Amos 3

Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the LORD has spoken against you – against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: Amos 3:1

The prophets often exhort their people with the word “hear.” Amos begins three of his chapters (3, 4, & 5) with the word and also uses it in other places. Even God’s own people often seem to have a big problem hearing their Lord. The writer of Hebrews calls out to us all: “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…’” (Heb. 3:7-8). At least in this verse, Amos is speaking to both houses of Israel. Later in his eighth chapter, Amos promises that the famine of the last day will be a famine of hearing God’s word (Amos 8:11-12).

“You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins” (3:2). This is an ancient certainty that is still true today, although few people on earth believe it or understand it. God has eternally chosen the nation of Israel. He has chosen Israel for his salvation purposes. The Psalmist says: “ He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws…” (Psa. 147:19-20).

However, being chosen by God brings on a lot of suffering and responsibility. To quote Tevye’s prayer from the play Fiddler on the Roof, “I know, I know. We are your chosen people. But, once in a while, can’t you choose someone else?” The great F. B. Meyer states: “The closer our relationship with God, the more searching his scrutiny and chastening.” [1] Dummelow quotes a certain Dr. Arnold who said of his childhood: “I could not make out how, if my mother loved me more than strange children, she should find fault with me and not with them.” [2] Boice says: “Israel has no special position based on which she can sin with impunity…” [3]

Some Questions

Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Amos 3:3.

For two people to walk together for very long indicates that they have an agreement with each other. Every year I fly to see my sister and her family in St. Louis. It is always good to visit with my family but it is also good to see a friend that I have there. This person is a very serious Bible scholar and we have some grand times talking together. We have found that if we walk together for an hour or so we can openly discuss many biblical subjects. Interestingly, this person is Catholic and I am Protestant. We do have the filling of the Spirit in common and that breaks down a lot of barriers. We find that it is only in walking together that we are able to discuss the deeper subjects. We never seem to be able to do that when we are sitting in the house. Apparently, Jesus’ disciples experienced this very thing as they walked along with him. Phillips tells the other side of the story: “But when two people meet and do nothing but quarrel as they walk together, what happens: They come to a parting of the ways.” [4]

“Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing?” (3:4). Amos had no doubt heard many lions roar in his Tekoa wilderness. Laura Kiniri tells of the first time she heard a lion: “The first time I heard a lion’s roar, it shook me to the bones. I’d been snoozing soundly in my hut in South Africa’s Madikwe Game Reserve…when the full-throated and low-pitched bellow reverberated through my body, launching me upright. Afterward, I was too excited to go back to sleep.” [5] Lions do not approach game while they are roaring but they hunt in a stealthy manner until they attack. They may roar after the kill in order to communicate with members of their pride. Hopefully, the prophet’s roar would likewise arouse a sleepy Samaria.

“Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything?” (3:5). Birds get into traps by looking for food and traps do not usually go off by themselves. Everything has a cause and Samaria’s approaching disaster also has a cause.

“When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?” (3:6). In ancient times, the sounding of a trumpet alerted the people that possible disaster was on the way. My wife and I lived in Israel during the Gulf War of 1990-1991. Saddam Hussein of Iraq decided to launch hundreds of missiles at Israel in his attempt to intimidate the US. Night after night the missiles fell on Israel’s cities. Each raid began with a siren that was meant to stir us out of bed, so we could run to our sealed rooms and dawn our gas masks. A siren or trumpet in the night is sure to get one’s attention. The prophetic trumpet call of Amos was meant to get Israel’s attention and stir the nation to action.

“Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets” (3:7). It is interesting how critical biblical events were always witnessed by God’s prophets. The fall of Samaria in 722 BC was predicted by Amos, Hosea and others. The fall of Judea in 586 BC, was predicted by Isaiah, Jeremiah and others. The prophets were clear that both Israel and Judah would be taken from their lands and led into captivity. In Judah’s case, the prophet even told the number of years that the captivity would last (Jer. 29:10).

“The lion has roared – who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken – who can but prophesy? (3:8). We have to feel that Amos received a lot of his prophetic inspiration from his memory of lions roaring in the wilderness. That sound would petrify most other living things. The voice of God through his prophet would petrify the sinners of Samaria if only they had ears to hear.

Calling Witnesses

Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people.” Amos 3:9

God does a most unusual thing here. He directs his prophet to invite unbelieving nations that they may come and witness the utter wickedness of Samaria. The Philistines were always considered the “uncircumcised” examples of paganism. Likewise, the Egyptians were the pagans who oppressed Israel for four hundred years. Now the Lord invites them to sit in judgment of his people Israel. Quite simply, Israel has become worse than the worst pagan nations. “The sins of Israel are so blatant that even the heathen would find them remarkable.” [6]

“‘They do not know how to do right,’ declares the LORD, ‘who store up in their fortresses what they have plundered and looted’” (3:10). Coffman, citing Ralph Smith says: “When people do not do right, the time comes when they cannot do right.” [7] Dummelow comments, “Their eyes gloat over treasures of gold and silver in their palaces: a prophet’s eye sees only stores of violence and robbery (Romans 2:5; James 5:1-4).” [8]

God’s Decree

Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “An enemy will overrun your land, pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses.” Amos 3:11

How true the words of God! The Assyrian army under King Shalmaneser V came and besieged Samaria for three years. The city fell in 722 BC. Samaria was completely destroyed and plundered. After the death of Shalmaneser, King Sargon II came and removed over 27,000 Israelites, taking them as captives to Assyria. These and other exiles have come to be known as the Ten Lost Tribes. They have been lost now for over 2700 years but the Bible speaks of their eventual return (cf. Isa. 11:15-16; 27:13; Jer. 3:18).

2 Kings 17:1-23 tells the sad story of their dispersion. “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes” (2 Ki. 17:6). God drove them from their land because they sinned against him and worshipped other gods (17:7). “…They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless…” (2 Ki. 17:15). We do tend to become like our gods.

“This is what the LORD says: ‘As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch’” (3:12). Motyer says, “When a shepherd brought back a few limbs of a sheep, he was in fact ridding himself of the charge of negligence he had tried to save the sheep and had failed.” [9] That would be a picture of Samaria’s rescue. There would be nothing left to rescue but scraps, like a piece of a bed or a scrap of cloth. Jamieson and company comment: “The Hebrew pointing, though generally expressing damask, may express the city ‘Damascus;’ and many manuscripts point it so…” [10]

“‘Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,’ declares the Lord, the LORD God Almighty. ‘On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground” (3:13-14). We remember that Jeroboam set up a golden calf at Bethel and another one at Dan. Along with idol worship, there was an altar or altars for sacrifice. It is still possible to see the reconstructed altar at Dan near the Lebanon border. On the altars of that day were horns on each corner. Pfeiffer & Harrison feel that they were important since the blood of the sacrifice was applied to them (Lev. 4:30). [11] We might remember that horns in the Old Testament represented strength as well. Cutting off the horns would indicate that the strength of Samaria was gone.

“‘I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished,’ declares the LORD” (3:15).

This verse mentions a winter house and a summer house. Both were adorned with ivory and obviously very luxurious. Commentators have said that the only difference between them was their orientation to the sun, which does not make a lot of sense. It seems very likely that the winter house was located at Tel Jezreel in the warmer Jezreel Valley.

There has been much discussion regarding the Jezreel location. Professor Usseskin, who excavated the site, felt that it was only a military base. However, a lot of events of King Ahab and his family happened at Jezreel. After the great contest at Mt. Carmel, King Ahab returned there. Queen Jezebel was there and apparently, all her prophets of Baal were there before they were killed (1 Ki. 18:38 – 19:2). Jezreel was the scene of the Naboth’s Vineyard story (1 Ki. 21:1-24). We might ask why Ahab would need a vineyard at a military establishment. Queen Jezebel was killed at Jezreel (2 Ki. 9:30-37) and the reign of Ahab ended there with his death and the death of his son (2 Ki. 9:24-26).

Footnotes

1. F. B. Meyer, Meyer’s Commentary, Amos, vs. 3:1-15. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/fbm/amos.html

2. Dummelow, Dummelow On The Bible, Amos, v. 3:2.

3. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 2, p. 179.

4. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 97.

5. Posted by Laura Kiniry | Mar 2, 2022 | African Safaris, Nature & Wildlife https://www.nathab.com/blog/africa-story-why-do-lions-roar/Kin)

6. Guthrie, Motyer, et. al., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 732.

7. Quoted in Coffman, Commentaries on the Bible, v. 3:10.

8. Dummelow, Dummelow On The Bible, Amos, v. 3:10.

9. Guthrie, Motyer, et. al., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 733.

10. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Amos, v. 3:12.

11. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 833.