Amos 2
I. Outline of Amos
A. \\#1:1\\ The Time of Amos
B. \\#1:2-2:5\\ Judgment Against Israel’s Neighbors
C. \\#2:6-9:10\\ Judgment Against Israel
1. \\#2:6-6:14\\ Three Sermons
a. \\#2:6-3:15\\ Israel’s Past Sins
(1) \\#2:6-8\\ Israel’s Sins
(2) \\#2:9-13\\ God’s Power and Love
(3) \\#2:14-16\\ God Will Remove His Blessings
b. \\#4:1-13\\ Israel’s Present Sins
c. \\#5:1-6:14\\ Israel’s Future Sins
2. \\#7:1-8:14\\ Five Visions
D. \\#9:11-15\\ God’s Promise of A Future Restoration
I. \\#Amos 1:1\\ The Times of Amos
II. \\#Amos 1:2-2:16\\ Judgments Against Israel’s Neighbors
A. \\#1:2\\ Mount Carmel
B. \\#1:3-5\\ Damascus
C. \\#1:6-8\\ Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron
D. \\#1:9-10\\ Tyre
E. \\#1:11-12\\ Edom
F. \\#1:13-15\\ Ammon
G. \\#2:1-3\\ Moab
1. \\#1\\ "because he burned the bones of the king
of Edom" - Moab is condemned for burning the
bones of the king of Edom. This practice was
only used once in the historical record of Israel
\\#1Ki 13:2; 2Ki 23;16 2Ch 34:5\\. It is also
mentioned figuratively in Job and the Psalms.
Evidentially, this is considered by God to be the
ultimate demonstration of disrespect for a
person. Even though Edom was an enemy of Israel,
Moab overstepped their place in doing this to
Edom’s king.
2. \\#2\\ "I will send a fire upon Moab" - God
promises a judgment. This might have been a play
on words considering their transgression had the
same judgment not been given on all the regions
\\#Amos 1:4,7,10,12, 2:5\\.
3. \\#2-3\\ The judgment would consist of war
(tumult) \\#2\\, a lack of judges, and death
to the princes \\#3\\.
4. \\#2\\ "palaces of Kerioth" - Obviously a royal
city. God is again indicating that this will be
a judgment to remove the authority in that land.
H. Judah \\#2:4-5\\ - God’s attention turns closer to
home. Amos was a Judean prophet preaching to Israel;
yet, he was faithful to preach to both regions.
1. \\#4\\ "For three transgressions… and for four"
God begins with the same introduction, indicating
that Judah had reached the limit of sin that God
would tolerate.
2. \\#4\\ Judah’s sins:
a. "they have despised the law" - not taken it
serious.
b. "have not kept the commandments" - not yielded
to it.
c. "their lies caused them to err" - Their
destination is one based on error.
3. \\#5\\ "I will sent a fire" - God promises a
judgment to Judah which includes destruction for
Jerusalem’s palaces.
a. All of the other regions had this same
prophecy spoken against them and it was
fulfilled by Assyria; however, Jerusalem was
not destroyed. In fact, not an arrow was
shot into it. \\#2Kings 19:32\\
b. Rather, this prophecy will be fulfilled by
Nebuchadnezzar when he leads Babylon to
conquer Judah in 586BC.
c. God’s deliverance of Jerusalem is described in
\\#2Ki 18:9-19:37, 2Chron 32:1-23, Is 36:1-37:38\\.
III. Judgment is determined against Israel \\#2:6-9:15\\
A. \\#2:6-6:14\\ Three Sermons
1. \\#2:6-3:15\\ God’s Anger Because of the Past
a. \\#2:6-8\\ Israel’s Sins
(1) \\#6\\ "I will not turn away the punishment"
God asserts that from this point forward, He
will not stop the judgment against Israel.
While God always remains willing to forgive
\\#Jer 18:7-8\\, He also knows the hardness of
their hearts. Israel had never had a godly king
and This people had set a course to destruction.
God now confirms their destination.
(2) Sins of profit
(a) \\#6\\"they sold the righteous for silver"
Perhaps they not sold the righteous into
slavery as Israel’s enemies had done but
choosing profit over righteousness is also
evil.
(b) "the poor for a pair of shoes" - God promised
to watch over the poor \\#Pro 28:27\\.
(c) \\#7\\ "pant after the dust of the earth on
the head of the poor" - The phrase is
uncertain but gives the image that the poor
are being taken advantage of, perhaps for
whatever meager possession they had.
(d) "and turn aside the way of the meek" - They
take advantage of the meek.
(3) \\#7\\ "a man and his father go in unto the same
maid" - Sexual sins.
(4) \\#8\\ Sins of worship
(a) "clothes laid to pledge by every altar"
Every statement here sounds like sin.
i. The fact that there are altars about
Israel was sin for there was to be
only one altar and that in Jerusalem.
ii. The fact that they were pledging at
these altars would mean that they are
making commitments to false gods.
iii. The fact that they are laying on their
clothing would imply they were
spending much time there, making
themselves comfortable, and perhaps
even bearing and partaking in the
flesh.
(b) "drink the wine of the condemned in the
house of their god" - Obviously, the people
were celebrating their false gods, but what
of the "condemned"? It is most probably a
reference to themselves. Their actions
have condemned them.
b. \\#2:9-13\\ God’s Power and Love
(1) \\#9\\ "destroyed I the Amorite" - Over the
Amorite. Although he was tall, strong, and well
planted, God cut the Amorite off.
(2) \\#10\\ Over Egypt and distress - God destroyed
the Egyptians for Israel and then provided for
them for forty years.
(3) \\#11-12\\ In giving them Nazarites and prophets
whom Israel compromised and forbade to preach.
(4) \\#13\\ "I am pressed under you"
(a) God’s heart is described.
(b) He feels pressed down like a cart filled
with sheep.
c. \\#2:14-16\\ God Will Remove His Blessings
(1) \\#14\\ "flight shall perish" - God will remove
their ability to flee.
(2) "the strong… the mighty" - God will take away
the strong and mighty’s ability to deliver
themselves.
(3) \\#15\\ Those that "handleth the bow" and
"rideth the horse" will be ineffective.
(4) \\#16\\ And the "courageous" shall run away,
beaten and naked.
(5) All of this would have had to have been
fulfilled in the Assyrian conquest.
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