Amo 3:2 | KingComments | STEP | 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 ( ). 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 ( ; cf. ).

‏ Amos 3:2

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).