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Amos Chapter
Two
Amos 2
Chapter Contents
Judgments against Moab and Judah. (1-8) The ingratitude
and ruin of Israel. (9-16)
Commentary on Amos 2:1-8
The evil passions of the heart break out in various
forms; but the Lord looks to our motives
as well as our conduct. Those that
deal cruelly
shall be cruelly dealt with. Other nations were reckoned with for
injuries done to men; Judah is reckoned with for dishonour done to God. Judah
despised the law of the Lord; and he justly gave them up to strong delusion;
nor was it any excuse for their sin
that they were the lies
the idols
after
which their fathers walked. The worst abominations and most grievous
oppressions have been committed by some of the professed worshippers of the
Lord. Such conduct leads many to unbelief and vile idolatry.
Commentary on Amos 2:9-16
We need often to be reminded of the mercies we have
received; which add much to the evil of the sins we have committed. They had
helps for their souls
which taught them how to make good use of their earthly
enjoyments
and were therefore more valuable. Faithful ministers are great
blessings to any people; but it is God that raises them up to be so. Sinners'
own consciences will witness that he has not been wanting to them in the means
of grace. They did what they could to lead believers aside. Satan and his
agents are busy to corrupt the minds of young people who look heavenward; they
overcome many by drawing them to the love of mirth and pleasure
and into
drinking company. Multitudes of young men who bade fair as professors of
religion
have erred through strong drink
and have been undone for ever. The
Lord complains of sin
especially the sins of his professing people
as a
burden to him. And though his long-suffering be tired
his power is not
and so
the sinner will find to his cost. When men reject God's word
adding obstinacy
to sin
and this becomes the general character of a people
they will be given
up to misery
notwithstanding all their boasted power and resources. May we
then humble ourselves before the Lord
for all our ingratitude and
unfaithfulness.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Amos》
Amos 2
Verse 1
[1] Thus
saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab
and for four
I will not turn
away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom
into lime:
The bones — Or
ashes
reduced them by fire into fine dust
and used these ashes instead of
lime to plaister the walls and roofs of his palace
and this in hatred and
contempt of the king of Edom.
Verse 2
[2] But I will send a fire upon Moab
and it shall devour the palaces of
Kerioth: and Moab shall die with tumult
with shouting
and with the sound of the
trumpet:
Kirioth — A
principal city of this country.
Moab —
The Moabites.
Shall die — Be
destroyed.
With tumult —
Such as soldiers in fight or assaults make
when they carry all by force.
Verse 3
[3] And
I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof
and will slay all the princes
thereof with him
saith the LORD.
The judge —
The governor that is
every one of them.
Verse 4
[4] Thus
saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah
and for four
I will not
turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the
LORD
and have not kept his commandments
and their lies caused them to err
after the which their fathers have walked:
Lies —
Idols.
To err —
Their idolatry blinded them
partly from the natural tendency of this sin
and
partly from the just judgment of God.
After which —
Idols.
Walked —
Successively
one generation after another.
Verse 6
[6] Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel
and for four
I
will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for
silver
and the poor for a pair of shoes;
Shoes —
The smallest bribe
exprest here proverbially.
Verse 7
[7] That
pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor
and turn aside the
way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid
to
profane my holy name:
The people —
That make a prey even of the poor afflicted ones
who walk with dust on their
heads.
Turn aside —
Maliciously interpret the actions
words
and designs of the humble and meek.
Will go in — These
corrupt judges commit also that lewdness which the Heathens abhor.
Verse 8
[8] And
they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar
and they
drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
Lay down —
The Jews of old did not sit upright at their meals
but leaned on one side.
Upon clothes — Of
which the law had expressly said
none should detain them all night
Deuteronomy 24:12
13.
Every altar — Of
their idols.
Drink the wine —
They offer their drink-offerings in wine
which they bought with the fines laid
on the innocent.
Verse 9
[9] Yet
destroyed I the Amorite before them
whose height was like the height of the
cedars
and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above
and his roots from beneath.
The Ammorite —
The mightiest nation of all the Canaanites.
As the oaks —
Another proverbial speech denoting their great strength.
His fruit —
Their children.
His roots —
The old standards; that present generation.
Verse 11
[11] And
I raised up of your sons for prophets
and of your young men for Nazarites. Is
it not even thus
O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
Nazarites —
Persons who bound themselves to a very sober and holy life; either for some
certain time
or for their whole life.
Verse 12
[12] But
ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets
saying
Prophesy not.
Ye gave —
Importuned them to drink wine
to violate their vow
and contemn God's law.
Verse 13
[13]
Behold
I am pressed under you
as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.
Under you —
Under the load of your sins.
Verse 14
[14]
Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift
and the strong shall not
strengthen his force
neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
The swift —
For their enemies shall be swifter than they.
The strong —
Natural strength of body shall not deliver.
The mighty —
The valiant man
the man of the greatest courage.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Amos》
02 Chapter 2
Verses 1-16
Verse 1
Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime.
Burning the bones of the dead
Amos says that the Moabites were wholly perverse
that no
repentance would be hoped for
as they had added crimes to crimes
and reached
the highest pitch of wickedness. He mentions one thing in particular--that they
had burnt the bones of the king of Edom. Some take “bones” here for courage
as
though the prophet had said
that the whole strength of Edom had been reduced
to ashes: but
this is a strained exposition; and its authors themselves confess that they are
forced into it by necessity
when yet there is none. The comment given by the
rabbins does not please them
--that the body of a certain king had been burnt
and then that the Moabites had strangely applied the ashes for making a cement
instead of lime. Thus the rabbins trifle in their usual way
for when an
obscure place occurs
immediately they invent some fable; though there be no
history
yet they exercise their wit in fabulous glosses. What need is there of
running to allegory
when we may simply take what the prophet says--that “the
body of the king of Edom had been burnt”: for the prophet simply charges the Moabites
with barbarous cruelty. To dig up the bodies of enemies
and to burn their
hones
--this is an inhuman deed
and wholly barbarous. But it was more
detestable in the Moabites
who had some connection with the people of Edom. If
any humanity existed in them
they ought to have restrained their passions
so
as not to treat so cruelly their brethren. When they exceeded all moderation in
war
and raged against dead bodies
and burnt the bones of the dead
it was
extremely barbarous conduct. The meaning of the sentence is this: The Moabites could no
longer be borne with
for
in this one instance
they gave an example of savage
cruelty. Their treatment of their brethren
the Idumaeans
proved that they had
forgotten all humanity and justice. (John Calvin.)
Verses 1-8
I will not turn away the punishment thereof.
God’s dealing with nations
I. The opportunity
for repentance which all possess. The punishment of the six heathen nations
as
of Judah and Israel
opens with a picture of the forbearance of God which had
preceded this hour of wrath. “For three transgressions of--
and for four
I
will not turn away the punishment thereof.” The cup of iniquity was not full
till the fourth transgression. God’s dealing with individuals is such--“Who
hath hardened himself against Him
and hath prospered?” (Proverbs 29:1.)
II. Persistence in
course of sin has only one end. “I will not turn away the punishment thereof.”
Men may put far away the evil day
but all history
all prophecy
all strivings
of conscience point to the certainty of ruin.
III. The causes of
the divine indignation vary according to human light. In the fate of Tyrus
for
instance (Amos 1:9)
we see that a brotherly
covenant (the league of Hiram with David and Solomon) formed no barrier to the
grasping spirit of the mercantile nation. Edom (Amos 1:11) “did pursue his brother with
the sword
and cast off all pity.” The heathen nations were to suffer because
they had offended against those eternal principles of compassion and of truth
which are written on the hearts of all men alike. Judah (Amos 2:4) and Israel (Amos 1:6-8) were judged by a higher
standard
for the light had been greater. “In Judah is God known; His name is
great in Israel.”
IV. The vindication
of God’s ways to men which these pictures of national sin furnish is complete.
The preservation of truth and purity is of far higher moment than the fate of
one nation
for human society can only be founded on the eternal principles of
right and wrong. The detail of Israel’s sin makes us shrink back with horror.
Their law gave no power to sell an insolvent debtor
but they were ready to
sell the righteous man (one in trouble through no fault of his own) for silver;
and the poor (whom there was none to succour)
to provide for themselves a pair
of luxurious sandals. They panted after the very dust which the poor spread on
their head in token of mourning
and by the vilest sin they profaned the name of
God which was called on them as His people. Even their altars witnessed their
extortions (Amos 1:8; Deuteronomy 24:12-13) and banquetings.
Application--The prophet would have the people clearly understand the equity of
the judgments which he foretold. Men can be impartial in estimating the sin of
others (David and Nathan’s parable). To study God’s dealings with others will
often open our eyes to our own future. (J. Telford
B. A.)
Great sufferings following great sins
This passage illustrates three truths.
1. That the sins of all the people on the earth
whatever the
peculiarities of their character or conduct
are under the cognisance of God.
2. That of all the sins of the people
that of persecution is
peculiarly abhorrent to the Divine nature.
I. Great sins
entail great sufferings. The calamities threatened to these different tribes of
different lands are of the most terrible description. But they are all such as
to match their crimes.
1. The connection between great sins and great sufferings is
inevitable. The Moral Governor of the world has so arranged matters that every
sin brings with its own punishment
and it is only when the sin is destroyed
the suffering ceases. Thank God this sin can be destroyed through faith in the
mediation of Him who came to put away sin by faith in the sacrifice of Himself.
2. Tim connection between great sins and great sufferings is
universal. All these sinful peoples had to realise it from their own bitter
experience. It does not matter where
when
or how a man lives
his sins will
find him out.
II. Great sins
often entail great sufferings upon people who are not the actual offenders.
“The fire
” which is here the instrument of God’s retribution to us sinners
would not only scathe the persons and consume the property of the actual
offenders
but others. The fact is patent in all history and in all experience
that men here suffer for the sins of others. Two facts may reconcile our
consciences to this.
1. That few
if any
suffer more than their consciences tell them
they deserve.
2. That there is to come a period when the whole will appear to be in
accord with the justice and goodness of God. (Homilist.)
The atrocities of barbarism and the sins of civilisation
The sins Amos condemns in the heathen are at first sight very
different from those which he exposes within Israel. Not only are they sins of
foreign relations
of treaty and war
while Israel’s are all civic and
domestic; but they are what we call the atrocities of barbarism--wanton war
massacre and sacrilege; while Israel’s are rather the sins of civilisation--the
pressure of the rich upon the poor
the bribery of justice
the seduction of
the innocent
personal impurity
and other evils of luxury. So great is this
difference that a critic more gifted with ingenuity than insight
might
plausibly distinguish
in the section before us
two prophets with two very
different views of national sin--a ruder prophet
and of course an earlier
who
judged nations only by the flagrant drunkenness of their war; and a more subtle
prophet
and of course a later
who exposed the masked corruptions of their
religion and their peace. Such a theory would be as false as it would be
plausible. For not only is the diversity of the objects of the prophet’s
judgment explained by this
that Amos had no familiarity with the interior life
of other nations
and could only arraign their conduct at those points where it
broke into light in their foreign relations
while Israel’s civic life he knew
to the very core. But Amos had besides a strong and a deliberate aim in placing
the sins of civilisation as the climax of a list of the atrocities of barbarism.
He would recall what men are always forgetting
that the former are really more
cruel and criminal than the latter; that luxury
bribery
and intolerance
the
oppression of the poor
the corruption of the innocent and the silencing of the
prophet--what Christ calls offences against His little ones--are even more
awful atrocities than the wanton horrors of barbarian warfare. (Geo. Adam
Smith
D. D.)
That they might enlarge
their borders.--
Enlarging our borders
The message that comes from the old Hebrew prophet is the
injunction to make our lives broader
larger
richer than they already are. Men
are enlarged by travel
but the best part of that enlargement comes from
intercourse with other human beings. The world of physical nature can do much
to enlarge a man
but the world of human minds and hearts can do more. A man is
like a planet; he is in the field of two forces
the centrifugal and the
centripetal. As he grows
two methods are open to him. His idea of perfect
manhood may be reached by pruning away excrescences. This is the conventional
way: it produces
a Chesterfield. The other is the educating of all his faculties to their full
limit: this
produces a Gladstone or a Browning. It exhibits many faults in a man; but it
enlarges his borders
and gives magnitude and grandeur. Every one of us
desires
or thinks he desires
breadth of thought
range of sympathy. Yet at
our best we are never full
rounded circles. We may openly resent any
imputation of narrowness
but in our hearts we must plead guilty. Let us learn
to measure ourselves. How intolerant is youth of the methods of age! Let youth
learn to enlarge its borders
and include the thoughts and feelings and methods
of age. Every man
if he devotes himself earnestly to his life’s calling
must
be
in some degree
narrowed by it. At least
he must give so much time to it
that but little remains
and but little strength
for other things. This in
itself is not an evil; but it frequently happens that such a man becomes
wilfully narrow
and underrates or despises pursuits and faculties which are
quite as high as his own. “Enlarge your borders
” is the command of our text.
Broaden your sympathies! Extend your range of observation and understanding!
Pierce through to the realities of things
and do not be deceived by externals!
We all sadly need this injunction. Herein lies much of the inefficiency of our
modern charitable work. The visitor and visited are not in touch
and never can
be until both shall have their borders enlarged. In another field our text
finds ready application. It is the field of theology
Men of broad religions
views are so rare in our time
that the Sodom of our modern denominational life
hardly seems worthy to be saved. There is a want of intellectual capacity to
see the “other side of things.” There is such a radical difference in the very
texture of men’s minds
that the same facts
especially in art
in poetry
and
in religion
will lead equally good and able men to widely different
conclusions. Many are the forces which serve to enlarge our borders
as often
without our consciousness as with it. Whatever opens up the minds and hearts of
men to each other
whether it be joy or sorrow
is a blessing to them. The
lessons which God teaches us through the varied experiences of life are
many of
them
hard and bitter
but the wayward human heart needs deep probing. But the
grandest enlargement of life is that which comes through the thought of God. It
can enlarge your life by putting into your hand the key of love and compassion
which can open the doors of human hearts as can nothing else on this broad
earth. A consciousness of God is the greatest broadening and deepening power
which can come into any life. (Bradley Gilman.)
Verse 4-5
Thus saith the Lord: For three transgressions of Judah
and for
four
I will not turn away the punishment thereof.
National sins and national punishment
The British nation
like the kingdom of Judah
has received
innumerable favours at the hand of God. In the purity of our creed
the outward
prosperity of our churches
the influence of our literature
the excellence of
our laws
the freedom of our institutions
the success of our commerce
and the
glory of our arms
--we are not surpassed by any nation in the world. Yet our
very prosperity has been in many respects a snare to us. The advancement of
true religion in the inner life and outward practice of the people has been
very far from keeping pace with the outward movement of society in matters that
evidently interest
us more
though they really concern us less. Under three
heads the transgressions of Judah are comprehended.
I. Despising the
law of the lord. The law of the Lord includes the whole revelation of His will.
No truth is more plainly enforced in the Bible than this
--that national
chastisenients are the consequence of national sins. But is this generally
believed? Has it any practical influence upon the character and conduct of a
tithe of those who profess to believe it? It is too true that
as a nation
we
despise the law of the Lord.
II. Not keeping his
commandments. This follows naturally the contempt of His law. Contempt of the
law and disobedience are not the same thing. One may sincerely acknowledge the
justice
and respect the value
of a law which his bad passions often tempt him
to break. On the other hand
one may have an inward contempt for a law which he
may still consider it expedient or proper to obey. But he who despises the law
of God
or wilfully continues to disobey it
has no part or lot in “the
righteousness which is of God by faith.” In every case in which the law is
despised
the obedience of the heart is impossible
and any other obedience
than that which proceeds from love and reverence is utterly worthless in the
sight of God.
III. Wandering after
lies
in imitation of their fathers. Instead of “lies
” some read “idols”; for
the same Hebrew term stands for both. An idol is a lie. Wealth
pomp
luxury
literature
fame
power
--these are our idols
and they were the idols of our
forefathers
taken collectively. In each succeeding age
the great majority
have been heart idolaters--giving to various objects the place in their
affections which of right belonged only to God. If there be admonition without
effect
we may look for punishment without mercy. (James Mackay
B. D.)
National evils
I. Intemperance.
This weighs like a millstone round the neck of the Church in this country. We
are not
as a rule
sensible of the awful magnitude of this evil--of the gigantic
proportions to which it has attained.
II. Infidelity.
That this evil exists and is active amongst us
requires no proof. It exists in
our midst in every shape
form
and degree
from the avowed Atheism
which
openly blasphemes the name of God
to the refined Rationalism
which
while
professing belief in Divine revelation
explains away
and empties of all their
real significance
its most vital and momentous truths.
III. Superstition.
While many nations of Europe--such as Austria and Italy--are casting off the
yoke of superstition
this country
which was wont to be regarded as the very
centre of Gospel light
and the home of spiritual freedom
would seem as if
about to relinquish the position she took up after a struggle which cost tears
agonies
and the blood of some of her best and noblest sons.
IV. Indifferentism.
Beyond question the most prevalent evil of our time. For one who is tainted
with Infidelity
or enslaved by Superstition
there are tens of thousands
utterly indifferent to their highest interests. They may give a formal and
periodical attention to religious duties
but practically they are “ living
without God in the world.” To moot these special evils
special agencies must
be used. (R. W. Forrest
M. A.)
They have despised the law
of the Lord
and have not kept His commandments.
Despising God’s law
Here the prophet charges the people of Judah with apostasy;
for they had cast aside the worship of God
and the pure doctrine of religion.
This was a crime the most grievous. But it may be asked
why the prophet
charges the Jews with a crime so atrocious
since religion still existed among
them? To this there is a ready answer: the worship of God was become corrupt among
them
though they had not so openly departed from it as the Israelites. There
remained
indeed
circumcision among the Israelites; but their sacrifices were
pollutions
their temples were as immoral houses; they thought that they
worshipped God; but as a temple had been built at Bethel contrary to God’s
command
the whole worship was a profanation. The Jews were somewhat purer; but
they had also degenerated from the genuine worship of God. Hence the prophet
does not unjustly say here that they had despised the law of God. But notice
the explanation which immediately follows
--that “they kept not His statutes.”
The way by which Amos proves that the Jews were covenant-breakers
and that
having repudiated God’s law
they had fallen into wicked superstitions
is by
saying that they kept not the precepts of God. In these words no mere negligence
is blamed; they are condemned for designedly
knowingly
and wilfully departing
from the commandments of God
and devising for themselves various modes of
worship. It is not then to keep the precepts of God
when men continue not
under His law
but audaciously contrive for themselves new forms of worship: they regard not what
God commands
but lay hold on anything pleasing that comes to their minds. This
crime the prophet now condemns in the Jews. Men should confine themselves
within God’s commands. (John Calvin.)
Their lies caused them to
err.--
The pretence of good intention
The Jews had ever a defence ready at hand
that they did with good
intent what the prophet condemned in them. They sedulously worshipped God
though they mixed their own leaven
by which their sacrifice was corrupted. It
was not their purpose to spend their substance in vain
to undergo great
expenses in sacrifices
and to undertake much labour
had they not thought it
was service acceptable to God! As then the pretence of good intention ever
deceives the unbelieving
the prophet condemns this pretence
and shows it to
be wholly fallacious
and of no avail. “It is nothing
” he says. “that they
pretend before God some good intention; their own lies deceive them.” And Amos
no doubt
mentions here these lies
in opposition to the commands of God. As
soon
then
as men swerve from God’s Word
they involve themselves in many
delusions
and “cannot but go astray; and this is deserving of special notice.
We indeed see how much wisdom the world claims for itself: for as soon as we invent anything
we are
greatly delighted with it; and the ape
according to the old proverb
is ever
pleased with its own offspring. But this vice especially prevails
when by our
devices we corrupt and adulterate the worship of God. Hence the prophet here
declares that what ever is added to God’s Word
and whatever men invent in
their own brains
is a lie. “All this
” he says
“is nothing but imposture.” We
now see of what avail is good intention: by this
indeed
men harden themselves; but
they cannot make the Lord to retract what He has once declared by the mouth of
His prophet. Let us then take heed to continue within the boundaries of God’s
Word
and never to leap over on this or on that side; for when we turn aside
ever so little from the pure Word of God
we become immediately involved in
many deceptions. (John Calvin.)
Lies in the State
National sins have ever the same general features; there are
always the same general features. Our lies cause us to err; there are certain
false principles which we
as a people
assume to be true. These we cherish
and on these we act. They are to be found in the State
in the Church
and in
society. It is
of course
far easier to point out existing evils than to
effect their remedy--far easier to prove the need of reformation than to bring
it about. The first step to reformation is conviction of our errors. It is the
most daring impiety
and most inexcusable folly
to imagine that
in political
science
it is more judicious to act upon unrighteous precedents
after the
example to others
than
by adhering to the Divine precepts of a heavenly
jurisprudence
to trust in God and stand alone. The great question for our
nation is
How shall we best promote the glory of God by extending the
blessings of civil and religious liberty
and thereby the knowledge of the
truth
to every Corner of the world? Missionary societies are invaluable
but
they are not doing properly national work. Many a time the progress of truth
and justice has been arrested by our political expediency. It is the polestar
by which our statesmen too long have steered; and to God alone we owe it that
our vessel is not a wreck. “Their lies cause them to err.” (James Mackay
B.
D.)
Lies in society
In all civilised communities there are many usages of
society with which it is convenient and proper to comply
so far as they
involve no compromise of principle. The mainspring of all men’s conduct is
selfishness. Selfishness may develop itself in many forms which appear to be
interesting and amiable: it
is the foundation of some of our most beautiful natural instincts; and these
instincts are not unfrequently mistaken for virtues. In society certain false
principles are recognised--lies which cause men to err.
I. Wealth is the
chief good. This is a main article in the creed of society as a whole
in every
country in the world. The advantages of wealth are
in a temporal point of
view
very great. Wealth is power. It secures for its possessor every
gratification that can minister to the appetites
the senses
and the taste.
II. It is possible
to serve God and mammon. Religion
instead of being the chief business of life
is used simply as a means of quieting the conscience and establishing a good
name. The heart is set on the world exclusively; yet hopes are entertained of
inheriting the kingdom of heaven.
III. A man’s
possessions are his own; he may do with them what he likes. They are not his
own. They are only lent him as a steward for God. But the idea of acting as a
steward for God would be denounced by people in general as fanatical.
IV. Human nature is
not so depraved as theologians would have us believe. Instincts are taken for
virtues
and are referred to as proofs that the language of Scripture has been
overstrained.
V. Zeal in the
cause of Christ is fanaticism. Few would use these words
but multitudes
entertain the idea which they express. Lukewarmness is commended as prudence
and while zeal is not tolerated
indifference is overlooked or excused.
VI. If a man lives
a good life
it matters not what his opinions may be. But no human being lives
a good life
unless the love of God is his governing motive.
VII. Forgiveness of
injuries is weak and unmanly. This is directly opposed to the teaching and
example of Christ.
VII. The forbearance
of God can never be exhausted. Men talk of God’s mercy who forget that they are
taught to believe in His holiness. By presuming upon God’s mercy men may lose
their souls.
IX. Religion is not
a proper subject for ordinary conversation. Satan closes our lips on the
greatest of all topics
and thus isolates us from one another
lest social
intercourse should promote the success of the Gospel.
X. We ought to
pray
but we need not wait on god for an answer. This betokens the absence of a
real belief in the efficacy of prayer. He encourages us to expect an answer
as
often as we offer our petitions. These are ten of the most prevalent errors
about religion which are countenanced and cherished by society. Let us take
care that it is not true of us--“Their lies cause them to err
after the which
their fathers have walked.” (James Mackay
B. D.)
Verse 6
For three transgressions of Israel
yea
for four
I will not turn
away the punishment thereof.
National unrighteousness
I. God is the sole
and righteous governor of the world. Not simply of Israel
but of Israel’s
enemies
Syria
Gaza
Edom
etc. Here we get a glimpse of the great truth of
God’s common Fatherhood. Amos somewhat anticipated Peter
“God is no respecter
of persons
” and taught that God regarded the sin of Israel as He did that of
Syria and Edom. That God would bring them to judgment in common with other
nations
came as a thunderclap to the people of Jeroboam
II. With Amos there
came to Israel a new conception of God. Note his words (Amos 3:2). Their privileges and blessings
would not exempt them from sin’s consequences. They regarded God as benevolent
to them. The prophet proclaims Him as righteous (Amos 5:21-24).
II. Judgment turns
not on questions of privilege
ceremony
or profession
but on character--Upon the
character manifested in our treatment of those in our power. Personal character
is tested by our treatment of “the least of these My brethren.” Priest and
Levite proclaimed their unmercifulness in leaving the robber-smitten man to his
fate. We see in the infinite regard and tender compassion of Christ to the
poor
the suffering
the outcast
a revelation of God’s character. National
character similarly tested. Damascus
Edom
Tyre
Israel cursed for what they
did to people “defenceless and in their power.” Doing is the gauge of being.
Their greed was expressed in their utter disregard of the rights of others.
Damascus rioted in the blood of defenceless Gilead (Amos 1:3). Gaza traded in men (Amos 1:6). Tyre was rich
clever
strong
enterprising
artistic
resourceful
conquering. Lust of wealth and power led
them
notwithstanding their close alliance with Solomon
to trade in Hebrew
captives (Amos 1:9-10). Edom became the incarnation
of the demon revenge (Amos 1:11). Ammon
prompted by lust of
gain
invaded with devilish ferocity the sanctity of motherhood (Amos 1:13). Israel
ceremonious
self-righteous
prosperous
idolatrous
vain
privileged
denied justice to her
poor
oppressed her children
sacrificed her young life to pleasure (Amos 2:6-8). These nations were marked
as modem nations
alas! are too often
by selfishness
and wide wasting and
insatiable pride.” “For these things
” etc. Samson could not destroy Gaza
but
greed did. Tyre was strong to defy Assyria
to found Cathage
and set at nought
Nebuchadnezzar
but was consumed by fire enkindled of her own lust. The stone houses
and rocky palaces of Edom afforded no refuge from the consequences of her sins.
Israel destroyed herself. He who obliterated Tyre
removed Israel
consumed
Edom and Gaza. “He who obliterated Babylon
destroyed Egypt
buried Greece and
Rome under the debris of their own greatness.” He still judges the nations. In
reading the judgments pronounced by Amos we are reminded that--
III. Sin is
cumulative. What are the three transgressions? They are not stated. The fourth
only is mentioned. Why? The last is the abridgment and consummation of all the
foregoing. It does not stand alone. It is but the development in the way of
evil. The first sin leads to the second
and the fourth were impossible but for
the former three. The growth is shown in the case of Edom (Amos 1:11). Verse 11 indicates--
IV. The
consequences of sin are inevitable. Every act of sin is self-destructive. It
avenges itself. The forces of judgment are loosed by the act which violates the law. (John T. Ecob.)
They sold the righteous
for silver
and the poor for a pair of shoes.
No remedy for injuries
The prophet means that there was no justice nor equity among the
Israelites
for they made a sale of the children of God: and it was a most shameful thing that there
was no remedy for injuries. The prophet levels his reproof against the judges
who then exercised authority. The just
he says
is sold for silver: this could not apply
to private individuals
but to judges
to whom it belonged to extend a helping
hand to the miserable and the poor
to avenge wrongs
and to give to every one
his right. It is then the same as though the prophet had said that unbridled
licentiousness reigned triumphant among the Israelites
so that just men were
exposed as a prey
and were set
as it were
on sale. He says
first
that they
were “sold for silver
” and then he adds
“for shoes”: and this ought to be carefully observed;
for when once men begin to turn aside from the right course
they abandon them
selves to evil without any shame. When an attempt is first made to draw aside a
man that is just and upright and free from what is corrupt
he is not
immediately overcome; though a great price may be offered to him
he will yet
stand firm: but
when he has sold his integrity for ten pieces of gold
he may afterwards be
easily bought
as is the ease with women. Judges
then
who first covet silver
that is
who cannot be corrupted except by a rich and fat bribe
will
afterwards barter their integrity for the meanest reward; for there is no shame
any more remaining in them. This is what the prophet points out in these
words
--that they sold the just for silver; that is
they sold him for a high
price
and then they could be corrupted by the meanest gift
that if one
offered them a pair of shoes
they would be ready without any blush of shame to
receive such a bribe. (John Calvin.)
The penalty of oppression
Two centuries ago quaint Thomas Fuller said
“If any
suppose that society can be peaceful while one half is prospered and the other
half pinched
let him try whether he can laugh with one side of his face while
he weeps with the other.” I am not concerning myself now
however
with those
outside the Church
but those within. As surely as darkness follows sunset will
the alienation of the masses follow sanctimonious selfishness in the Church. If
a Christian’s motto is “Look out for number one
” then let them look out for
estrangement and coldness on the part of number two. The Church millionaire
stands at exact antipodes to the Church millennial
and in proportion aa the
former flourishes
the latter will be hopelessly deferred. It is not an
orthodox creed which repels the masses
but an orthodox greed. Let a Christian
man stand forth conspicuously in any community
as honest as the law of Moses
and
yet let it be seen that he is building up an immense fortune by grinding
the faces of the poor and compelling them to turn the grindstone for him while
he does it
and he will wean a whole generation from the Gospel. The reckless
“I don’t care for the Church
” which is coming up in ever-loudening chorus from
the poorer classes
is but the echo of the stolid and selfish “ I do care for
myself and my own that we may live luxuriously and fare sumptuously
” which is
the undeniable expression of so many Christian lives. (A. J. Gordon
D. D.)
Verses 9-11
Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them
whose height was like the
height of the cedars
and he was strong as the oaks.
Sin as ingratitude
These verses form a graphic resume of the great benefits which God
had bestowed on His people. Amos was master of all arts by which a nation might
be roused to penitence. Hence the two pictures of man’s sin (verses 6-8) and
God’s goodness are set side by side as a means of awakening the slumbering
conscience of the nation
and winning them back again to the service of their
almighty and changeless Friend. Only the most hardened hearts can resist the
appeal which Divine mercy makes! How great the sin of Israel. It blinded them
to the mercies of heaven
made them cling to vices which God had raised them up
to subdue
and forget the truth and holiness which were to be exemplified in
their lives. The mercies are summed up under three heads.
I. The victories
which made them masters of their inheritance. “Yet destroyed I the Amorite”
(verse 9). The Amorites
strongest of all Canaanite nations
are taken as the
representatives of all. The greatness of the victories is measured here--
II. Deliverances
which opened the way for
this career of conquest. “I brought you up from the land of Egypt” (verse 10).
Nothing seemed more improbable than that they should escape from their
captivity. All religious life begins with such proofs of God’s power and mercy.
III. God’s mercy
also provided spiritual blessings (verse 11). The Nazarites and prophets were
men who withered for truth and purity. The prophet taught by his words
the
Nazarite by his life. Representatives of God
they walked among His people to
bind all hearts to Himself. They were to preserve the nation from the sins
which had brought ruin on the old inhabitants of Canaan
to keep alive that
truth and purity which secured to them the possession of their land. How rich
the mercy of God! The Amorite subdued
that the people might inherit their
land; the yoke of Egypt broken
that they might go up and possess their
inheritance; spiritual guides raised up to keep the people from the sin
which
would spoil them of their new-found treasure. Such is God’s dealing with all
His people. Their path is strewn with tokens of His guardian grace. He is
preparing them for a great future. Application--God’s appeal
“Is it not even
thus?” (verse 11) sets the sin of Israel before us in all its baseness. The
mercies were so evident that none could doubt or deny them. All sin in God’s
people is base ingratitude. Remember the gifts of heaven when tempted to
wander. (J. Telford
B. A.)
Verse 11-12
And I raised up of your sons for prophets
and of your young men
for Nazarites.
Divine appointments and their frustration
The sin and folly of their conduct is manifest when we consider--
I. The author of
the appointments. “I raised up.” The Founder of their nation. He whose mercies
have been commemorated in the ninth to the eleventh verses
had originated
these appointments. What more signal proof of the folly in attempting this
reversal! Everything that God willed should have been accepted gratefully as
their rule of life; yet they tampered with His appointments thus.
II. When we
consider the character of the appointments. God was striving to preserve the
national purity
to train them up in all His ways. Such was His purpose in
these remarkable institutions:--the
prophetic office
and the order of the Nazarites. God had raised up these
workers out of the “young men” of Israel--the class which could bring the
greatest energy to this arduous work
devote the longest time to it
and
furnish
amid the temptations to which youth was peculiarly exposed
the
strongest proof of the restraining grace of God. God still uses means to
preserve men in purity. The Spirit of God is His witness; conscience is His
voice; truth is His messenger; His servants
by their words
and by the example
of godly lives
are our prophets and the Nazarites. How great these agencies!
Seek to know them to your own salvation.
III. Were frustrated
by those for whose benefit they had been made. No regard for God
no sense of
their own interest
deterred them from presuming to interfere with the counsels
of God. The motive which prompted such conduct marks their degradation. The
Nazarites were a standing reproof of their excess and revelry; the prophets
were obnoxious because they tore away the disguises by which sin sought to hide
its deformity
and warned the people of danger. If the voice of the prophet was
silenced
they fancied that heaven had no means of reproving sin. They forgot
that God could speak in the thunder and the earthquake. Application--Man can
frustrate the purposes of God. Heaven may appoint; earth may undo the
appointment. The effort is proof of degradation. Success in such effort is the
worst punishment of any man. Israel reaped disaster and ruin from this attempt
to reverse God’s appointments. False prophets multiplied
sin increased
the
nation went into captivity. (J. Telford
B. A.)
The vow of the Nazarite
Though Amos was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son
but a rough
herdsman
and unlettered gatherer of sycamore leaves
his was one of those
masculine
indignant natures which burst like imprisoned flame through the
white ashes of social hypocrisy. Like Samuel before Saul
like Elijah before
Ahab
like John the Baptist before Herod
like Paul before Felix
like John
Huss before Sigismund
like Luther before Charles V.
like John Knox before
Mary
so Amos testified undaunted before the idolatry of courts and priests.
One crime of that bad period was luxury and intemperance. In this text the
prophet confronts Israel with the high appeal of God
whether He had not put
the fire of the Spirit into the hearts of some of their sons
and they had
quenched that fire by their blandishments and conventionalities; and whether He
had not inspired some of their youths to take the vow of abstinence
and they
with the deliberate cynicism of worldlings had tempted them to scorn and break
that vow? The very essence of the vow of the Nazarite was self-dedication. The
young Nazarite consecrated himself to God
he offered himself
his soul and
body
a reasonable
holy
and living sacrifice. The Nazarite was a marked man
and because his vow was regarded as a tacit condemnation of the popular
self-indulgence
he was exposed to the sneers of the worldly
and the
temptations of the base. Nevertheless
“wisdom is justified of her children.”
The best men
and the bravest men
and the least conventional men
in this
world have been ever the most loudly and the most scornfully abused. Little
recked the true Nazarite of muttered sarcasm and bitter hate
--little as recks
the sea of the foolish wild birds that scream above it. Health
strength
physical beauty
wholesomeness of life
tranquillity of soul
serene dominion
over evil passions
followed in the path of early and life-long abstinence.
There seems to be a special strength
a special blessing
above all
a special
power of swaying the souls of others for their good
which is imparted to wise
and voluntary abstinence. The hands of invisible consecration overshadow
the
fire of a spiritual unction crowns the head of him who in early youth has
learnt to say with his whole heart
“In strong warfare
in holy self-denial
I
dedicate my youth to God.” This age wants
this England wants
the Church of Christ
wants those who
self-dedicated
like the ideal Nazarite
to noble ends
have
not lost the natural grace and bloom of youthful modesty. We do want natures
strong and sweet and simple
to whom life is no poor collection of fragments
its first volume an obscene and noisy jest book
its last a grim tragedy or a
despicable farce; but to those of whom
however small the stage
the life is a
regal drama
played out before God and man. We want the spirit of willing
Nazarites. And total abstinence was the central conception of the vow of the
Nazarite. (The rest of the sermon is an impassioned plea against indulgence in
alcoholic drinks.) (Dean Farrar.)
The vigorous young man in most danger
To supply the abundance of life in the large and rich nature of a
young man is difficult; and it is that which makes his being for ten or twelve
years of his youth so critical and so precarious. You will have noticed that it
is not the dull men who go to pieces in a small town
but often the best men
the men who have the largest natures to fill
and who
therefore
find the town
too monotonous for them. It is the same in the workshop. It is the best workmen
who go furthest wrong when they begin to drink. A cabbage is perfectly happy in
a back garden; and a dull young man is perfectly happy without any brilliant
outlet for his energies and amusements. But the man that requires looking after
is the man of strong and vigorous youth
the man of rich personality
the man
of strong individuality
the all-round good fellow
who is so hard to interest
and so hard to control. So much as his life is difficult to control
so much
the better to the community when it is fairly won over for high purposes and
noble ends. The difficulty is to get hold of the brilliant young man and
interest him
and divert his strong
rich life into useful channels. (Prof.
Drummond.)
But ye gave the Nazarites
wine to drink.
Giving wine to the Nazarite
In Israel worldly prosperity had produced its usual effect--in
excessive self-indulgence
and in forgetfulness of God; and in the capital
itself
more especially
the luxurious life of the upper classes contrasted
painfully with the miserable destitution of those who were dependent upon them.
Under the circumstances we should have expected God to interfere. And He does
interfere. He calls forth a considerable number of Nazarites
and sends them as
His representatives among the people. The Nazarites were a class of persons
whose mode of life wan intended to be a witness to the high importance of the
covenant-position of Israel. Some such took vows for a period; some for life.
Their obligations were mainly to abstain from the use of all intoxicating
liquor. And they were to be on their guard against ceremonial defilement. Every
Nazarite who made his appearance in public would be a living protest against
the sensual ways of the leading inhabitants. We
can well understand that these
self-indulgent nobles and wealthy citizens would not unfrequently endeavour to
induce one of these devotees to break his vow. It would be a triumph for them
if they succeeded. The charge is brought against them by Amos. What lessons may
be conveyed to persons situated as you and I are? There is something peculiarly
bad in God’s sight in the endeavour to induce another person to act in opposition
to his conscience. By “offering wine to the Nazarite we are clearly casting in
our lot with the opponents of the cause of Christ. (Gordon Calthrop
M. A.)
Ruin wrought by drink
We have no means for focalising the ruin wrought by England s
greatest trade. The Press cannot mirror the tithe of it
nor the gossip relate
its thousandth part. The trade is everywhere
and everywhere its work is
one--unceasing slaughter. Could we but see in one fearful perspective the
colossal host of men and women and sweet children struck to death by the
traffic in drink
a new agony of compassion would break from the Church’s
heart
and the days of the trade that can only flourish as men decay would be
numbered. (Great Thoughts.)
Verse 13
Behold
I am pressed under you
as a cart is pressed that is full
of sheaves.
--We go to-day to the gate of the harvest-field
to see the waggon piled up
aloft with many sheaves come creaking forth
making ruts along the field. What
a picture is a waggon loaded with corn of you and of me
as loaded with God’s
mercies! Alas! that such a sign should be capable of another reading. That
while God loadeth us with mercy
we should load Him withsin. The text is only a
figure
since God cannot actually be oppressed by man. God speaks to us as a
great father may talk to his little child. Just as a cart has the axles bent
and as the wheels creak under the excessive load
so the Lord says that under
the load of human guilt He is pressed down
until He crieth out
because He can
bear no longer the iniquity of those that offend against Him.
I. Sin is very
grievous and burdensome to God. There is no suggestion anywhere that the whole
burden of creation is any weight to the Most High. The heathen picture Atlas
stooping beneath the globe; but the eternal God
who beareth up the pillars of
the universe
“fainteth not
neither is weary.” Nor does providence fatigue the
Lord. His incessant working has not diminished His strength
nor is there any
failing
or thought of failing
with Him. But sin burdens God
though the world
cannot; and iniquity presses the Most High
though the whole weight of
providence is as the small dust of the balance.
1. Sin is the great spoiler of all God’s works. Sin looked on Eden
and withered all its flowers. Nothing tarnishes beauty so much as sin
for it
mars God’s imago and erases His superscription.
2. Sin makes God’s creatures unhappy. Shall not
therefore
the Lord
abhor it?
3. Sin attacks God in all His attributes. It assails Him on His
throne
and stabs at His existence. What is sin? Is it not an insult to God’s
wisdom? Does it not abuse God’s mercy?
4. Sin is an onslaught upon God Himself. For sin is atheism of heart.
Surely sin is exceedingly sinful; so it must be grievous and burdensome to God.
II. Some sins are
more especially grievous to God. There is no such thing as a little sin
and
yet there are degrees of guilt. There are sins which especially provoke God.
1. Licentiousness.
2. Oppression.
3. Idolatry.
4. Blasphemy.
Many men are especially obnoxious to God
because of their length
in sin God takes special note
and feeleth an especial weariness of sin that is
mixed with obstinacy. And ingratitude is intensely burdensome to God. While it
is true that sin is grievous to the Lord
it magnifies His mercy when we see
that He bears the load. As the cart is not said to break
but is pressed only
so is He pressed
and yet He
bears. If you or I were in God’s place
should we have borne it?
III. God
in the
person of his son
did bear and take away sin. Here stood the great problem.
God must punish sin
yet He desired to have mercy. Jesus comes to be the
substitute for all who trust Him.
IV. If not in
Christ
that same load will crush us for ever. After judgment
for a soul out
of Christ
what awaits? (C. H. Spurgeon.)
God’s grief
(compare Hosea 8:10; Hosea 11:8):--These three passages give us an
intimation
a glimpse of the burden and grief of the Infinite. What is this
burden that presses on the heart of the Divine? What are the thorns under the
golden crown of universal dominion? Can we know what they are? Yes
the burden
of the King of princes is the sin of His creatures
and to clear it from the
world is the one great problem of the Divine. If sin were committed by any who
were independent of God--were it possible for such to exist--it might cause Him
no such sorrow. But all are dependent on Him
closely united by creation. Sin
is evidently a matter of greatest cost to God
and something much more awful
than we can comprehend. Sin meets God in His world at every turn. Sin now rears
its serpent head amid the glories of God’s creation
and is now working
terrible damage in the fair world of our Father. It may seem a trifling thing
to many; but it is a real burden and annoyance to God. It is not necessary that
a man should have a sharp stone in his eye in order to feel a smart. A speck of
dust
a grain of sand
will be sufficient to blot out to us for a season the
glories of the most beautiful landscape. As to the presence of such a slight
foreign substance
the eye is most sensitive
so is the nature of God to the presence
of sin in His creature. To a Being of such great love it must be a great burden
to see such multitudes of His creatures rushing on in the misery of sin. In
proportion to the infinite tenderness of the Divine nature
so is the burden
increased. God knows the far-reaching effects of man’s sin. It is a very common
thing to represent God as existing only in unalloyed happiness. It is only like
Him to take up our burdens
to know our sorrows. He Is most like God when love
leads to an infinite self-sacrifice in bearing man’s burdens
and sympathising
in human sorrow. We should not believe in God’s sympathy and love so much apart
from this bearing some burden. We should not go to Him so readily. There was
not
let us remember
in Christ
who manifested God
the appearance of
submission to suffering. It was real suffering
because there was a real burden
and sympathy. If the Divine Being sympathises with man
He also shows us that
He wishes to have from us sympathy and love in return. We are “to sorrow
a little for the burden of the King of princes.” And the measure of our power
to enter into sympathy with the Divine is the measure of the strength of our
spiritual character. (F. Hastings.)
God’s sin-burden
This verse
as it is by some translated
is a part of the sentence
or threatening
showing that God would press their place or land
and fill it
with heaps of judgments and enemies
as a cart is pressed and filled with
sheaves in harvest. But as it is here translated
it is a general conclusion
introductory to the sentence; wherein the Lord declareth
that the multitude
and variety of these their sins did so provoke His justice and patience
that
He might justly complain of them as insupportable and intolerable
as a cart
groans under burdens; and therefore He would punish
as is declared in the
following verses. Doctrine.
1. It is the way of secure sinners to lay over the weight of all
their sins on God
and on His mercy
as if He were but a cart to lie under the
burden of them all
that so they may sleep the sounder and sin the faster.
2. The Lord
even toward secure sinners
will take on this burden so
far
as to suffer their manners long
before He cast it off
albeit He be
provoked by every sin
and doth not allow their presumptuous casting off their
iniquities upon Him
yet He doth not complain nor strike
till He be
pressed
“as a cart that is full of sheaves.”
3. God’s patience and long-suffering will at last weary to endure the
provocations of sinners
as becoming insupportable.
4. When the cup of men’s iniquities is full
and God is about to bear
them no longer
yet they may be so stupid as to need up-stirring to consider
it. (George Hutcheson.)
Ill-treatment of God
Consider
then
for a moment
how bad human nature must be
if we think how ill it has treated its God. I remember William Huntington says
in his Autobiography
that one of the sharpest sensations of pain that he felt
after he had been quickened by Divine grace was this: “ He felt such pity for God.” I do not know
that I ever met with the expression elsewhere
but it is a very expressive one
although I might prefer to say sympathy with God and grief that He should be so
evil entreated. Ah
there are many men that are forgotten
that are despised
and that are trampled on by their fellows; but there never was a man who was so
despised as the everlasting God has been. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift
and the strong
shall not strengthen his force
neither shall the mighty deliver himself.
Effect of sin on the sinner
We have here the supplement to the former verse: the sin which wearies
God reacts on those who walk in it.
I. A picture of
the decay of national prowess. It is a painful remembrance of departed power
like some castle once the seat of a nation’s strength
now in ruins. The swift
are there
but their swiftness is gone; the strong remain
but only as a wreck
of their former selves
unable to gather up their strength. Danger found them
like Samson in the lap of Delilah
shorn of all their boasted power. He who
handles the bow dare not stand to pour his shafts on the enemy; the fleet of
foot
and even the mounted soldier
should fall into the hands of the enemy
and the mighty man
once full of courage
should be glad to escape
stripped of
arms and clothing
in the day of visitation. Every sentence increases the
effect of this picture. What they had been and what they were forms a terrible
contrast.
II. The reason for
such a decay of prowess. Sin had borne this deadly fruit. All their national
valour sprang from confidence in God. They knew that “the angel of the Lord
encampeth round about them that fear Him
and delivereth them.” What foe could
stand before men who leaned on the arm of God? Lord Bacon says
that “man
when
he resteth and assureth himself upon Divine protection and favour
gathereth a
force and faith which human nature in itself could not obtain.” All their
victories are proof of these words. Confidence in God had brought David off
victorious in his conflict with Goliath (Deuteronomy 32:30). All was changed now.
Sin had sapped their confidence in heaven
and the whole fabric of their
national life was tottering to its foundations. They felt the truth of the old
words
“He that offends against heaven has none to whom he can pray.” History
presents many parallels to this declension. Injustice and sin have shorn great
men of their strength
and left them weak in the hour of danger.
III. The effects of
this decay of valour were soon evident. For them
as for us
peace depended on
prowess; prowess was born of confidence in God. Foes
who were only held in
check by fear
soon discovered their declension
--for such decay has many
tokens
--and quickly overran their land. The floodgates were opened
and a tide
of vengeance poured itself over their land. Three times Amos repeats
--the
reiteration marking the certainty of their doom
--“He shall not deliver
himself.” Application. Sin is ruin. He who would have victory must be loyal to
heaven
then God will surely fulfil to him the great promise to Joshua (Joshua 1:5). (J. Telford
B. A.)
Prosperity and ruin
It may sound strange to say that adversity is not half so
dangerous to a man as prosperity run mad
but it is true. I have read somewhere
that the south wall of Whitby Abbey is more dilapidated than the north wall
thus proving that the light of the sun has been more destructive than that
angry tempest that swept in from the North Sea. And the bright sunshine of
prosperity has often proved more ruinous to individuals and nations than the
wintry tempests of adversity. (J. Ossian Davies.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》