The Gentile nations will be accountable for how they treat Israel. And here the LORD laid it out.
First of all we have the “shepherd” Amos who prophesies. In the intro we learn a few things.
- There was a giant earthquake. So much so it is just called “the earthquake” as everyone knew about it. It would be like modern day Turkey talking about “the earthquake” and everyone would understand.
Having been to Israel, I was able to see how powerful the earthquakes could be as they toppled huge structures. It would have been terrifying.
Amos said he prophesied two years prior to “the earthquake” perhaps indicating that the earthquake was part of God’s judgment upon the nations of Israel. - He prophesied during the time of Uzziah and Jeroboam. This means that the kingdom of Israel had already divided into two – Israel to the north and Judah to the South.
- Uzziah was king in the south. He had risen to power as a mere lad of 16 years old. Uzziah for the most part did what was right in the eyes of the LORD (2 Kgs 15:34). He reigned 52 years and the Ammonites brought tribe to him.
- Jeroboam was the king of the north, Israel. Jeroboam did evil in the eyes of the LORD (1 Kgs 13:33-34).
So it was a split time. Amos fortunately was at least in the southern kingdom of Judah in the city of Tekoa.
He was now going to prophesy judgment against the Gentile nations, and give the reason as to why God was going to bring judgment.
- Judgment against Damascus, Syria
Syria was the northeast neighbor of Israel. (See map above). The LORD says he is going to bring judgment upon them “because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth” (v. 3).
Gilead was the land of Israel and Syria, being in the north, had destroyed it with “iron teeth.” This was probably new weoponry that brought devastation to the land.
2. Judgment against of the Philistines.
If you look on the above map you can see Gaza way on the southwest. They were long the sea and the Philistines. It is said of Philistia that “she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom” (v. 6)
Edom was the nation on Israel’s southern border (see map at top). It’s plain that they not only conquered the people, they captured them and sold them off for profit. This was evil and terrible in the eyes of God and he would bring judgment against Philistia.
3. Judgment against Tyre
Tyre was a key city of the Phoenicians. They had a city on the coast as well as an island not far from the coast. Their wealth was abundant. Nebuchadnezzar had tried to conquer them and failed. Alexander the Great succeeded.
But it says of Tyre that she too “sold whole communities of captives to Edom” (v. 9).
Who started it first we don’t know. But the Phoenicians on the upper coast of Israel and the Philistines on the southern coast of Israel discovered they could make good money in human trafficking. They had no fear of God. They just wanted more money. It was all about greed at the cost of humanity.
4. Judgment against Edom
Edom was Israel’s southern border. These are the ones who purchased the Israelite slaves from Phoenicia and Philistia. So what do the Scriptures say were his judgment?
“he pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked” (v. 11)
The nation of Edom and the nation of Israel were actually related. Isaac had twin sons – Esau (Edom) and Jacob. They literally were brothers who became nations that were brothers. But while the brothers Esau and Jacob reconciled, their descendants did not and became bitter enemies. That is the danger of bitterness. It spreads.
The LORD holds them accountable because they did not withhold the sword or their bitterness against their brothers.
5. Judgment against Ammon
The Ammonites were a nation east of Israel. The Lord says of them that “he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders” (v. 13).
Ok, enough said. God was not going to not bring judgment against a people who did that kind of thing.
Concluding Thoughts:
- It matters not just what we do but how we do it. The Gentile nations did not just battle Israel, but they did immoral and evil things in battle.
- Gentile nations should be careful of attacking Israel. Right or wrong, they are the apple of God’s eye.
- It’s a hard pill to swallow, but I’m sure Israel prayed for protection. He didn’t save them in that moment (perhaps as it was judgment that the Gentile nations took too far?), but he did bring judgment eventually. The Gentile nations will not get away with how they treat Israel.
- We in the West would do well to see history and judgment and such in the big picture. We tend to only see it in terms of our immediate selves and our families and the desire to be delivered from all suffering. The Eastern world sees the bigger picture of history. The role of a nation. The judgment that would eventually come but not right in that exact moment.
