TAWG - April 17, 2024 - Amos 3:1-15
April 17, 2024

Amos 3:1-15

3:1-8 | God emphasizes Hs intimate relationship with Isarael by the repeated mention of family and the word known. It is because of His love for his chosen people that their sin must be judged (Prov. 3:12; Jer. 31:35; Heb. 12:6).

3:2 | This verse reflects an important biblical principle: to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). Those who enjoy a close relationship with God are not insulated from divine punishment; God expects His people to live by a higher standard. Their sins may not seem as bad as those of the pagans, but in God’s sight they may be worse, because His children should know better.

3:3-6 | By way of rhetorical device, Amos shows the reality of God’s righteous judgment on Israel: it will happen just as prophesied. As verse 6 explains, the people of Amos’ time should have realized that the judgment they had already experienced was due to God’s displeasure.

3:7-8 | God did not keep His secret (His sovereign plan) of pending judgment to Himself, He sent a prophet to denounce the people’s sin and warn them so that they might repent. Amos was compelled to prophesy what the Lord GOD had spoken (Jer. 20:9; Acts 3:8).

3:8-12 | Amos employs a sight he probably saw as a shepherd – the parts of a mutilated sheep killed by a lion – to describe Israel’s coming destruction. It will complete; the Lord has spoken (a lion has roared).

3:14 | People seeking asylum could grab the horns (or four corners) or an altar, assuring them of a just trial (Ex. 21:14; 1 Kgs. 1:50-51; 2:28). The picture of detached horns warns Israel that they will find no asylum from God’s well-deserved judgment.

3:15 | Kings would sometimes build both summer and winter palaces. The rich people of Israel were living like kings at the expense of the oppressed.