03/22/2025 – Day 265 – Amos 5 – 9 / Concluding with: “Announcement of Restoration” , 800 years hence…
According to Halley’s Bible Handbook, the prophecy of Amos, was delivered to the northern kingdom, approximately three years before the fall of Israel in 722 B.C. Bear in mind that Judah did not fall until 586 B.C., yet we have read that Amos, in his “Announcement of Restoration” to conclude this book that the Lord will “restore the ruins” of the fallen Kingdom of David (Judah). “I will plant them on their land, and they will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them. Yahweh your God has spoken.” (the last verse of the book of Amos: Amos 9:15)
Let’s look at “The Apologetics Study Bible” commentary in 7: 10-15 to learn about Amos and his mission to the northern kingdom.:
“7: 10 – 15 Amos, a native of Tekoa in Judah, was told to prophesy in the northern kingdom of Israel (v 15) as well as in Judah. For this purpose, he went to Bethel, one of the two sanctuaries set up by Jeroboam I as alternatives to Jerusalem when he led the northern tribes in revolt against Solomon’s successor Rehoboam (1 Kings 12: 26 – 30). Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, told him, ‘Go away, you seer!’ (v. 12). A ‘weer’ (Hb hozeh) was the earlier term for the prophet (1 Samuel 9:3). To call a man who was the proclaimer of the Lord’s word a mere ‘sere’ was to insult him. Amos’s words in reply, lo’ ‘ani navi’, are usually rendered ‘ I was not a prophet,’ but they can also be translated as protest. against Amaziah’s insult: ‘No! I am a prophet‘ Amos’s following words, that he was not ‘the son of a prophet,’ can also be understood to mean that, though he was a prophet, he was not a member of a guild or community of prophets. That is, he was not a ‘professional prophet’ but one of the Lord had specially called from another line of work as a herdsman and caretaker of sycamore figs (vv. 14-15). Amaziah’s response to Amos further showed his disdain for the Lord, in that he referred to the sanctuary of Bethel as ‘the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple’ – not a temple of Yahweh.”
So now, let’s go back the concluding section of this book, “Announcement of Resoration”:
“9: 7 – 12 The Lord’s choice of the nation was evident in His delivering them from the Egyptian slavery in the exodus. But the Israelites had become complacent about their standing with the Lord (v. 10); they had forgotten that His calling laid upon them a special obligation of obedience (see 3:2). In response, Amos reminded them that the Lord had a plan for all the world’s peoples, including the Cushites (Ethiopians), the Philistines, and the Arabians (Syrians). Because of Israel’s sin, the ‘house of Israel’ (especially the northern kingdom) would be shaken and the disobedient would meet with the Lord’s judgment. But Amos looked ahead to the day when the Davidic dynasty, which had lost control of the northern tribal areas (‘the fallen booth of David,’ v. 11) would be restored and would, in fact, receive ‘all the nations that are called by My name’ (v. 12). According to James, leader of the early church in Jerusalem, this prophecy was fulfilled when the Gentiles began to turn to Jesus Christ (Acts 15: 13-18), the ‘descendant of David’ (Romans 1:3)”
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So, from prophecy to fulfillment would be 800 years. Once again, I don’t have nearly enough faith to be anything but a Christian!
Soli Deo Gloria!
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Questions for fellowship generation, the lifelong sanctification process:
- What does the text reveal about God’s character?
- How has this reading generated prayer for you and/or us?
- What themes stand out to you in this bible study?
- How does our reading fit into the bigger picture (creation, the fall, restoration, etc.)?
- What verse(s) jumped out at you like never before? Is it explainable at this point?
- Do you have any questions you would like to put before the group as to how to interpret any particular verse(s) in our reading. Let scripture testify to scripture: Share with us where you sense contradiction between passages elsewhere.
- What did you find convicting and inspiring at the same time? Share with us how the Spirit of God is working within you as a messenger, both within and outside of our fellowship group.
- Share with the group how our study is calling or confirming to you a new mission to glorify God in our times.