Amo 3:1-2 | KingComments | STEP | Amos 1-2 shows that there can be no distinction between Israel and the nations when it comes to the measure of God’s holiness. But in Amos 3 we see that Israel does undergo a separate judgment. The reason for this is that in the midst of all the nations, Israel has been given a special place by God. It is His people of property. That is why there is a special judgment for the people that the LORD has chosen for Himself. This is what are about. The announcement of judgment the LORD has dedicated to the prophets ( ). The content of the judgment is that the enemy will invade the land, kill its inhabitants, destroy the altars of Bethel, and make a mess of the capital ( ). We can learn from this. Just as Israel held the position of God’s testimony, so Christianity does now. If we hold that position, it is necessary that we give a testimony of Who God is and that this happens in accordance with Who God really is. A false testimony gives a false image of Him. Unfortunately, the history of Christianity has shown that it has not done any better than Israel. God will therefore have to judge professing Christianity. The description of that judgment can be found in Revelation 17-18. The call “hear this word” is also heard in Amos 4 and Amos 5 ( ). These are words that call for all work to be stopped in order to listen attentively to “this word”. The fact that it is a word “which the LORD has spoken against you” emphasizes the importance of listening. None other than the LORD speaks and it concerns none other than themselves, the “sons of Israel”. These are all compelling reasons to focus your ears. Here the whole people are spoken to, Judah and the ten tribes, because reference is made to “the entire family” that the LORD led “out of the land of Egypt”. With these words Amos also makes the connection with the origin of their people’s existence. Familiar as they are with their folk history, they know that Egypt is the land where they had to perform hard slave labor. They could never have freed themselves from this slavery. That they now live in Israel, they owe it to the liberating love and power of the LORD.

‏ Amos 3:1-2

Introduction

Amos 1-2 shows that there can be no distinction between Israel and the nations when it comes to the measure of God’s holiness. But in Amos 3 we see that Israel does undergo a separate judgment. The reason for this is that in the midst of all the nations, Israel has been given a special place by God. It is His people of property. That is why there is a special judgment for the people that the LORD has chosen for Himself. This is what Amos 3:1-2 are about. The announcement of judgment the LORD has dedicated to the prophets (Amos 3:3-8). The content of the judgment is that the enemy will invade the land, kill its inhabitants, destroy the altars of Bethel, and make a mess of the capital (Amos 3:9-15).

We can learn from this. Just as Israel held the position of God’s testimony, so Christianity does now. If we hold that position, it is necessary that we give a testimony of Who God is and that this happens in accordance with Who God really is. A false testimony gives a false image of Him. Unfortunately, the history of Christianity has shown that it has not done any better than Israel. God will therefore have to judge professing Christianity. The description of that judgment can be found in Revelation 17-18.

Call to Hear

The call “hear this word” is also heard in Amos 4 and Amos 5 (Amos 4:1 ; Amos 5:1). These are words that call for all work to be stopped in order to listen attentively to “this word”. The fact that it is a word “which the LORD has spoken against you” emphasizes the importance of listening. None other than the LORD speaks and it concerns none other than themselves, the “sons of Israel”. These are all compelling reasons to focus your ears. Here the whole people are spoken to, Judah and the ten tribes, because reference is made to “the entire family” that the LORD led “out of the land of Egypt”.

With these words Amos also makes the connection with the origin of their people’s existence. Familiar as they are with their folk history, they know that Egypt is the land where they had to perform hard slave labor. They could never have freed themselves from this slavery. That they now live in Israel, they owe it to the liberating love and power of the LORD.

You Only Have I Known

It is the exclusive privilege of Israel that the LORD knows them. To know them here is to know them in love and expresses a special intimacy. The LORD says the same of Jeremiah when He tells him how He knew him before the womb (Jer 1:5a). The word ‘knowing’ incorporates the thought of the sovereign acting of God, who chooses the object of His knowledge for His purpose and sets it apart. Knowing is not but a ‘knowledge of’ or ‘being familiar with’, but a knowledge of the deepest being of the people or of a human being as something that expresses fellowship. That God knows His people means that He has fellowship with them.

A people that have been given such a special place cannot but receive a special assessment. That special assessment is reflected in the serious “therefore”. Israel believes that because of its election and its special position it will not be treated like the surrounding peoples. But God will punish the people all the more for their sinful behavior precisely because of their close relationship with Him. No iniquity is overlooked: “All your iniquities.”

The measure of relationship is always the measure of responsibility. That is why this verse is so important for Christians. They are in a special relationship with God. The sins of God’s people are always more grievous to Him than the sins of other nations. Those other nations live in ignorance of Him, while He has made His people known with His will.

An example can help to clarify this difference in treatment. Imagine a group of boys doing something that is not allowed. A policeman just passing by, grabs one in the collar and gives him a big beating. Bystanders shout: ‘They all did it!’ ‘I know’, says the policeman, ‘but this boy is my son’. You can be sure that the policeman will also have a serious talk with his son at home.

In Leviticus 4 it also becomes clear that it does matter who commits a sin. There it can be seen from the size of the sacrifice that has to be offered in case of sin. The sin of a prince, a prominent person among the people, is taken more severely than that of an ordinary member of the people. The Lord Jesus speaks in the same way (Lk 12:47-48; cf. Mt 11:20-24).