous religion from the land. Together with the altar at Bethel, He will tear down the luxurious homes of the rich and great built by the blood, sweat and tears of the oppressed poor. They had built themselves winter-houses and summer-houses. Ahab's palace at Jezreel evidently was his summer home (1 Kings 21:1; 2 Kings 9:30 ff). These homes were expensive with walls and furniture inlaid with costly ivory. These wicked and powerful rich (their power was dependent upon their riches) will be stripped of the riches in which they so vainly trusted. They would be powerless, destitute, prisoners! How foolish men are to seek satisfaction, joy, power in the fleeting, temporal, vain things of this temporal existence. We are reminded of Solomon (Ecclesiastes) and the Foolish Farmer in Luke twelve!

QUIZ

1.

What does the calling of the heathen nations point out concerning the extent of Israel's sin?

2.

What happens to people when they refuse to have God in their knowledge?

3.

What did Amos mean to say to Israel by the figure of a shepherd rescuing pieces of his sheep?

4.

What did tearing off the horns of the altars of Bethel signify?

5.

Why would the people of Israel especially feel the loss of their luxurious homes?