Amos 2 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Amos 2

2:1 Thus says the LORD:

  “For three transgressions of Moab,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,¹
  because he burned to lime
    the bones of the king of Edom.
2   So I will send a fire upon Moab,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,
  and Moab shall die amid uproar,
    amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
3   I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
    and will kill all its princes² with him,”
      says the LORD.

Judgment on Judah

4 Thus says the LORD:

  “For three transgressions of Judah,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
  because they have rejected the law of the LORD,
    and have not kept his statutes,
  but their lies have led them astray,
    those after which their fathers walked.
5   So I will send a fire upon Judah,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

Judgment on Israel

6 Thus says the LORD:

  “For three transgressions of Israel,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
  because they sell the righteous for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals—
7   those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
    and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
  a man and his father go in to the same girl,
    so that my holy name is profaned;
8   they lay themselves down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge,
  and in the house of their God they drink
    the wine of those who have been fined.
9   “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
    whose height was like the height of the cedars
    and who was as strong as the oaks;
  I destroyed his fruit above
    and his roots beneath.
10   Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
    and led you forty years in the wilderness,
    to possess the land of the Amorite.
11   And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
    and some of your young men for Nazirites.
    Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
      declares the LORD.
12   “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
    and commanded the prophets,
    saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’
13   “Behold, I will press you down in your place,
    as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14   Flight shall perish from the swift,
    and the strong shall not retain his strength,
    nor shall the mighty save his life;
15   he who handles the bow shall not stand,
    and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself,
    nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16   and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
    shall flee away naked in that day,”
      declares the LORD.

Footnotes

[1] 2:1 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 4, 6
[2] 2:3 Or officials

Commentary

v1-3: Moab exacted her anger on Edom rather than Israel. Even so, she was guilty, and deserved judgment.

v4-5: Judah despised the law of the Lord, and disobeyed God's commandments. The other nations were judged by a different standard, and were not expected to reach this high standard.

Yet Judah is described like Gentile nations, "For three sins...even for four," ie: for each and every sin. Judah was called to be a light to the nations, and failed in her duty.

Similar thinking applies to the Church; unbelievers can be excused certain behaviour, but those who are in Christ have a clear responsibility to set an example for above the standards of the world.

God sent fire on Judah, as He had on other nations; v2; 1.7, 10, 12, 14.

v6-16: Amos was sent primarily to declare "concerning Israel" (1.1). Thus he devotes more space to her sins and rebellion.

v6-8: A more detailed, and longer, list of sins than for the Gentile nations. There may have been some self-satisfaction in Israel as Amos pointed the finger at other nations, but now Israel is in the spotlight. We find it easier to hear others' sins denounced, than our own.

In particular, Israel is guilty of injustice, mistreating the poor; this is one of Amos' key themes. We see immorality and idolatry also.

800 years later, Jesus Christ the righteous was sold for silver; He was mistreated and abused by others; a reminder of His compassion and humanity.

v9-11: A reminder of past blessings; God delivered the people from Egypt, preserved them in the wilderness, and gave them the land of the Gentiles. He destroyed the Amorites, and rebuked any nation which opposed them.

The reminder of past blessings, together with the exposure of today's sins, should motivate us to real repentance and deeper devotion.

v12: Israel despised God's blessings, and despised the prophets and Nazirites, whose who showed extra commitment to God.

The children of God had persistently refused to listen to those prophets whom God had sent; now they would find there was no word from God; see 8.11.

v13-16: The coming judgment will not be easily avoided; all who rely on human strength and ingenuity, and seven are listed, will not escape.