Amos 3

Amos 3-4 reveal the reason for God’s judgment on Israel in the context of their failure to live up to their privileges.  Israel has been blessed by God; but blessing brings an obligation to glorify God for the blessing.  Israel was not doing this.

·        3:1-15: The privilege of election.

These words, spoken in the Northern Kingdom, applied to the whole family that had been brought up from Egypt.  The message is simply stated in v2: You only have I known … therefore I will punish you.  Israel's privileged position is clearly taught in Scripture: Dt 4:32-37; Amos 2:9-11; Rom 3:1-2; 9:1-3.  And this simple cause/effect relationship is obviously a fair principle as is seen in the rhetorical questions of v3-6.  Each question has an obvious answer; even so Israel’s punishment is obvious.

Therefore God graciously told His prophet of the impending doom so he could warn His people and call them to repentance.  Amos was faithful, pointedly calling attention to Israel’s failure to honor the God who had known them.  They have instead bowed to the abomination of Bethel, the idol erected by Jeroboam in Bethel (and Dan, 1 Kings 12:25-33).  The adversary (3:11) that God will use to judge Israel will be Assyria.  The graphic picture of this judgment was completely accurate.  The Assyrians were cruel and left only a small remnant of God’s people, just like two legs or a piece of an ear taken from the lion’s mouth.

The additional punishment on Bethel was the fulfillment of one of the most amazingly specific prophecies in all of Scripture.  Several hundred years earlier, when the golden calves were erected in Bethel, a man of God had prophesied that a descendent of David named Josiah would destroy the altar of Bethel (1 Kings 13:1-2).  This was fulfilled when King Josiah destroyed idolatry in Judah after the Assyrians had deported the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 23:15-20).

Do not miss the application to the Church, God’s people today.  We too are God’s family (Eph. 3:14-15).  We too are God’s family by election (Eph. 1:3-5).  And we too have an obligation in light of God’s having known us.  Romans 11:20-24 says that even as God set aside Israel for a time because of unbelief, so He can do the same if we fail through unbelief.  Judgment begins at the house (household, family) of God (1 Peter 4:17).  Let us praise God for His love.  Then let us walk in that love (1 John 3:16; 4:10-11).