Amós 9
Leon Morris · Citado em PreceptAustin
Amós 9
Morris comments that "The survivors of the Assyrian holocaust were so thoroughly sifted "among all nations" that they have been referred to as the ten lost tribes of Israel, yet God knows where each one and his descendants yet remain. But not - The Septuagint has a strong double negative (ou me) signifying absolutely not. This is one of God's mercy filled, gracious terms of contrast! We would all be forever separated from His holy presence were it not for the "blessed but's" in His Holy Word. It is good to frequently recall God's infinite mercies toward us who deserved Hell, even as Paul reminds us writing "BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)," (Eph 2:4-5+) So beloved, if you are safe in Christ by grace through faith, think of yourself today as an eternally preserved "kernel" which results from God's righteous sifting and separation of the wheat from the chaff (pix) (Read Ps 1:4-5, 6+ Did you see the distinction in Ps 1:6+?) Spurgeon -addresses believers who often feel tossed about as if God were winnowing them! - I think I see you, poor believer, tossed about like that wheat, up and down, right and left, in the sieve, and in the air, never resting. Perhaps it is suggested to you, ‘God is very angry with me.’ No, the farmer is not angry with his wheat when he casts it up and down in the sieve, and neither is God angry with you; this you shall see one day when the light shall show that love ruled in all your griefs.” A kernel (or pebble) will fall to the ground - That which falls to the ground (if translated as "kernel") depicts the Jews who are part of the righteous believing remnant. God will distinguish between the righteous (the grain) and the wicked (the chaff) when He judges, and will thus preserve a remnant in Israel. McComiskey - The worthless bits of stone and rubbish remain in the sieve; the good grain falls to the earth. So the Lord will put his people through the sieve. He will bind the wicked, destroying them (v. 10), but he will save the righteous. This principle of God's justice is eternal: the judgment of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous go together. What we see articulated on the historical plane in Amos will also appear at the end of history (Matt. 13:24-30; 25:31-46). (The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary) Kernel (or pebble in ESV and NET translations) is tseror (06872) which "A masculine noun referring to a pebble, a piece of grain. It refers to a relatively small stone left in a city, possibly a small building stone (2 Sam. 17:13). It is understood as grain in Amos 9:9 by some translators (nasb, grain; kjv, corn). A pebble or a tiny stone is also possible. (Complete Word Study Dictionary – Old Testament) Gary Smith comments on the fact that the interpretation of this sifting metaphor depends somewhat on whether one translates the Hebrew word tseror as a small stone (pebble as in 2 Sa 17:13) or kernel (of grain). Thus Smith writes... The process of distinguishing the good from the bad is likened to the process of cleaning grain with a sieve. The meaning of the illustration is made difficult by the use of the rare word ṣerōr which may refer to a ‘pebble’ that is taken out of the good grain, or to the firm ‘kernels’ of good grain. The metaphor of shaking Israel like shaking grain may describe a large mesh sieve which separates straw and other larger stones from the grain which falls through, or it may refer to a fine mesh sieve which separates the good grain from the fine dust and chaff which falls through. If ‘falling’ to the ground is negative, then the good grain must be the ṣerōr which stays in the sieve. However if it is a neutral clause describing the process of separating the grain from useless trash then either interpretation is possible. The main focus is the separation of the good from the bad. Since the next verse relates to the punishment of the sinners, the process of shaking separates the sinners so that they can be destroyed. (Amos - Mentor Commentary) NET Note adds - The meaning of the Hebrew word tseror, translated "pebble," (Amos 9:9NET) is unclear here. In 2 Sa 17:13 it appears to refer to a stone. If it means "pebble," then the sieve described in Amos 9:9 allows the grain to fall into a basket while retaining the debris and pebbles. However, if one interprets tseror as a "kernel of grain" (cf. NASB, NIV, NKJV, NLT) then the sieve is constructed to retain the grain and allow the refuse and pebbles to fall to the ground. In either case, the simile supports the last statement in Amos 9:8 by making it clear that God will distinguish between the righteous (the grain) and the wicked (the pebbles) when He judges, and will thereby preserve a remnant in Israel. Only the sinners will be destroyed (Amos 9:10). ESV Study Bible - Isaiah 27:12-13 uses the sieve figure to say that none of the remnant will be lost among the nations. John
Amós 9
Morris - This great prophecy of the ultimate restoration of the Davidic kingdom was still future when Peter and James quoted this verse (Acts 15:14-18). It will be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ, the promised Messiah of Israel, who will Himself assume the throne of David (Luke 1:31-33). Criswell - The preservation of the Davidic line will achieve fulfillment ultimately through Christ. Amos said specifically (v. 15) that there was to be one final return of the Hebrews from exile, never to be followed by another exile. Some scholars view this brief paragraph on restoration and prosperity as being at variance with Amos's teachings. The truth is that hope is almost universally prevalent in Hebrew literature, especially in that of the prophets. Hebrew prophets naturally follow a statement of condemnation with one of hope. The hope here envisioned is a millennial hope. When Israel's tabernacle of David is restored (v. 11), the results of God's blessings will be apparent in every phase of life. The earth will yield its harvest so abundantly that the reapers will scarcely be able to reap the fields before the plowmen come to begin planting for the next year (v. 13). Israel will never again be taken captive, and she will possess her God-ordained land (vv. 14, 15). The authorship of these last verses is questioned by those who find it difficult to believe that a single prophet might preach both judgment and hope. For the true prophet, judgment was never God's ultimate purpose. God's acts in history are always for His greater redemptive purpose. The Book of Revelation serves as the final word on the relationship between judgment and hope. (Believer's Study Bible) Hay has an interesting comment - It is significant that it is "the tabernacle of David" that is to be rebuilt. The usage of the word creates a link in thought with the Feast of Tabernacles, and the prophetic significance of that festival has to do with the coming millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus (Zech 14:16-19+). It will be then that God's Son, "who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh" (Ro 1:3, RV), will exercise His kingly rights. (What the Bible Teaches) Tabernacle (booth) (05521)(sukkah from sakak = to weave together) meant a shelter, a hut, a booth or a thicket. It denotes a “tent” or a “hut,” a temporary shelter made of vines and branches associated with the Festival of Shelters, or Sukkot. Sukkah described temporary shelters for animals (Ge 33:17), soldiers (2Sa 11:11), prophets (Jonah 4:5). In Lev 23:42-43 it refers to the booths constructed for the harvest feast, the Feast of Booths (Hebrew transliterated = hag [feast] hassukkot), which was held in the Fall (15th of Tishri - late Sept to Oct - see table for the Seven Great Feasts of Israel) And wall up its breaches I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old - The days of old recall the glorious reign of King David, when it was as good as it ever got in Israel under the monarchy.