Amos 3:1-8
Amos 3:1
Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O
children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of
Egypt, saying,
Verse 1 is a warning that they heed the previous warnings
where God pointed out specific groups of people which will be useless in the
face of the marauders. Now God is
stating that they are to hear the word which will now be spoken to them.
It will not be just to the northern ten tribes but it will be to the
whole nation which includes Judah because all twelve tribes were brought up from
the land of Egypt.
Amos 3:2
You only have I known of all the families of the earth:
therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
Since God is omniscient he knows about the workings and
the people in all the nations of the world but what God has in view here is the
special relationship that he had with them since the time of Abraham in which
the Messianic line would come through the physical nation of Israel.
He guided them and nurtured them and protected them from the onslaught of
pagan nations. We must never think
that just because a person is elect of God that they are exempt from
consequences for evil actions.
Israel was no different. They had
the law of God and the prophets and the word of God and because they had so much
light they were expected to act accordingly but they really went apostate by
adopting the religions of the false gods and now they must be held accountable
for their actions.
Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
This is probably one of the most famous passages in the
Bible. God is basically telling
Israel that since they have walked with the false gods of the surrounding
nations they are no longer walking in lockstep with the LORD, it means they are
no longer in agreement which means they are in “disagreement, discord, or
separation” from the LORD. When
they were walking according to the law of God, then God could say he was in
agreement with them but now that they are walking opposite of him, there is no
more agreement so now they must face the consequences of captivity for their
actions. It is like two Christians
in the church, they may agree on the basics of the faith but once they get into
theology or eschatology, then there will be a parting of the ways.
If an amillennial marries a pre-millennial, it is basically a mixed
marriage. There is no agreement on
eschatology so they can’t walk together.
A Christian who uses the King James Bible marries a person who uses the
NIV, that would also be a mixed marriage.
These two examples I give may sound comical but they could actually cause
a rift in the marriage. God is basically saying that he can no longer walk with
them because they are walking with false gods.
Amos 3:4
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?
When a lion catches his prey he will give out a very loud
roar. Here God is using the lion as
an example of what he is talking about. God is roaring his judgment through Amos
because Israel is his prey since they have committed abominable sins in his
sight so he roars as a lion with prey.
The young lions may growl ferociously having brought their prey back to
their lair. Israel was not
responding to the warnings that God was giving them through the prophet Amos.
They did not receive the spiritual food God had given them placing them
in a dangerous position.
Amos 3:5
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin
is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at
all?
If there is no trap set for a bird, will he fall into a
trap which is not there or set up?
It will not happen by itself but will happen when the fowler sets up the trap.
If a bird does fall into a trap, it is because there is a baited trap set
for him. God had prepared his
judgment and because Israel had yielded to the enticements of sin, they would
not escape just as a trapped bird would not escape when they are caught in a
trap.
Amos 3:6
Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not
be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
Whenever an enemy was approaching, those on the wall
would blow a trumpet to warn the people and especially the army that there was
an enemy approaching who would mount an attack very soon.
The people would hear the trumpet and would fear since they would not
know the seriousness of the approaching danger.
Then the LORD states that he will create evil in the city.
The word “evil” is not referring to sinful activity but to calamity or
disaster. It was the LORD who was
bringing the disaster to the cities of Israel.
Amos 3:7
Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his
secret unto his servants the prophets.
God not only blessed his people in the past but here he
is warning them through the prophet Amos that impending catastrophe is looming
on the horizon. The prophets were
the ones who delivered God’s word to the nation Israel.
The secret would be the determinate counsel of God in any matter but here
it is judgment and he is making it known to the people by means of his prophet.
Today God makes his counsel known by the word of God where people can
read both the blessings of salvation and the eternal penalty of damnation.
The modern day prophet is not one who receives new revelation from God
but it is one “who declares God’s word” from the Bible on a multitude of issues.
Some have used this verse in the past in belief that they have found the
date of Christ’s return and that they were the prophet that God was giving that
information to. It is a misuse of
scripture to tout that belief.
Amos 3:8
The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD
hath spoken, who can but prophesy?