Amos: Chapter 2
Summary
Ammon and Moab were
descendants of Lot. These two nations were given their land by God as was Edom
who was the descendants of Esau. When the children of Israel left Egypt they
were not allowed to take the lands of these people. It says in Deuteronomy 2:5: “Do not meddle with them, for I will not give
you any of their land, no, not so much as one foot step, because I have given
Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.” Deuteronomy 2: 9 and 19 states that they are
not to contend, harass or meddle with Moab and Ammon “because
I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession”. These nations once
occupied Jordon and the area beyond. They drove out the people of that area and
possessed it (Deut. 2: 10-12).
Moab will face God’s judgment. The first
line of the chapter states, “Thus says the Lord:” Once again it is “For three
transgressions of Moab and for four, I will not turn away its punishment,”. The
king of Moab burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime. In ancient times
this was considered a despicable act. It was profane to dishonor a person in
this way. Matthew Henry said, “ It is barbarous to abuse human bodies, for we
ourselves are in the body; it is senseless to abuse dead bodies, nay, it is
impious, for we believe and look for their resurrection;, and to abuse, the dead
bodies of kings (whose persons and names ought to be in a particular manner
respected and had in veneration) is an affront to majesty; it is an argument of
a base spirit for those to trample upon a dead lion who, were he alive, would
tremble before him.”[1]
The people often suffer for the sins of their government. The people are
impacted at every level by their government. In the ninth century, the leaders
could be heirs to the throne or they conquered the people.
We as
Americans should prayerfully vote for our leaders and once in office continue
to hold them up in prayer that we might live peacefully. Our government effects
our lives at every level. We have felt this on a very personal level with the
Covid-19 issues.
The destruction of Moab is spoken of in
Isaiah 15 and 16 and in Jeremiah 48. The palaces of Kerioth would be devoured
because the temples to their God Chemosh were located there. The judgment on
Moab is death. God would cut off the judge and slay their princes. The king
dealt cruelly with others. He sacrificed his son to appease his gods (2 Kings
3:26-27), and the end would be brought through war.
Judah and Israel would stand in judgment,
but their offenses were different from the nations Amos had just spoken
judgment against. They were in covenant with God and were to be held to a
higher standard. At Sinai God had revealed himself to them and created a
special covenant relationship. Judah was accused of despising God's law and not
keeping his commandments. “The other nations were reckoned with for injuries
done to men, but Judah is reckoned with for indignities done to God.”[2]
They worshipped other gods and denied the truth of God. They walked in lies and
led others astray. Their fathers walked in lies and they followed after them.
“But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it will devour the palaces of
Jerusalem” (Amos 2:5). Jerusalem God’s holy city had been defiled with the lies
created by idolatry. God would not spare Jerusalem. In Jeremiah 9:26 Judah and
Israel are listed with the uncircumcised nations that will be judged.
Circumcision is only beneficial if it is circumcision of the heart. It had
become an outward meaningless symbol as they despised God’s laws.
Amos was prophesying in Bethel which was in
Israel and verse 6 begins the prophecy against Israel. They were in covenant
with God, and they had broken the covenant. Israel was accused of perverting justice. The
courts took advantage of the righteous. They broke God's law which allowed for
indentured service to work off debts and it was to be regulated and dispersed
justly and only for a limited time. Lev. 25:39-43 points out that they are not
to be treated as slaves and will be released when the debt is paid. They were selling
their brethren into slavery for a pittance. The righteous had become the
victims of a corrupt system. The poor could expect no justice as the rich and
powerful were greedy for gain and oppressed them at every turn.
Where justice is lost other sins creep in.
Loathsome immoralities were done. “A man and his father go into the same girl
to defile My Holy name” (Amos 2:7b). They made God’s name to be profaned among
the heathen. They pretended to honor God with their ill-gotten gain. They
worshipped idols and laid down on clothes taken in pledge that was to be
returned by evening (Duet. 24;12,13). God will not be mocked, and they sealed
the judgment that would come. They were blinded by their lust and pride. There
was no justification for their sin. They would have to give an account for the
violation of their covenant with God. A promise in the covenant was, “And all
these blessings will come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice
of the LORD your God” (Deut. 28:2). If you would like to read the blessings
they are in Duet. 28:1-14. If you continue to read to the end of that chapter
you will also read the results of breaking the covenant.
God reminds Israel of what he had done for
them. He had brought them out of slavery and given them “a land flowing with
milk and honey”. They had ungrateful hearts forgetting where their blessings
came from. God gave them prophets and Nazarites and they sought to silence
them. “If God loads us daily with his benefits, and we, notwithstanding that,
load him with our sins, how can we expect any other than that he should load us
with his judgments? And it is here threatened in the last three verses that,
when God comes forth to contend with this provoking people, they shall not be
able to stand before him, to flee from him, nor to make their part good with
him, for when God judges he will overcome.”[3]
Questions: Chapter 2
1.
What nations are prophesied against in chapter 2?
2.
Who did Moab and Ammon descend from?
3.
What was the offense of the King of Moab?
4.
What is the importance of Kerioth?
5.
Where else are they prophesied against?
6.
How is their punishment described?
7.
What was the transgression of Judah?
8.
Why were Judah and Israel’s judgment different from that of the other
nations Amos prophesied against?
9.
How was Judah’s punishment described?
10.
What were Israel’s four transgressions?
11.
Find biblical passages that speak about the treatment of the poor, passages
that speaks of a man and his father having the same woman, and passages that
explain the regulations for garments taken as a pledge?
12.
What had God done for Israel?
13.
How does God describe the Amorites that he had destroyed before Israel?
14.
What else had God done for them?
15.
What did God raise up the sons of the people to be and do?
16.
What did the people do to the prophets and Nazarites that God raised
up?
17.
What is a Nazarite?
18.
How does God respond to the sins of the people?
19.
What will happen to the men in battle?
20.
Do you see any similarities between their society and our society
today?
