Deeper Commentary

Amos 9:1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said, Strike the tops of the pillars, that the thresholds may shake; and break them in pieces on the head of all of them; and I will kill the last of them with the sword- The altar at Bethel had been the subject of other prophecies of destruction (1 Kings 13:2-4). I have suggested on Am. 7:12 that Amos may have stood near the altar, or the entrance to it in Bethel, and condemned it and its worshippers. It could be that now Amos is literally commanded to smash it. But the command seems to be associated with the total destruction unto death of the people who worshipped there, and may therefore be the Divine command to the Assyrian invaders, presided over by the Lord standing beside the altar. "The altar" is put for the sanctuary around it, which would collapse upon the heads of the worshippers. It recalls the destruction of the pagan Philistine temple by Samson in his death. Perhaps the Assyrian soldiers literally fulfilled this; the Israelites believed that the horns of that altar would provide salvation for them (see on Am. 3:14; 6:13). They would have fled for refuge there in the final Assyrian onslaught; only to be crushed beneath the falling masonry as the sanctuary was brought down upon them. Their wrong beliefs therefore led them to literal destruction.

There shall not one of them flee away, and there shall not one of them escape- But even here, God did remember mercy. A remnant did escape. As noted often on Hosea, God speaks in anger, quite legitimately, but His saving grace comes to dominate still. However, the reference may specifically be to the sanctuary built around the altar, which was to collapse upon the worshippers beneath it and kill them all.

 

Amos 9:2 Though they dig into Sheol, there My hand will take them; and though they climb up to the sky, I will bring them down from there- This alludes to Ps. 139 which has already stated this and was likely one of the temple songs they sung. They knew the words and perhaps sung them, but overlooked their personal relevance. I suggested on :1 that the Israelites fled into the Bethel sanctuary for safety and deliverance from the final Assyrian onslaught, and those who did perished there beneath the falling masonry, perhaps triggered by the earthquake of :5 and Am. 8:8. It would seem that they dug bunkers there for safety; but it was but digging their own graves, digging into sheol. Perhaps they literally sung the temple songs as they cowered there; but their bodies were extricated and thrown out of the collapsed masonry in silence (Am. 8:3).

Amos 9:3 Though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out from there- As some would seek to hide in the sanctuary at Bethel, others in the northern Kingdom would flee to the top of Carmel. This was a known Baal shrine (1 Kings 18:19,20). God searched and found them there at the hands of the Assyrian soldiers, and as explained on :5, through the earthquake that shook the land at the time of the final Assyrian invasion.

 

And though they be hidden from My sight in the bottom of the sea- The allusions to Ps. 139 make it clear that we can never be hidden from God's sight. But here we have an example of the Bible speaking from the perspective of men. This was how Israel would feel; that like Jonah, they could somehow flee from Yahweh's presence and be outside responsibility to Him. But it is impossible to flee  His presence.

 

There I will command the serpent, and it will bite them- The idea is similar to that of Am. 5:19 (see note there). Whatever their place of escape and human strength, God saw it and controlled small animals which could destroy them. "The serpent" could refer to some aspect of the Assyrian or Babylonian invaders (s.w. Is. 14:29; Jer. 8:17; 46:22).

Amos 9:4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them- It's unclear the extent to which this happened. Large numbers of the ten tribe kingdom and of Judah were not killed in captivity, but instead prospered. As often noted in Hosea, God speaks at times in great and legitimate anger, as He did to Moses regarding His intended total destruction of Israel; and yet He relents and does not do according to the fierceness of His anger. This is all of His grace. 

The parallel is with hiding on Carmel in the caves on the west side of the mountain (:3)- but still being discovered and judged. The idea may be that even going into Gentile lands didn't mean that they were outside of God's presence- a lesson Jonah had to learn. But again, in this judgment there is hope; for the comfort was that even in captivity, the presence of God could be with them, despite their lack of any temple and the opportunity to keep much of the old covenant. The cherubim moved from the Jerusalem temple to Babylon in Ezekiel's visions, in visual representation of this truth.

 

I will set My eyes on them for evil, and not for good- This could imply that right up until the captivity, all through the idolatry and wickedness of the generations before it, God as it were focused His eyes upon doing them good. He really wanted to save them and to give them good in every way; this is the great blessing of being in covenant relationship with Him. He really wishes us good and is determined to achieve this; but He will not force us to accept it. His eyes may refer to the activity of the Angels.

Amos 9:5 For the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, is He who touches the land and it melts, and all who dwell in it will mourn- This earthquake is alluded to in Am. 8:8 and is stated as being two years in the future in Am. 1:1. Here it is spoken of as actually happening. The prophetic word is so certain of fulfilment that it can be spoken of in the present or even past tenses, even though the fulfilment is yet future. And yet as happened with Nineveh, in the gap between pronouncement and fulfilment, there is the possibility of repentance and a change to God's stated purpose (Jer. 18:7-9, and the example of Nineveh and Moses changing God's purpose of judgment about Israel). However it could be that the earthquake mentioned in Am. 1:1 was but a premonition of the final earthquake which would happen at the time of the Assyrian invasion; they were being given thereby a foretaste of judgment to come, in the hope they repented. I suggested on :2 that the idolaters ran into the Bethel sanctuary for refuge, and it was destroyed by an earthquake as the Assyrians approached, killing the worshippers beneath the falling masonry. But that same earthquake affected the entire country; those who tried to hide in bunkers or mountains like Carmel (:3) were also destroyed or revealed by the same earthquake.

And it will rise up wholly like the River, and will sink again, like the River of Egypt- The allusion is to how the Nile rises and falls, spreading debris on its flood plain. Because they had trusted in Egypt, they would rise and fall like Egypt. And in physical terms this would refer to the literal rising and falling of the land as a result of the prophesied earthquake.

 

Amos 9:6 It is He who builds His chambers in the heavens, and has founded His vault on the earth; He who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth; Yahweh is His name- God is in total, active control of nature. He hasn't wound it up on clockwork and left it ticking. He is involved intensely and consciously; see on Mt. 6:26. He can equally therefore bring about cataclysm. The literal earthquake described in :2 and :5 would involve flooding, and the flooding of the earth / land / eretz of Israel also spoke of how the invading armies are likened to rivers and gushing waters, called for by God and therefore irresistible. We have just noted how the Israelites thought they could hide in caves and bunkers on and beneath mount Carmel (:3); God's vaults and chambers are infinitely larger than any human defence. The man who thinks his cattle or cash will be his defence is made to learn that the cattle on a thousand hills are His. All though these verses we see that all human defence against God's judgment will be declared pathetically irrelevant. And we are to learn that now, and submit to His judgments, and be on His side wholeheartedly.

 

Amos 9:7 Are you not like the children of the Ethiopians to Me, you children of Israel?, says Yahweh. Haven’t I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?- Other nations had been brought by God from one country to another. The reference to the Ethiopians would be in allusion to the idea that the Assyrian ruling dynasty came from Ethiopia. The idea was that the Israelites should not assume that because they had historically been brought from Egypt to Israel through the Red Sea [cp. baptism, 1 Cor. 10:1], therefore they were definitely of God and He was always on their side. He has moved pagan nations around His chessboard as well. The fact God has moved mightily with us in the past, not least through the waters of baptism / the Red Sea, is no guarantee that where we stand now is therefore spiritually pleasing to Him.

Amos 9:8 See, the eyes of the Lord Yahweh are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the surface of the earth; except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says Yahweh- God's eyes / Angels were now focused for evil upon them, see on :4. They would be destroyed from the eretz or land of Israel, but not utterly destroyed; in that a remnant were intended to repent and be restored. This was God's intention for the ten tribe kingdom as much as for Judah; for the context here largely refers to the ten tribes. But they never returned, nor was there any recorded stirring of repentance amongst them. So much potential was wasted.

Amos 9:9 For, see, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet not the least kernel will fall to the earth- Israel’s moving to and from amongst the nations is to be likened to corn being “sifted in a sieve”, and the context is in explaining how the repentance and restoration of a remnant was to be brought about; see on :8. The potential plan was that they would be moved around amongst the nations of the Assyrian empire in line with Assyrian policy for captives; they would be preserved and thereby brought to repentance. But this didn't happen, at least not on any notable scale. The prophecy may have been rescheduled for fulfilment in the last days and over a far longer period. For Israelites have indeed been sifted amongst the nations for centuries now. It follows that the longer they move amongst the nations, the more the corn will be prepared for final ingathering. The longer they suffer, the nearer they are to repentance. Reflect too that “yet shall not the least grain fall to the earth”. The least kernel that will not fall to the earth would mean that this remnant would be preserved. Does this imply that there has always been a faithful remnant amongst Israel, throughout all their wanderings amongst the nations? Remember that the context here is largely concerning the ten tribes.

Amos 9:10 All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, those who say, ‘Evil won’t overtake us nor meet us’- They had been warned to prepare for this meeting with God in judgment, i.e. to repent (Am. 4:12). And as explained on Am. 3:3, the idea of meeting with God implied the entry of a new covenant with Him. But they were assured that in no way would they have any meeting with God in judgment; their self assurance and self righteousness led them to preclude any real possibility of condemnation by God. We need to be careful here. For we too can assume that the regular rhythm of our religion will somehow tide us through into eternity. But condemnation at the last day is a real possibility. We should be confident that by grace, if the Lord returns right now, I shall be saved and not condemned. That is the good news of the Gospel, and anything less than such confidence robs the 'gospel' of its good news. But we may throw it all away tomorrow or later in our lives, as so many have done. There is therefore always the longer term possibility of condemnation; that sense of the future we might miss, the weight of our own  weakness and how it could indeed lead us to miss the path in future... must ever remain with us, and result in an appropriate humility and casting of ourselves upon God's grace and spiritual preservation.

Amos 9:11 After this- After the repentance of the remnant spoken of in :8-10. Israel didn't repent in Assyria. And so the planned restoration didn't happen. But God's prophetic word will still come true; the prophecy was rescheduled and reapplied. One of those reapplications was in the repentance of a remnant of Israelites after the Lord's crucifixion and resurrection in the first century AD, and in Acts 15 James quotes the LXX version of :11,12 in this regard. But he does so within a practical context- of arguing that Gentiles too should be baptized into Jesus and allowed full part in the church and people of God.

I will return- It was exiled Israel who were to return to the land. But God so identifies Himself with the downtrodden remnant that He speaks of Himself returning. The cherubim of glory had departed from Jerusalem and reappeared in Babylon, according to Ezekiel's visions; and Ez. 48 concludes with the comment that if the temple were rebuilt as commanded in Ez. 40-48, then again "Yahweh will be there" in Zion. But most of the exiles, especially from the ten tribes, didn't want to return; and so God's desire to live with people was to be reapplied to the Gentiles, as James makes clear by his quotation of this passage.

And I will rebuild- The word can mean to resurrect; the reapplication of this prophecy to the formation of a new house or family of God was to be through the resurrection of David's great descendant, Messiah Jesus.

The tent of David- Not the "house" of David. The allusion is to how David kept the ark of God in a tent and not in a house.

That has fallen down- This chapter began with a prophecy of the destruction of the sanctuary at Bethel built over the altar and golden calf, which would collapse and crush the apostate Israelite worshippers beneath it. This collapse and falling down was typical of what had happened to God's presence amongst His people.

I will rebuild- The same word used of establishing a covenant (Gen. 6:18; 9:9,11). There is hint here of a new, restored covenant between God and His people. This "new covenant" for the returned exiles spoken of in Jeremiah and Ezekiel is the same new covenant which we enter today through baptism into Jesus. This rebuilding was all of grace, for God in His wrath had just sworn that they would never again "arise" or 'rebuild' (Am. 8:14 s.w.). But here in Am. 9:11 the word is twice used of how God would resurrect / rebuild / make arise His people.

 

Its ruins- This is the word used of how Israel had "forsaken Your covenant, thrown down your altars" (1 Kings 19:10,14). What was in ruins was God's covenant relationship with Israel, epitomized by the Jerusalem temple and the sanctuary at Bethel, the house of God (see on :1) being physically ruined (Lam. 2:2,17; Ez. 16:39; 36:36 s.w.). Under the new covenant, the God who had once ruined / overthrown them would build them again in a new covenant relationship (Jer. 31:28,40; Ez. 36:36 s.w.).

And I will restore it as in the days of old- The covenant relationship could be rebuilt, and could have happened at Israel's return from exile, had they rebuilt the temple according to the laws in Ez. 40-48. But they didn't, and so James explains that this prophecy has been reapplied to the building of a new house of God's people, which includes Gentiles, in line with the prophetic hope that the restoration from exile would also bring blessing upon the Gentiles, who would identify themselves with the returning exiles and become God's people. That didn't happen at the time, and as Ezra and Nehemiah record, the returned exiles intermarried with Gentiles rather than being the light of the Gentile world. And so in Acts 15:15-17 James quotes this as meaning that because the house / people of David have been rebuilt, therefore it is now acceptable to help the Gentiles “seek after the Lord” Jesus. James perceived that firstly the Gospel must go to the house of David, the Jews, and once they had responded, then it would go to the Gentiles. Perhaps the Lord had the same principle in mind when He bad His preachers to not [then] preach to Gentiles but instead [at that stage] concentrate on preaching to the house of Israel (Mt. 10:5). Yet the primary fulfillment of Amos 9 is clearly in the last days- then, after Israel have been sifted in the sieve of persecution amongst the Gentiles in the latter day holocaust, the tabernacle of David will again be ‘rebuilt’, the Gentiles will turn to the Lord, and then the Kingdom situation of :13-15 will come about. Surely what we are being told is that there must be a repeat of what happened in the first century. What happened then, in the repentance of a minority in Israel, the spread of the Gospel to the world and then the Lord’s ‘coming’ in AD70… this must all be repeated on a far greater scale. Thus some in Israel must repent in the last days, after the pattern of the 1^st century. This will bring about the great latter day gathering in of the Gentiles at the establishment of the Kingdom, when the whole Gentile world will seek to come up to Zion (Is. 2:3; 19:23; 11:10; 51:4,5; 60:3,11; 66:20; Zech. 8:21).

Amos 9:12 That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord- As explained on :11, the initial possibility was that the returned exiles would have brought with them the Gentiles, who would come with them to "seek the Lord". But they didn't return, for the most part; and mixed with the Gentiles rather than encouraging them to "seek the Lord", as Ezra and Nehemiah describe. And so the prophecy was reapplied, and partially fulfilled in Gentiles seeking the Lord Jesus and being baptized into the new covenant. "The remnant" of natural Israel was to mix with all the Gentiles who called the Name on themselves by baptism into it. And so from this, James concludes that Gentiles should be baptized and accepted on an equal footing with ethnic Jews in the newly rebuilt house of David / kingdom of God, under the new covenant.

 

And all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who makes these things known from of old- Acts 15:17 uses these words to encourage us to preach to the Gentiles “upon whom my name is [Amos says ‘has already been’] called”. The Name is called upon us by baptism; yet in prospect, in potential, the Name has already been called upon the whole world. But it is for us to go and convert them. This explains why Paul is spoken of as having been a convert before he actually was. James' usage of this passage is an example of how the New Testament quotes several passages evidently prophetic of the future Kingdom as having their fulfillment in the preaching of the Gospel today. Am. 9:11,12 had its fulfillment in the work of preaching to the Gentiles (Acts 15:13-18; 26:16-18).

Amos 9:13 See, the days come, says Yahweh, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the one treading grapes him who sows seed- The idea is that the harvests would take so long to reap, that it would already be sowing time whilst the harvest was still ongoing. This idea is alluded to in Jn. 4. The experience of preaching is in itself a foretaste of the future world-wide Kingdom. The harvest is both at the end of the age, according to the parables of Mt. 13, but also is ongoing right now (Jn. 4:36) as we gather in the harvest of converts. The Lord in Jn. 4:35,36 took this figure far further, by saying that the harvest is such that the interval between sowing and harvesting is in some sense collapsed for those who engage in preaching. The reaper was already collecting his wages; the harvest was already there, even though it was four months away (Jn. 4:35). This clearly alludes to the promises that in the Messianic Kingdom there would also be no interval between sowing and harvest, so abundant would be the harvest (Lev. 26:5; Am. 9:13). And hence, we are impelled to spread the foretaste of the Kingdom world-wide by our witness right now.

And sweet wine will drip from the mountains, and flow from the hills- Vines were grown on terraces, and the grapes were seen as dripping wine directly from themselves.

 

Amos 9:14 I will bring My people Israel back from captivity, and they will rebuild the ruined cities, and inhabit them; and they will plant vineyards, and drink wine from them. They shall also make gardens, and eat their fruit- Tragically, Israel and Judah didn't want to return from the lands of their captivity; many remained there, and those of Judah who did return were motivated by the hope of personal benefit, as Haggai and Malachi make clear, and soon descended into self-righteousness. So much Divine potential was wasted; the temple complex of Ez. 40-48 was a commandment to be obeyed, but the returned exiles didn't obey it. As Haggai and Malachi record, they were smitten with drought and famine, rather than eating the fruit of their gardens. The Divine plan was therefore rescheduled and reapplied, as explained on :11. Our lives too waste so much potential; it must be so tragic for God, although He must therefore be the more pleased with we weak ones who at least say "Yes" to His plans rather than ignore them.

Amos 9:15 I will plant them in their land, and they will no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them- As explained on :11,12, this entire prophecy could have come true at the restoration; but it didn't, and so was reapplied to the coming of the Gentiles to believe in the Lord Jesus under the new covenant. It is questionable therefore whether these verses are to be read as requiring a literal returning of Jews to "their land". It certainly can't apply to the return of Jewish people to Israel in the 20th century, because the descriptions of the latter day tribulation require Israel's plucking up and brief latter day exile, when passages like Dt. 28:68 shall have to be fulfilled.

 

Says Yahweh your God- It is grace itself for Yahweh to still call Himself their God, when the context is of an Israel who had refused His word and multiple opportunities to repent. Always God remembers His longer term plan, which is of salvation.