Amos 2

Moab

This is what the LORD says: “For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not relent. Because he burned to ashes the bones of Edom’s king,” Amos 2:1

Here, the prophet continues with his word to the lands lying east of Israel. Moab was a small country situated mostly on a plateau by the Dead Sea. The little land was nestled between the Arnon and Zered rivers. Much of it can be seen from Jerusalem today. The Moabites were also some more of Israel’s close kin folks. However, through her long history, her kinfolks became some of her most bitter enemies. The Moabites as we might remember also sprang from the incestuous relationship with Lot’s older daughter and her father (Gen. 19:30-38).

Moab comes under judgment for the sin of burning the king of Edom’s bones. English Bible scholar, Peter Pett says: “It was not honorable cremation that was being condemned, but an act of flagrant and vicious mistreatment of the dead…It was an attempt to strike at the very root of YHWH’s final right to decide what became of men beyond the grave.” [1] To make matters worse, Moab and Edom were also related to each other just as they were to Israel. God was watching over these descendants of Abraham just as he watches over all people.

I suppose we cannot be too hard on Moab, since the church dug up the bones of Wycliffe the Bible translator after 44 years and burned them. [2] Man’s inhumanity to man never ceases to shock us.

“‘I will send fire on Moab that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth. Moab will go down in great tumult amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet. I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him,’ says the LORD” (2:2-3). True to God’s prophetic word Nebuchadnezzar conquered Moab in 582 BC. At that point, it ceased to be a nation.

Judah

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire on Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.’” Amos 2:4-5

At the mention of Judah, the listeners of Amos must have broken into wild cheers. Israel and Judah had never gotten along well. There had even been outright wars between these two parts of God’s heritage. The cries of approval were probably going up, “Amen! Now you are really preaching brother Amos!”

Judah’s most obvious and pressing sin was that they had failed to uphold the sacred law of God, which he had given to her above all people on the face of the earth. How sad that the people of God had forgotten all about God. A preacher once said of God’s word: “This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.’” [3] Holy Jerusalem had even fallen into idolatry. How sad!

God often speaks of fire to punish his people (Josh. 6:24; 8:8; and Josh. 11:9). For Judah there would not just be fire and destruction of their holy city but the people themselves would be destroyed and even carried into captivity.

Israel

This is what the LORD says: “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.” Amos 2:6

At the mention of “Israel,” we can imagine that things got really quiet. Perhaps someone began to complain, “Now you have quit peaching and have gone to meddling!” How could the preacher talk against God’s own people? Wiersbe tells this story: “‘I don’t know why you preach about the sins of Christians,’ a church member said to the pastor. After all, the sins of Christians are different from the sins of unsaved people.’ ‘Yes,’ replied the pastor, ‘they’re worse!’” [4]

Israel was enjoying a time of great success. However, we learn in these verses that much of that success was coming at the expense of the poor and downtrodden. Here we see the innocent sold for silver and the needy for a pair of shoes. “For the paltriest sum, even a pair of shoes, the tribunals of that day could be bought. [5] What we have pictured is bribery of the courts and law enforcement. Quite simply, the wealthy and influential citizens controlled the courts and legal system. Even the smallest bribe would turn the verdict against the poor. They had no resources to hire fancy lawyers and defend themselves.

“They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name” (2:7). Boice sees this as “a picture of multiple and overlapping corruption.” [6] They had forgotten scriptures like Proverbs 14:31 and 17:5 which tell us that if we oppress and mock the poor we reproach our Maker. [7]

With all the oppression there also came all the shame of cultic prostitution. Even fathers and sons were using the same prostitute. We know that mankind has invented religion when it offers all the wicked things that people desire. People naturally lust after food and sex. False religion offered plenty of both. The best meats were offered to the pagan gods and the cultic shrines swarmed with “holy” prostitutes. Unfortunately, Israel with its open idolatry had already become far removed from the law of God which prohibited such things (Ex. 20:14; 22:16; Deut. 22:28-29; 23:17-18).

“They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines” (2:8). These brazen people involve the poor in their cultic worship by lying around on garments that belong to the poor and needy. God’s law of mercy required that garments taken in pledge must be returned by nightfall. God says: “If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate” (Exod. 22:26-27). The Israelites made themselves drunk on the wine they had illegally taken from the poor. They apparently did not feel any pain of conscience.

God now reminds Israel of something very important. “Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them, though they were tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below” (2:9). God had driven the Amorites out of the land for the very same offenses of which Israel was now guilty. Phillips remarks: “Injustice, immorality, idolatry, ingratitude, and intolerance were Israel’s crowning sins that called for God’s wrath.” [8]

“I brought you up out of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness to give you the land of the Amorites” (2:10). God had led Israel through the wilderness as a loving Father but the people soon forgot all about his care. The Amorites mentioned here probably stand for all the Canaanites. [9] They were so tall and strong that the Israeli spies may have thought they were all giants (Num. 13:32). However, God destroyed them and gave their land to Israel.

“‘I also raised up prophets from among your children and Nazirites from among your youths. Is this not true, people of Israel?’ declares the LORD. ‘But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.’ ” (2:11-12). God not only led the people miraculously for forty years in the wilderness. He gave them plenteous provisions of food and clothing. He made sure that even their shoes did not wear out. In addition, he gave them prophets, even the great Moses himself. How could they forget all his benevolence? Yet, they abused both the Nazarites and the prophets.

The Nazarite carried on a very strict life which forbade the fruit of the vine, in grapes, raisins or wine. It also forbade the cutting of one’s hair (Num. 6:1-21). Churches of Christ leader and Bible commentator, James Burton Coffman reminds us that there were two types of Nazarites, the Nazarite of days, which was a temporary vow, and the Nazarite for life. [10] God gave the Nazarite as an extraordinary example of purity and dedication for Israel. Yet, the rebels of the nation made the Nazarites drink wine and thus broke their vows. They did not even respect the prophets of God and refused their prophecies (cf. Isa. 30:10-11).

“Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain” (2:13). Pfeiffer & Harrison say: “Israel would experience the grinding pressure that a fully loaded wagon exerts on the ground over which it travels.” [11] Pett says, “They will find themselves face to face with YHWH’s steamroller.” [12] We can almost hear the creaking and groaning of a heavily loaded cart as it smashes everything it runs over.

“The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life. The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life” (2:14-15). This verse speaks of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911-609 BC) and its conquest of the northern ten tribes in 722 BC. The Assyrians were a cruel and ruthless enemy. They were well-trained and experts at siege works for conquering cities. They were the first major power to fully utilize cavalry and weapons of iron. The Israelite army hardly had a chance against them.

“‘Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,’ declares the LORD” (2:16). We can imagine the people and what was left of their army running helter-skelter in a desperate attempt to save their lives. Obviously, some folks would not have time to put on their clothes before fleeing. All this disaster came upon Israel because they had forsaken their God.

Footnotes

1. Pett, Commentary on Amos 6, Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 2:1.

2. James Burton Coffman, Commentaries on the Bible, cit. Ralph Smith, University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999. v. 2:1. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bcc/amos.html

3. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 2, p. 175.

4. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1418.

5. Charles L. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1990), p. 91.

6. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 2, p. 175.

7. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 91.

8. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 96.

9. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Amos, v. 2:10.

10. Coffman, Commentaries on the Bible, v. 2:11.

11. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 832.

12. Pett, Commentary on Amos 6, Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 2:13-16.