Amos 9

Amos 9:1-10

In this chapter we have, 1. Judgments threatened, which the sinners shall not escape, ver. 1—4, which an Almighty power shall inflict, ver. 5, 6, which this sinful people have deprived, ver. 7, 8, and yet it shall not be an utter ruin, ver. 8, for a remnant shall escape, ver. 9, but the wicked shall perish, ver. 10. 2. Mercy promised, which was to be befriended in the latter days, ver. 11—15, as appears by the application of it to the days of the Messiah, Acts xv. 16. And with these comfortable promises, after all the foregoing rebules and threatenings, the book concludes.

1. I saw the LORD standing upon the altar, and he said, Smite the joint of the door, that the pofts may shake; and cut them in the head all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleets of them, shall not flee away; and he that escapeeth of them, shall not be delivered. 2. Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: 3. And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: 4. And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, Vo 6. II.

and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good. 5. And the Lord GOD of hoffs is he that reacheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn, and it shall rise up wholly like a flood, and shall be drowned as by the flood of Egypt. 6. It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth, he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: the LORD is his name. 7. Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? faith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caplons, and the Syrians from Kir? 8. Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; during that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, faith the LORD. 9. For lo, I will command, and I will lift the house of Israel among all nations, like as over is fitted in a lieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. 10. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

The judgments of God against a people devoted to destruction are here fearfully declared.

1. The awful command for the execution of these criminals is issued. I saw the Lord standing upon the altar, at Bethel probably, as about to stamp it into powder, and destroy the idols with their worshippers; and he said, Smite the head of the door, that the pits may shake, intimating the demolition of the idol temples; and cut them in the head all of them, and I will slay the last of them with the sword, the king, princes, priests and people that committed idolatry there.

2. All attempts to escape from God’s avenging arm will be fruitless: they shall be arrested in their flight, and no place afford them protection in this day of wrath. Could they dig into hell, it would not conceal them; or could they climb the heights of heaven, thence would be drag them down, v. 3. The caves or thickets of Carmel could not hide them from his all-piercing eye, nor the depths of the sea cover them, God has even there his instruments of vengeance, v. 5. Nay, when in a miserable captivity they might have hoped the vengeance of God would rest, the sword should still purify them, and make them exchange a wretched life for a more tormenting death. Note, When God is against us it matters not who are for us, they can afford us neither help nor hope.

3. He that pronounces their doom is fully able to execute his threatenings. The Lord God of hoffs is he that reacheth the land, and it shall melt; a touch, a frown from him can dissolve the earth, or deluge it with waters; and all that dwell therein shall mourn in butterness the loss of all their substance, and whatever is dear to them besides, swallowed up in the flood of his judgments, v. 6. It is he, that great Kersten of all, who buildeth his stories in the heaven, like a flatly palace reared by his power and supported by his providence; and hath founded his troop in the earth, all things here below being the instruments of his pleasure, and ready to execute his commands; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the earth, to descend in tempels from the clouds, or burst from the bosom of the deep to punish guilty mortals; the Lord of hoffs is his name, able to perform all the purposes of his will. As happy and safe as it is to have him our friend, so miserable and fatal must it be to have him our enemy.

4. Their iniquities had cut them off from their former honourable relation to this Almighty God. They were become, by their sins, black as Ethiopians, and would be regarded no more by him than these heathens; nor should they count upon the mercies God had shewed in bringing them from Egypt, as if there were so peculiarly distinguishing, or enlisted his future favour, for he had brought the Philistines from Caplons, the place of their nativity, or whether they had been carried captives; and the Syrians from Kir, the land of their captivity, 2 Kings xvi. 19, yet neither of these nations shared his favour, nor would escape at last his judgments. For behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, on every guilty land, especially on Israel, whose guilt was most aggravated; and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, as was done by Salmanites. Note, When profettant degenerate, and in spirit depart from God, their privileges will stand them in no stead, but rather aggravate their guilt beyond that of the vilest heathens.

5. A remnant of Israel, even those who have preserved their fidelity, shall be preserved amidst the general ruin. I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, faith the Lord, his eyes behold the men that fight, and cry for all the abominations of the land, and they shall be hid in the day of his fierce anger. For lo, I will command, by his over-ruling providence, and I will lift the house of Israel among all nations, as corn is lifted in a sieve, all the afflictions coming upon them shall be so ordered as to separate the precious from the vile; yet shall not the least grain fall upon

The earth, or the least stone, not one of the faithful shall perish; but all the flowers of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us, so daring in wickedness were they grown; but shall find, to their everlasting confusion, the vanity of their impious boasts. Note, (1.) Though God’s spiritual Israel are scattered in the world that lieth in wickedness, not one of them shall perish; and the afflictions they meet with shall but serve to separate them for God, and cleanse them from the chaff of corruption, that they may be pure in heart. (2.) When the sinner most confidently flatters himself with assurances of impunity, there is a lie in his right hand, and vengeance is at his heels.

Acts xv. 16, 17. Heb. Hodge, or will. Chod. 19. Num. xxiv. 18. Heb. Upon whom my name is called. Lev. xxvi. 9. Joel iii. 15 Or saw wine. Ezek. xxvii. 17. Hol. i. 11. Ha. lxx. 11. Joel iii. 10.

11. ¶ In that day ’ will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and + close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 12. ’ That they may possess the remnant of ’ Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doth this. 13. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that ’ the plowmen shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and ’ the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. 14. And ’ I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and ’ they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 15. And I will plant them upon their land, and ’ they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.

Amos 9:11-15

With one bright beam of hope the prophecy closes, and in the promised Messiah, still a glorious prospect remains of Israel’s restoration, for to him bear all the prophets witness.

1. In the Messiah shall the glory of David’s throne be restored. In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old; to what event this refers, we can have no doubt, having an infallible interpreter for our guide, Acts xv. 16. When Christ came into the world, the

church, the spiritual kingdom of our David, was fallen as low as the royal family from whence the Redeemer sprang; but in and by him the breaches were repaired, the gospel of the kingdom was preached at his command, and religion revived its drooping head, and thone more gloriously than in the brightest days of old. Nor was the church now confined to one nation or people; but Gentiles, as well as Jews, became the happy subjects of Christ’s government. A remnant of Edom, and from the lands of the heathen shall now become the church’s possession, and be called by the name of Christ, admitted into the fellowship and privileges of the gospel, saith the Lord who doth this, whose power and grace can and will accomplish what he hath promised; and blessed be his name for what we have seen of the fulfillment hereof, and shall see daily, till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, and all the Israel of God be finally saved.

2. The most abundant measure of spiritual blessings will then be diffused, signified by images of the most amazing plenty; the harvest and vintage being so vast, that it should continue till seed time again, and the very mountains, as if dissolved, pour down streams of wine, and milk, and honey; the gifts, the graces, and consolations of the holy ghost in the times of the gospel, being bestowed in a more eminent and extensive manner than ever before.

3. The captivity of God’s Israel will then be for ever at an end; they shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, and help to build the walls of the spiritual temple; enjoying, as members of the church of Christ, that peace, prosperity, and plenty of heavenly blessings, which would be better than the fruit of gardens or vineyards, v. 14. Though some suppose this literally will be fulfilled, and that the Jews, when converted to Christ in the latter day, will be planted in their own land, and enjoy all that outward prosperity here described.

4. This happy estate of God’s Israel shall never more be interrupted. They shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God; he will preserve them alike from the power of their corruptions within, as well as from their spiritual enemies without, none of whom shall ever pluck the weakest believer out of his hands; God, their God, their covenant God, shall fulfill his promises, and secure their stability for ever; till the blessed day comes, that they shall be taken out of the reach of every foe, and be brought to the heavenly Canaan, to the mansions of eternal rest and glory, provided for them before the foundations of the world.

THE EVANGELICAL EXPOSITOR; OR, A PRACTICAL COMMENT Upon the PROPHECY of O B A D I A H.

VARIOUS have been the conjectures concerning Obadiah, who or from whence he was, but they are wholly uncertain. At what time he wrote is also dubious, some making him contemporary with Hosea, Joel, and Amos, whilst others place him later, with Jeremiah and Ezekiel. His name signifies a Servant of the LORD, and his prophecy is concerning Edom, a nation nearly allied to the Jews; but deriving from Esau their fathers hereditary enmity against them, and their ruin is the burden of this little volume.