Amos
Chapter Three
Leon L. Combs, M.A., M.Div., Ph.D.
Amos 3:1-5
Hear this word which the LORD has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire
family which He brought up from the land of Egypt: (2) "You only have I chosen among
all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." (3) Do
two men walk together unless they have made an appointment? (4) Does a lion roar in
the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has
captured something? (5) Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait
in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
Now Amos continues with his diatribe against Israel in particular but also including Judah. He
says God has spoken against the sons of Israel, meaning all before the division of the people after
the death of Solomon. He then states a very important principle in verse two: the privilege of
election requires responsibility. Since Israel failed in their spiritual calling they would be
punished. The word “chosen” has the meaning of God acting in His sovereign way similar to
how God consecrated Jeremiah even before his birth: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the
nations." (Jer 1:5) Similarly God had chosen Israel and, from a human perspective this seems
strange. The people were slaves with no homeland and they were the weakest of all nations of
the world (Deut 7:7). The calling of Christians seems very similar as God calls the weak so
boasting is excluded (1 Cor 1:26-29). The principle of judgment beginning with God’s people is
universal: For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with
us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Peter 1:5)
Surely our country has earned God’s judgment.
Amos 3:6-10
If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city
has not the LORD done it? (7) Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His
secret counsel To His servants the prophets. (8) A lion has roared! Who will not fear?
The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy? (9) Proclaim on the citadels in
Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, "Assemble yourselves on the
mountains of Samaria and see the great tumults within her and the oppressions in her
midst. (10) "But they do not know how to do what is right," declares the LORD, "these
who hoard up violence and devastation in their citadels."
Amos now lists a some questions designed to have readers know that something horrible is
coming. The blowing of a trumpet in a city is a warning of the inhabitants to prepare for
something coming. A lion roars when it is coming after a prey and that should strike fear into the
hearts of those who hear it. Also a warning is not given unless disaster is imminent. We also note
that God is giving the warning to people through Amos. God does not bring about a disaster
without first warning His people through His prophets. God brings about disasters is an
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understanding that Christians still tend to try to minimize or not acknowledge. People want to
blame secondary causes or the devil but God is sovereign over both. We read in Isaiah 45:7 that
God controls and sends disasters: “The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing wellbeing and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.” By examining America’s
recent changes we see quite a few such experiences: our currency value has shrunk, America is
not respected as it once was, our armed forces are shrinking, we cannot be depended upon to
keep our treaties, we see disasters such as fires in the west, and many other such events. There
also was the “9-11” attack that we seem to have forgotten and not taken as a warning of even
greater judgments possibly coming upon us.
Amos warns the Egyptians and Philistines of Ashdod to witness the oppression within Samaria.
The word “fortress” is a fortified building such as a citadel but here it could also refer to large
houses furnished by plundering. He may have chosen those nations because of their past actions
against Israel and he is now telling them to watch what God will do. But the Israelites were
different because they plundered their own people rather than other nations as did the Egyptians
and Philistines. The moral sense of the Israelites had become so warped that they blurred the
boundaries between what was right and wrong.
Amos 3:11-15
Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "An enemy, even one surrounding the land, Will pull
down your strength from you And your citadels will be looted." (12) Thus says the LORD,
"Just as the shepherd snatches from the lion's mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,
So will the sons of Israel dwelling in Samaria be snatched away-- With the corner of a
bed and the cover of a couch! (13) "Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,"
Declares the Lord GOD, the God of hosts. (14) "For on the day that I punish Israel's
transgressions, I will also punish the altars of Bethel; The horns of the altar will be cut
off And they will fall to the ground. (15) "I will also smite the winter house together with
the summer house; The houses of ivory will also perish And the great houses will come to
an end," Declares the LORD.
Because of all that was detailed above, the Lord God warns that an enemy will devastate Israel as
their fortified buildings are looted. Amos does not identify this enemy but historically it was
Assyria. Verse 12 relates to the proof that a shepherd would have for proof that he had killed a
lion. The broken remains of the wealth of Israel would be a witness for the total destruction of
that nation. “The house of Jacob” relates the heritage of Israel as a covenant nation with God and
the resultant obligations of obedience to the covenantal stipulations. They had betrayed the
covenant and then forfeited any right to blessings. When disaster strikes the people would try to
find safety at the altars and temples but God states that He will destroy them. A person seeking
safety would also try to cling to the horns of the altar where they could claim safety (1 Kings
1:50) but God will cut them off and they will fall to the ground. God remembers how corrupt the
worships had become and will not respect them. Another place people might try to find safety is
in their homes but he will destroy their homes also. Archeologist have uncovered some of these
homes from that time and found some filled with inlaid ivory and other marks of prosperity.
There is no place to hide from God (Rev 6:16-17) and only those in Christ will be safe.
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