The Destruction of Israel
“I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said: “Strike the doorposts, that the thresholds may shake, and break them on the heads of them all. I will slay the last of them with the sword. He who flees from them shall not get away, and he who escapes from them shall not be delivered.
“Though they dig into hell, from there My hand shall take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down; and though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, from there I will search and take them; though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them; though they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword, and it shall slay them. I will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good.”
The Lord God of hosts, He who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell there mourn; all of it shall swell like the River, and subside like the River of Egypt. He who builds His layers[stairs] in the sky, and has founded His strata in the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the earth—The Lord is His name.
“Are you not like the people of Ethiopia to Me, O children of Israel?” says the Lord. “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” says the Lord. “For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say, ‘The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’
Israel Will Be Restored
“On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says the Lord who does this thing.
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.”
Destruction is approaching rapidly! All these people who have turned their backs on God are going to meet a terrible fate, one from which there will be no escape. Even if these people are able to tunnel into hell, God’s wrath will still catch up with them. Even when they go into captivity, God will still allow them to be slaughtered.
Most of the Jewish blessings begin with the words, “Blessed art thou, O Lord of the Universe.” Sadly, the citizens of Israel have forgotten/ignored that reality. “Are you not like the people of Ethiopia to Me, O children of Israel?” says the Lord. “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?” God has brought the Israelites out of Egypt; however, God also has re-located the Philistines and the Syrians as well. God rules the nations, whether or not they acknowledge Him as sovereign.
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” says the Lord. “For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say, ‘The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’” God is planning to distribute the citizens of the Northern Kingdom throughout the known world, but He will not destroy them utterly. On the other hand, those foolish people who are trusting their idols to save them will perish. Sounds pretty horrible, but wait! Restoration is also coming.
“On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says the Lord who does this thing.
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.”
Eventually, the Assyrians carry off the people of the Northern Kingdom and they meet the fate God has already proclaimed. But the people of Judah will be carried off to Babylon, where King Cyrus will eventually encourage them to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple. Many people feel that the final verses apply specifically to modern Israel, where there are enormous vineyards, gardens, and all kinds of farming projects. Despite being under daily rocket bombardment, Israel continues to survive.
APPLICATION: We might well imagine that many of the Israelites are refusing to listen to Amos, stuffing their fingers in their ears and chanting “Na! Na! Na!” to drown out the sound of his voice. But in every place, God always has a remnant and the promises of the last few verses would encourage those who still worship the One True Living God. By now, these people might be forced to worship God in their homes, fearing that if they worship outside, their neighbors may attack them.
Many years ago, J. B. Philips wrote a book entitled Your God is Too Small. Philips contended that most believers have no true understanding of the greatness of God or of His power and majesty. As a surgeon, I am constantly amazed at the beauty and complexity of the human body. Simply study a baby’s hand for a few minutes and you will find yourself in awe of the Creator who could conceive such a marvel. My husband, a Navy veteran, can describe enormous typhoons in the Pacific that dwarfed the largest ships. And yet these phenomena are simply a few of God’s creations.
The ancient Israelites refused to worship God and turned their backs on Him and paid for those decisions with their lives and the lives of their families. Let us worship God in the beauty of holiness and let us bow ourselves down to the Creator of the Universe, for He is truly worthy of all honor, praise, and worship!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to worship You in spirit and in truth. Give us a sense of Your Majesty and Your Glory. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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