Amos 3
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
(4) \\#3:1-10\\ Israel’s Privilege and Accountability
(5) \\#3:11-15\\ A Coming Enemy
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
II. \\#2:6-3:15\\ Israel’s Past Sins
A. \\#2:6-8\\ Israel’s Sins
B. \\#2:9-13\\ God’s Power and Love
C. \\#2:14-16\\ God Will Remove His Blessings
D. \\#3:1-10\\ Israel’s Privilege and Accountability
1. While the main message in this section is Israel’s
accountability before God, some of their unique privileges
are also given.
a. \\#2\\ Israel was known—in a special way—of the
Lord.
b. \\#3\\ God walked with Israel.
c. \\#7\\ God revealed His will and His work to Israel.
2. \\#1\\ "the Lord hath spoken against you" - Sadly, because
Israel did not respond to God with obedience, Amos
became a messenger of condemnation to the northern
kingdom.
3. \\#2\\ "You only have I known" - Israel enjoyed the great
privilege of being intimately known and cared for of
the Lord. Yet, with this privilege came responsibilities
to obey and love God, responsibilities that they did not
live up to. Therefore, God "will punish you."
4. \\#3-6\\ God asks a series of rhetorical questions which
send a cryptic message of judgment to Israel.
a. The answer to all of the questions should be NO.
(1) \\#3\\ Can two people walk or travel together
unless they be in agreement about where they
are going and how they are going to get there?
NO.
(a) This hints at another of Israel’s
privileges, having the presence of God
among them was one of the greatest
opportunities Israel enjoyed.
(b) Yet once again, this great privilege
placed upon the Jews a great
responsibility.
(2) \\#4\\ Will a lion roar the roar of victory
unless he has taken a prey? NO.
(3) Will a young lion roar without a victory? NO.
(4) \\#5\\ Will a bird be snared if no one set a
trap for him? NO.
(5) Will a hunter lay out a trap and find no
bounty. Perhaps in our day, but not in Amos’.
NO.
(6) \\#6\\ Will a trumpet be blown in the city and
the people not be afraid? The trumpet was the
means of warning against an attack. NO.
(7) Will there be judgment to a city and God did
not send it? NO.
b. However, the answer to the question is not where God’s
message lay. God’s message was in seeing what God
was about to do.
(1) \\#3\\ God cannot walk with Israel unless He and
they are in agreement. However, God does not
change His ways for ours. We must change our
ways for His.
(2) \\#4\\ Because of Israel’s sins, Assyria is going
to roar the roar of victory over the prey
(Israel) that they have taken.
(3) \\#5\\ God is laying a trap for Israel which will
not come up empty.
(4) \\#6\\ When Assyria comes, Israel will sound the
trumpet to warn the people and fear shall be
upon them.
(5) \\#6\\ The judgment that is coming will be of the
Lord.
5. \\7-8\\ God resends the message and although it is still
somewhat sibylline, it is a bit more clear.
a. \\#7\\ First, God tells the people that He will not
do a work with sending a prophet to tell of it
first.
(1) Again, Israel is the privileged people having
God walk with them and having prophets to
tell them what God is about to do.
(2) In this case, God is about to judge them.
b. \\#8\\ "hath roared" - Then God says that the lion
HAS ALREADY ROARED (perfect action meaning
the action is already completed) and the people
should ALREADY be afraid.
c. "hath spoken" - And that God has ALREADY
SPOKEN (perfect action) and the prophets cannot
help but to tell the people of the coming judgment.
6. So why the cryptic message? God does not tell us but it
may be because it is too late for Israel to repent.
Although it may sound harsh to us, there is a line which,
when one has crossed it, he cannot return.
Isa 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people,
Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye
indeed, but perceive not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make
their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest
they see with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and understand with their heart, and
convert, and be healed.
7. \\#9-10\\ God calls Ashdod (the Philistines) and Egypt
to come watch what is about to happen in Israel (Samaria
was Israel’s capital).
a. Those being invited did not have the privileges of
Israel, hence "they know not to do right" and in
their ignorance had stored "up violence and robbery
in their palaces."
b. But Israel did know so God’s judgment would start with
them and the other nations are invited to see God’s
privileged people being judged.
c. God’s invitation does not mean the surrounding nations
will be spared. Rather, God was demonstrating
justice in allowing those who did not know right from
wrong to see that God held His own people just as
accountable as any other.
E. \\#3:11-15\\ A Coming Enemy
1. \\#11\\ "An adversary there shall be even around the
land"
a. God will use a common enemy to the local nations.
b We know the enemy was Assyria.
2. \\#12\\ "As a shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the
lion two legs…" - The enemy nation that comes shall
rip Israel to peaces!
3. \\#12\\ "Israel… Samaria… Damascus"
a. Samaria was the capital of Israel and Damascus
was the capital of Syria.
b. Why are the children of Israel going to be found
in the land of Syria like "in a couch"?
(1) These two nations would join themselves
together to attack Judah in about 40 years
(under Rezin king of Syria, Ahaz king of
Judah, and Pekah king of Israel), but I
have not found any record of them doing so
this early in their history. In fact, they
seem to be constant enemies.
(2) Even so, it appears that the citizens of
Israel were free to travel into Syria for
Elijah \\#1Ki 19:15\\ and Elisha \\#2Ki 8:7-15\\
both did.
(3) In addition, \\#2Ki 14:28\\ reveals that
King Jeroboam II, a king under whom Amos
preached, took Damascus from Samaria.
(4) Perhaps some of Israel’s citizens had moved
into Syria during this time period.
4. \\#14\\ "I will also visit the altars of Bethel" -
When the adversary comes, he will destroy the false
altar which had been in Bethel since the days of
Jeroboam, some 150 years.
5. \\#15\\ "I will smite the winter house… summer
house… houses of ivory" - God is marking those who
had made themselves rich at the expense of the poor
for destruction. The ivory house might be a
reference to the palace \\#1Ki 22:39, Ps 45:8\\.
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