Amós 9
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Amós 9
Constable - In the final vision that Amos recorded, he saw Yahweh standing beside an altar. The altar at Bethel is probably in view since Bethel was the worship site in view in most of this book and since Amos' encounter with Amaziah occurred there (Amos 7:10-17). The Lord gave a command that someone (an angel?) would strike the capitals that supported the roof of the temple there with such force that its foundation stones would shake and the whole structure would fall down (cf. Jdg. 16:29-30; Isa. 6:4; Ezek. 40:6). The Lord also said He would slay with the sword the rest of the priests and worshippers who survived being killed by the collapse of the temple. No one would escape with his or her life. (Constable's Notes on the Bible) Oh, the high cost of persisting in idolatry. Not only can they not save you, but they will result in your death as a result of righteous judgment of Yahweh. Saw (07200) (raah) is the usual term for seeing (physical sight) but it typically suggests "to perceive, as sight triggers cognition" (spiritual understanding One is reminded of two "righteous" men in the OT who saw the Lord and what their reaction to that site was... Isaiah 6:1-8 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” 8Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Job 42:5-6 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6 Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.” Adonai (0136)('adonay) is one of the two chief, divine titles of Yahweh. and is an emphatic form of (̓adon) which means lord, master, owner" "Lord in power." It speaks of the Sovereign One! Sovereignty describes God's freedom from external control or of other controlling influences. God is the ultimate authority in every sphere and place. It follows that all creation is subject to Him and that all creation is answerable to Him. As an aside, what verb do you see in the word sovereign? "Reign" of course, and this verb captures the essence of this divine attribute. Our God Reigns! Our God reigns! Our God reigns! Our God reigns! Our God reigns! How lovely on the mountains are the feet of Him Who brings good news, good news; Announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness: Our God reigns, our God reigns! Refrain Gary Hill writes that Adonay - refers to Yahweh as the one determining the destiny (eternal meaning) of every scene of life, the one-and-only moral Governor. This divine title ("the Master assigning destiny") applies to God who determines the eternal worth of every act we do on earth. 136 (̓Adônay) properly means "proprietor-owner" (BDB), the one who "makes the final call" to appraise all things. All is under His jurisdiction as owner; see also 430 (̓Elōhîm), God's other chief title ("the circumstance-Maker"). ̓Adônay) is the emphatic plural of ̓Adōn – the plural of excellence – referring to the one true God (Yahweh), the moral Governor of the universe. It conveys the "Lord in full ownership and jurisdiction."] Gleason Archer - As Adonay, God alone determines the everlasting morality (eternal meaning) of every scene of life. Adonay decides what is approved (righteousness), or spiritually disapproved (unrighteous) as the moral Governor of the universe" (G. Archer).
Amós 9
Constable has an interesting observation - Note the chiastic structure of these verses going from down to up and back down, signifying all places. God vowed to send serpents also to the Southern Kingdom of Judah... “For behold, I am sending serpents against you, Adders, for which there is no charm, And they will bite you,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:17) Amos 9:4 "And though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I will command the sword that it slay them, And I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good." KJV Amos 9:4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good. go Leviticus 26:33,36-39; Deuteronomy 28:64,65; Ezekiel 5:2,12; Zechariah 13:8,9 set Lev 17:10; Deut 28:63; 2 Chr 16:9; Ps 34:15,16; Jer 24:6; 44:11 NO REFUGE IN CAPTIVITY And though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I will command the sword that it slay them - God repeatedly used foreign armies to chastise His chosen people, thus there was not safety in captivity. In Amos 9:3 God commands the serpent and here He commands the sword, and both are bad news for Israel. The text again emphasizes that God is in complete control of this judgment. This proclamation echoes an earlier one in Amos 7:11 "“For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” And I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good - Normally God watched over His people for good, but because they themselves had failed to watch over their hearts with all diligence (Pr 4:23), from their evil heart flowed by springs of life but rivers of evil. And so God set His eyes against them for evil. However as we will see at the end of Amos 9, because of His faithfulness to the Abrahamic Covenant, once again God "will watch over them to build and to plant" (Jer 31:28+), a promise that will be fulfilled in the Millennium (cf God's watching over Judah for good in the future in Zech 12:4+).. This is part of the promise of the blessings and cursings in Deuteronomy 28 based upon whether the people were faithful and obedient or unfaithful and disobedient. Sadly Israel manifested chronic, systemic disobedience, and thus they could expect that God’s eye against them and not for them... “Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. 65“Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. 66“So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. 67“In the morning you shall say, ‘Would that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Would that it were morning!’ because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see. 68“The LORD will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I spoke to you, ‘You will never see it again!’ And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.” (Deut. 28:64-68) This verse is testimony to the truth of Proverbs 15:3 which says "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Watching the evil and the good." And so lest we are too critical of Israel's apostasy which brought God's judgment, we need to be mindful that " the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You (KING ASA) have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars (cf THE LORD'S EYES AGAINST HIM FOR EVIL).” (2 Chr 16:9). Therefore we need to order our steps enabled by His Holy Spirit and guided by His Holy Word, so that when He watches over us, He sees good and not evil. It behooves us to heed Paul's instructions in "to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil" (Ro 16:19+) and to "examine (present imperative = command to continue - only possible as we continually rely on the Spirit's enablement) everything carefully; hold fast (present imperative = command to continue - only possible as we continually rely on the Spirit's enablement) to that which is good, abstain (present imperative = command to continue - only possible as we continually rely on the Spirit's enablement) from every form of evil." (1 Th 5:21-22+) (See See discussion of the Need for the Holy Spirit to obey NT commands). What the Bible Teaches – To the believer, it is an encouragement that "the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous" (1 Pet 3:12), as when "he saw them toiling in rowing" (Mk 6:48). On occasions, what He sees moves Him to intervene in mercy. Hagar enjoyed the fact that God is El Roi, the God who sees: "Thou God seest me" (Gen 16:13). The beleaguered Israelites must have rejoiced when Moses relayed the message of God, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people ... and I am come down to deliver them" (Ex 3:7-8). Here, the inspection provoked wrathful intervention, "evil ... not ... good", for "the face of the Lord is against them that do evil" (1 Pet 3:12). In the early chapters of Revelation, the Lord Jesus is seen as having eyes "as a flame of fire" (Rev 1:14). His penetrating gaze of assessment took in every feature of every one of the seven churches, and thus He said to each, "I know ...". What He had observed, and what He knew must have been an encouragement to the pressurised assembly at Smyrna. To such as Sardis, what He claimed to know must have shocked them, for the camouflage that deceived others did not delude Him. What do these eyes reveal when set upon us? Amos 9:5 The Lord GOD of hosts, The One who touches the land so that it melts, And all those who dwell in it mourn, And all of it rises up like the Nile And subsides like the Nile of Egypt; KJV Amos 9:5 And the Lord GOD of hosts is he that toucheth 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. GWN Amos 9:5 The Almighty LORD of Armies touches the earth. It quakes, and all who live on it mourn. All of it rises like the Nile and sinks like Egypt's river. touches Ps 46:6; 144:5; Isaiah 64:1; Micah 1:3; Nahum 1:6; Habakkuk 3:10; Revelation 20:11 and all Amos 8:8; Jeremiah 12:4; Hosea 4:3 rises up Ps 32:6; 93:3,4; Isaiah 8:7,8; Matthew 7:27 YAHWEH'S COSMIC POWER Now Amos records two verses packed with descriptions of God's greatness and glory. Given the preceding context that Israel will have no place to hide from Yahweh, now Amos describes His absolute power over His creation which would emphatically squelch any hopeful thoughts that He could can follow through with His promises of judgment in Amos 9:1-4. The Lord GOD of hosts - This is God's "military" Name (so to speak) = Jehovah Sabaoth, LORD of hosts (of armies) This Name speaks of Yahweh's control of the angelic hosts of Heaven. It is fitting that the Septuagint translates this Name with the Greek word pantokrator which is derived from pás = all and kratos = strength or might, especially manifested power, the power to rule or control. The literal ideas include the Ruler over all, the One Who controls all things and the One Who has power over everything. As the One in total control pantokrator thus describes God’s sovereign, omnipotent, irresistible power. This Name for Yahweh with one exception (2 Cor 6:18) is used exclusively in the NT in the book of the Revelation (Rev 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22). This concentration in the Revelation of Jesus Christ should not be surprising as this book describes God's final and complete victory over godless men and over Satan and his minions. The Name Pantokrator leaves no doubt that He will fulfill every prophecy in the Revelation! Note that the Septuagint refers to God as Pantokrator 10 times in this short book - Amos 3:13; Amos 4:13; Amos 5:8; Amos 5:14; Amos 5:15; Amos 5:16; Amos 5:27; Amos 9:5; Amos 9:6; Amos 9:15 Lord God of Hosts - 34x in 33v in the OT - note concentration in Amos 2 Sam. 5:10; Ps. 59:5; Ps. 69:6; Ps. 80:4; Ps. 80:19; Ps. 84:8; Ps. 89:8; Isa. 1:24; Isa. 3:1; Isa. 3:15; Isa. 10:23; Isa. 10:24; Isa. 19:4; Isa. 22:5; Isa. 22:12; Isa. 22:14; Isa. 22:15; Isa. 28:22; Jer. 2:19; Jer. 15:16; Jer. 38:17; Jer. 44:7; Jer. 46:10; Jer. 49:5; Jer. 50:25; Jer. 50:31; Amos 4:13; Amos 5:14; Amos 5:15; Amos 5:16; Amos 6:8; Amos 6:14; Amos 9:5 Lord God (NOT including Lord God of hosts) in the book of Amos - Amos 1:8; Amos 3:7; Amos 3:8; Amos 3:11; Amos 3:13; Amos 4:2; Amos 4:5; Amos 5:3; Amos 7:1; Amos 7:2; Amos 7:4; Amos 7:5; Amos 7:6; Amos 8:1; Amos 8:3; Amos 8:9; Amos 8:11; Amos 9:8
Amós 9
Constable - The Philistines and Syrians (Arameans) were Israel's enemies, but God had done for them what He had done for Israel. He could justly send the Israelites into another part of the world since He had formerly relocated these other nations. The Israelites considered themselves superior because of their election, but really they were no better or less accountable than any other nation. (Constable's Notes on the Bible) Hubbard sums up this passage this way - Two painful lessons were forced on Israel by Yahweh’s questions: (1) God’s sovereignty and care extended beyond their boundaries to distant and hostile peoples; and (2) their exodus contained no uniqueness to protect them from judgment once they had ruptured the covenant. Any vestige of national pride, social smugness, or military security was snatched away by the divine interrogator. (Ibid) Amos 9:8 "Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Nevertheless, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob," Declares the LORD. KJV Amos 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. ESV Amos 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob," declares the LORD. CSB Amos 9:8 Look, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth. However, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob-- this is the LORD's declaration-- NET Amos 9:8 Look, the sovereign LORD is watching the sinful nation, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth. But I will not completely destroy the family of Jacob," says the LORD. NIV Amos 9:8 "Surely the eyes of the Sovereign LORD are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth-- yet I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob," declares the LORD. NLT Amos 9:8 "I, the Sovereign LORD, am watching this sinful nation of Israel. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel, " says the LORD. the eyes Amos 9:4; Ps 11:4-6; Proverbs 5:21; 15:3; Jeremiah 44:27 and I Genesis 6:7; 7:4; Deuteronomy 6:15; 1 Kings 13:34; Hosea 1:6; 9:11-17; 13:15,16 nevertheless Deuteronomy 4:31; Isaiah 27:7,8; Jeremiah 5:10; 30:11; 31:35,36; 33:24-26; Joel 2:32; Obadiah 1:16,17; Romans 11:1-7,28,29 DESPITE DEVASTATING DESTRUCTION A REMNANT WILL BE SPARED Behold (see discussion of hinneh). This interjection is given to get the reader's full attention! The idea is now "Listen closely!" The eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom - Not just "Lord" but "Lord God" which emphasizes His sovereignty, a truth conveyed by the NIV's rendering "the Sovereign LORD." "Yahweh fixed his damning gaze on Israel" (Hubbard). He saw predominantly evil rather than good (Pr 15:3)! Compare Jehovah's similar statement earlier in this chapter - "I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.” (Amos 9:4) What a horrible thought that the "Chosen People" are here called "the sinful kingdom!" Their election as a nation did not guarantee that their hearts would follow God, for they (like all of us) harbor the intractable enemy of God, the fallen flesh, which is firmly entrenched in our mortal bodies and God's mortal enemy! Sinful is chatta (see related word chattat/chattath) which has the basic sense of to "miss the mark" in this case the mark of God's righteousness, His holy commands and laws, of all that He deemed just and righteous. The Septuagint translates it with hamartolos which describes behavior or activity that does not measure up to God's holy standard of morality. Hamartolos describes those who are continually erring from the way, constantly missing God's mark, living in opposition to His good and acceptable and perfect will. The fate of the sinful kingdom is a picture of the end of every man and woman who rejects God gracious offer of forgiveness and instead willfully chooses sin as their master and their condemner! Jehovah makes a similar pronouncement of judgment against Jerusalem and thus the entire Southern Kingdom of Judah declaring "He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty. For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the LORD. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire." (Jer 21:9-10) THE DIVINE VERDICT And I will destroy it from the face of the earth - "It" of course is the sinful kingdom of the Northern Ten Tribes. Note the "I will" indicating that the Lord God Himself will initiate and orchestrate this destruction even using the abominably evil kingdom of Assyria to carry out the destruction, even as He used Babylon as His instrument of destruction against the Southern Kingdom of Judah (Read Jer 25:9, Jer 27:6) and yet Babylon would be punished for her evil (And lest you doubt this truth, read of the retribution against Babylon in Jer 51:24-46, 47-59, 60-64). God is NOT evil but He in His infinite wisdom and power is able to use evil men to bring about His righteous ends. This is a mystery to me, but it is seen all through Scripture (think of Judas betraying Jesus, and because it was the exercise of Judas free will, he paid the penalty of eternal destruction for his betrayal!) (for more read Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans) Gary Smith adds "The nations are the instrument of God who will bring destruction and captivity to Israel (Amos 3:11,12; 4:2, 3; 5:27; 6:7, 14; 7:17; 9:4). (Ibid) The statement from the face of the earth taken by itself would suggest total annihilation of Israel, but as the following context shows that is not to be the case. What would be total is the destruction of the regime of the Northern Kingdom, centered in Samaria. While the Southern Kingdom would later be destroyed, in contrast to Samaria, Jerusalem would be restored after their 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Not so with Samaria, but it would be destroyed from the face of the earth. Destroy...destroy (demolish, exterminate) (08045)(shamad) is a verb meaning "be destroyed, decimated, perished, overthrown, exterminated, i.e., pertaining to being in a totally ruined state, which can include death of a person or extinction of an entity." (Swanson) The wholesale destruction depicted by shamad usually involves a rather sudden catastrophe such as warfare or a mass killing. For example, similar to what we read in Amos 9:8, in Dt 6:15 God says He will "wipe" Israel off the face of the earth, so great was His anger against them! Many of the uses of shamad have God as the subject rendering the destruction, sometimes against Israel's enemies, sometimes threatening Israel herself as in the present context. The Septuagint translates both uses of shamad in this passage with the same verb exairo (ek = out of + airo = to take) which means exclude or remove someone from a group and so to drive away (used only in 1 Cor 5:13 in NT). The idea of exairo is to take up out of any place (exactly what happened to the Northern Kingdom of Israel who was "taken up" out of their land and transported or exiled to Assyria where they became the so-called "Ten Lost Tribes of Israel" (but not lost to God! See What happened to the lost tribes of Israel?) Nevertheless - Basically, this noun indicates that a thing "comes to an end" and "is no more" and in this context is used as an adverb of limitation. The destruction of Israel will not be total. I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob," Declares the LORD - Most of the Israelites were slain in the terrible Assyrian invasion in 722 BC or were deported to Assyria, because of God's faithful covenant love, He promises to always have a remnant of believing Israel (a truth repeated in Amos 9:9 - see comments there for more on remnant). Why does God use house of Jacob here? Hay suggests "mention of the "house of Jacob" is reminiscent of their progenitor's history before his name was changed to Israel, hence the negative connotation." Totally is not separately translated in Hebrew (shamad = "totally destroy") but it is in the Septuagint where totally is translated with the absolute negative particle (ouk) and the noun telos which means fully or completely. In other words, "not completely" speaking of the extent of the destruction of Israel. Hubbard comments on the interpretation of the house of Jacob - To identify sinful kingdom with Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and house of Jacob with Judah, the Southern Kingdom, is both to introduce a distinction not otherwise found in Amos and to use Jacob in a way that would have confused Amos’ hearers (cf. 6:8; 8:7, where Jacob was clearly the Northern Kingdom). Hay comments on God's promise that "I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob" - The following verse shows that they would be scattered among the nations of the earth, but the fact that Anna is said to be of the tribe of Asher (Lk 2:36+) gives evidence that there were survivors whose descendents were still alive in New Testament times. This should be a great encouragement to us, for, as ever, His promises are never annulled. This pledge made in the days of Amos still holds good, and should give us confidence that all the promises made to New Testament believers are as dependable. "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Cor 1:20). Just as a small proportion of Israel was preserved in that past era, so in this age of grace, among the Jewish people, there are still some being saved. A judicial blindness afflicts the nation, but it is "in part", and in due course will be lifted; "blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in" (Ro 11:25 - See Walvoord's analysis on "fullness of the Gentiles" and "times of the Gentiles"). Paul sees himself as an example of an Israelite who has experienced God's salvation in this present Christian era (v. 1), so the blindness is neither total nor permanent. (What the Bible Teaches) Amos 9:9 "For behold, I am commanding, And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, but not a kernel will fall to the ground. KJV Amos 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. and I will shake Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:64 Related Resource: The Davidic Promise And The Inclusion Of The Gentiles (Amos 9:9-15 And Acts 15:13-18): A Test Passage For Theological Systems Walter C. Kaiser, Jr DIVINE WINNOWING LEAVES A REMNANT For - Term of explanation. What is Jehovah explaining? He is reiterating that He will not totally destroy Israel as He paints us a picture of the doctrine of the believing remnant. Behold - Listen carefully to what God says. (see discussion of hinneh) I am commanding - The judgment would take place on order from Jehovah. This order as the Commander-in-Chief (cf Amos 6:11) recalls His military Name "Lord of Sabaoth" or "Lord of hosts (armies)." And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations - God says "I will shake" indicating He is clearly the instigator of the shaking. How would He do this? God would use the evil nation of Assyria to shake the house of Israel causing her to quiver, waver, tremble, totter and finally fall. The Septuagint translates "shake" (nua) with the Greek verb likmao which means to winnow (see winnowing). Shake" (nua) - Vigorously shaking to and fro. Sailors in a stormy sea are said to "stagger" like drunkards (Ps 107:27); the ways of an adulterer are called "unstable" (Pr 5:6); beggars "totter" along in uncertainty (Ps 109:10); lips "quiver" (1 Sa 1:13); heads "wag" as a sign of contempt and insult (Lam 2:15; Zeph. 2:15); and at times, doorposts, people (EVEN NATIONS AS HERE IN Amos 9:9), idols and the earth "tremble" (Isa. 6:4; Ex. 20:18; Isa. 19:1; 24:20). Among the nations - In the context of the coming invasion of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria in 722 BC and their subsequent exile from the land, this phrase most likely refers to this scattering, but a few commentators like feel that Amos 9:10 "shows that they would be scattered among the nations of the earth." (Hay - What the Bible Teaches - Amos) See also comments by David Levy below which chronicle the worldwide scattering of the Jews. As grain is shaken in a sieve - The metaphor would have been easy for his readers to visualize as Israel was primarily an agrarian culture and grain was winnowed to separate the wheat (good) from the chaff (bad, evil). Henry