Amos 9:5-10
5 The Lord God of armies,
The One who touches the land so that it quakes,
And all those who live in it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
6 The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,
He who calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the face of the earth,
The Lord is His name.
7 “Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me,
You sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?
8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will eliminate it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will not totally eliminate the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord.
9 “For behold, I am commanding,
And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a pebble will fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, ‘The catastrophe will not overtake or confront us.’”
Almighty God
Doxology for the Lord (v 5-6)
This short doxology sings of God’s omnipotence (the third doxology, following 4:13 and 5:8-9). God is the Creator of heaven and earth, the One who rules over all things, and the One who can display His power both horizontally and vertically. Therefore, everything that God prophesied through Amos will be fulfilled. Nothing is impossible with God. Do you believe that? All of God’s promises will be fulfilled.
God’s sovereignty to rule the nations (v 7-10)
(1) God governs the movements of the nations. When migrations of peoples occur, God’s hand is at work behind them. God brought Israel up from Egypt. He also brought the Philistines from Caphtor (a land of the Mediterranean Sea) and the Arameans (Syrians) from Kir (Mesopotamia). (2) God also sees the northern kingdom of Israel that has sinned. Now God’s judgment is about to fall upon the northern kingdom. However, in the judgment of the covenant people, an element of grace is always left. That is, they will not be completely destroyed. The reason is that the covenant God made with Abraham is an unconditional covenant. God’s plan will not be thwarted by Israel’s sin. (3) The words in verse 9, “Behold, I am commanding, and I will shake the house of Israel among all nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, but not a pebble will fall to the ground,” prophesy a dispersion more extensive than the Assyrian captivity. This is a prophecy of the worldwide dispersion that would occur after 70 AD. (4) The words in verse 10, “All the sinners of My people will die by the sword,” will be fulfilled in the time of the Great Tribulation. Primarily, the Great Tribulation is something that will come in order to judge and purify Israel’s sin. The judgment of the Great Tribulation is inseparably linked with the prophecy of hope for the future (the restoration of Israel). Next time, we will learn what that hope is like. In Romans 11, Paul refers to the fact that in the days of the prophet Elijah, “seven thousand men” were left who had not bowed the knee to Baal, and he says, “In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.” These people are called “the remnant of Israel.” Israel will not be completely destroyed because they exist. Messianic Jews are the modern “remnant of Israel.” We Christians living in this country are “the remnant of this nation.” Let us be aware of our mission and go out into this world today as well.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, please help me to fulfill the mission You have given me today. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.