Amos 1:1 says, The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. Matthew Henry says that Amos prophesied shortly before Isaiah, but that he was not the father of Isaiah as someone evidently thought. We are told that Amos, a herdman, saw the word of God, which to me would imply it came to him in a vision. He dated it in during the rule of Uzziah 8n Judah and Jeroboam the son of Joash, two years before an earthquake which must have been significant. Verse two adds, And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. Amos said that God's word was going to shake the people of Isreal, causing them to mourn. God's people as was often the case had turned away from Him, and now they were going to face His judgment. Verse three states, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: Amos said that God had revealed to him that He was judging Damascus for their multiple sins. God first begins with the judgment of some of the neighbors of Israel, which is Damascus in this case. Damascus had been severely mistreating the people of Gilead, and for this God was going to send His punishment. Those who mistreat God's people will one day be brought to judgment by God. Verse four adds, But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad. God said He was going to destroy their palaces, or seats of power. Verse five continues, I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD. God said that He was going to cause the people of Syria to go away into captivity. Even though another nation may have defeated them, the Syrians were defeated because of God's judgment. Verse six declares, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom: Amos next revealed God's word concerning Gaza, and states the specific sin they were being judged for out of the many. These were the Philistines, who had carried the people Edom captive. Verse seven adds, But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof: The judgment sounds the same as that of the Syrians, and God's judgment will be the same for all who refuse to answer His call to salvation. Verse eight continues, And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD. God said that He was going to destroy all the Philistines, just as He will one day destroy all who stand against Him today. Verse nine states, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant: The people of Tyre were the next tobe judged. They had misused the people of Edom, who were supposed to be in a protective relationship with them. Verse ten adds, But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof. Once more, God said He would send fire on their palaces as He had said He would on the others. One day, all those who refuse to accept God's gift of salvation will face the fires of hell. Verse eleven declares, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever: Though Tyre was judged for their mistreatment of Edom, that did not mean that Edom was going to escape punishment for their sins. Just because someone else is punished for their sins against someone doesn't mean that they will escape God's punishment themselves if they have not come to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Verse twelve continues, But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah. Fire was also to destroy them. Verse thirteen says, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border: The Ammonites were the next to be judged, and their specific sin was ripping up the pregnant women of Gilead. Matthew Henry says it is hard to imagine such a barbaric act, yet we in America today call this a woman's right. Verse fourteen adds, But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind: Verse fifteen continues, And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the LORD. The cities of Ammonites were to be destroyed and their king taken away captive. God's judgment is just as certain today.
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