Judgments on Israel’s Neighbors
“The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. And he said: “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.”
Judgment on the Nations
Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron. But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad. I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, and the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,” says the Lord.
Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment,
because they took captive the whole captivity to deliver them up to Edom. But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, which shall devour its palaces. I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,” says the Lord God.
Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment,
because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. But I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, which shall devour its palaces.”
Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity; his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever. But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.”
Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of the people of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment,
because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead, that they might enlarge their territory.
But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour its palaces, amid shouting in the day of battle, and a tempest in the day of the whirlwind. Their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together,” says the Lord.
The day of the Lord is coming, and God is about to settle a bunch of scores! Syria, the Philistines, Tyre, Edom, and Ammon – all these nations are about to perish, and God lists their sins against Him. The Syrians have mercilessly attacked the Israelites living in Gilead on the east side of the Jordan river. Remember that the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half – tribe of Manasseh chose to settle in Gilead because the pastures were so extensive and verdant. Here God mentions the five Philistine cities individually and promises that the Philistines will be destroyed. God promises the same thing to Tyre. While the Philistine cities are on the mainland, the city of Tyre is on an island reached by a causeway. But Tyre also is eventually destroyed because they ignored a covenant of brotherhood.
The Edomites and the Israelites are technically brothers. When God led Moses and the Israelites to Canaan, He forbade them from attacking the Edomites because of this brotherhood. But the Edomites have repaid that favor by continually attacking the Israelites. The Ammonites will also be destroyed because they attacked Gilead and showed no pity to anyone, including pregnant women.
Eventually, many of the cities mentioned here wound up as mere tells, mounds of ruins with lots of stories but few facts to verify their origins. Some of the peoples mentioned here were destroyed so completely that for a long time, scholars refused to believe that they had ever actually existed. Only more recently have these areas been excavated sufficiently to verify Biblical truth.
APPLICATION Several years ago, there was a song entitled “From a Distance.” Here are the words:
From a distance, the world looks blue and green And the snow-capped mountains white
From a distance, the ocean meets the stream And the eagle takes to flight
From a distance, there is harmony And it echoes through the land
It’s the voice of hope It’s the voice of peace It’s the voice of every man
From a distance, we all have enough And no one is in need
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease No hungry mouths to feed
From a distance, we are instruments Marching in a common band
Playing songs of hope Playing songs of peace They’re the songs of every man
God is watching us God is watching us God is watching us From a distance
From a distance, you look like my friend Even though we are at war
From a distance, I just cannot comprehend What all this fighting’s for
From a distance, there is harmony And it echoes through the land
And it’s the hope of hopes It’s the love of loves It’s the heart of every man (every man)
It’s the hope of hopes It’s the love of loves This is the song for every man
And God is watching us God is watching us God is watching us From a distance
Oh, God is watching us God is watching God is watching us From a distance
There’s just one problem with this song: God is NOT watching us from a distance! God is as close to us as our heart beats and our next breath. When the nations mentioned in this chapter of Amos were committing horrible crimes, God was right there watching, not in some distant place. If God had been watching these five nations from a distance, they might not have suffered their eventual fates. But God cared passionately about what these nations did, just as He continues to care passionately about us.
“But if God cares so much about us, why do bad things happen?” You ask. Bad things happen because sin has been in the world since the beginning of time. Whether or not you believe in the story of the Garden of Eden, sin is a reality. And because of our sins, our world also has become polluted. Several times in the Old Testament God mentions that the land is crying out to Him because of the sins of its people.
George Otis Jr. and his group the Sentinel Organization have extensive video proof of the way in which the environment can transform itself once the people living there have repented. From the South Pacific to Alaska to South and Central America, people who have repented have seen their lands become fertile, fish species re-populate and the environment change completely. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDqY29Fbu8M )
We really can change the world around us, not by programs or policies but by repentance. If we repent and follow God, we can begin to change our immediate environment. From there, who knows how God might use us?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners in need of salvation. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives so that You can work through us to change our surroundings. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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