Amos

This passage presents the general “principles” of OT prophecy. (1) The prophet was the Lord’s spokesman, declaring what “the LORD has spoken” (v. 1). (2) The prophet took his stand on the Lord’s covenant with Israel—“I have known only you” (v. 2). The Lord’s choice of Israel was confirmed in his deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt. (3) As a result of the people’s faithlessness, the Lord was about to inflict upon them the consequences of their disobedience (v. 2). (4) Whatever occurs in the arena of history is the Lord’s doing (v. 6). (5) The prophet understood these things because the counsel of God had been revealed to him (v. 7), and he was, in effect, a divinely appointed prosecutor. (6) The prophet was under compulsion to speak once he had heard from the Lord.

An Oracle of Warning. The sins for which Israel is to be judged are touched upon but not detailed here. Rather, God is simply warning Israel through Amos that judgment is surely coming. The prophet has heard the roar of the lion just as he launches himself on his prey (vv. 4, 8). What can the prophet do but tell what he has heard?

Hear this word introduces the first three messages (3:1; 4:1; 5:1). The God of Israel is the Creator who spoke the world into existence and who is characterized from first to last as the God who speaks (Isa. 45:18–19; John 1:1; Rev. 22:18–19). It seems clear that Israel and Judah believed that their role as the chosen people of God would protect them from harm (see note on Amos 5:18–20). Amos says that the very opposite is true. It is precisely because God has known them as he has known no other nation that they are being judged according to a higher standard (see Luke 12:48).

With a series of questions, Amos shows that imminent disaster is for Israel. He points out that in the world of nature, certain sequences of events can lead to predictable outcomes. If a lion (vv. 4, 8) roars, then it has taken, or is about to take, its prey. What he, the prophet, is doing is simply telling Israel that the Lord GOD (v. 7) has announced judgment and that unless Israel takes immediate corrective action, the outcome is certain. disaster (v. 6). The esv has correctly captured the sense of the Hebrew word ra‘ah in this verse, a word which has a very broad range of connotations (see chart). Often translated “evil,” it is used to express everything from “moral evil” (Gen. 6:5) to “disaster” (as here and also Jonah 3:10). If there is disaster occurring, the people should not attribute it to bad luck but should take note that God is at work, in his sovereign wisdom, and they should respond accordingly to his judgment. without revealing his secret (v. 7). Throughout the OT God often showed the prophets his own perspective on the events of history and revealed to them his purposes and actions, so that the prophets could interpret historical events accurately for God’s people.

Israel’s capital city of Samaria was a powerful stronghold, located on a high hill (mountains) in a good position of natural defense. It stood just off the great highway that ran along the Mediterranean coast connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia. If Samaria fell to the Assyrians, there was nothing more to prevent the destruction of the Philistine cities (represented by Ashdod) and of Egypt itself. But Israel would fall, not because of the superior power of Assyria but because of its own spiritual and social corruption. The stronghold was filled with oppression, and with violence and robbery. Thus, Israel had forfeited God’s protection, and without him all their natural defenses were useless (see Isa. 5:5–6).

Picturesque prose expresses the total destruction that was to be visited upon Samaria and Israel, though a tiny “remnant” would be left. See also 5:3.

The conclusion of the message emphasizes in a general way the two factors that would account for the coming destruction: (1) false, ritualistic religion and (2) the accumulation of wealth at the expense of the poor.

God of hosts. This title for God became increasingly popular among the prophets (cf. chart). “Hosts” in this context refers to troops of soldiers. Thus the image expresses the unlimited power of God. He is a general with an infinite number of troops at his command. The term sometimes refers to hosts of heavenly beings (1 Kings 22:19; Neh. 9:6; Ps. 148:2; see also Matt. 26:53).

Bethel was not only associated with the patriarch Jacob and his vision (Gen. 28:10–22), it also stood close to the border between Israel and Judah. Thus, Jeroboam I chose it as the site of one of his two golden calves (1 Kings 12:25–33). It was not by accident that this was the place where Amos chose to deliver his prophecies (Amos 7:12–13). It represented the corruption of the true religion (4:4–5). Far from appeasing God’s anger against Israel, the religious practices carried out there would seal that anger. See also Hosea 10:5, where “Beth-aven” (house of iniquity) is substituted for “Beth-el” (house of God). The horns of the altar were short vertical projections at the four corners of the top of the altar (Ex. 27:2). They had ritual significance as places where God’s protection was available (1 Kings 1:50; 2:28), but the horns of Bethel’s altar would provide no protection whatsoever.

All of Israel’s social injustice is represented by the sin of amassing property (see also Isa. 5:8). This was a violation of the covenant that said a family’s land was a trust from God to be held in perpetuity by that family. There were legal fictions to get around this, but those fictions did not impress God. Here Amos does not condemn wealth in itself, but wealth accompanied by injustice toward the poor (Amos 4:1), fraudulent business practices (5:7, 11, 12; 8:4–6), and living in luxury without care for the needy (5:12; 8:4–6), without concern for sin and evil in the land (6:4–6), and without genuine religious faith (5:21–23). Archaeological excavations at Samaria have uncovered fragmentary remains of rich ivory objects, attesting to the luxury built upon the backs of the poor.