The Divine Lamp

Our first podcast, that is. This first podcast was simply a recording of What’s His Name reading my post on the Superscription of Amos. Because that blog post was not written with the intention that it would be read to an audience, the presentation is somewhat stark, but please do give it a listen and let me (us) know what you think.

What’s His Name delivered the talk over a cell phone and the sound quality is surprisingly good, but I wonder if delivery over a land-line might not be better.

I’m posting this today, but will re-post it on Sunday
By Latin Mass I mean, of course, the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.

The Introit is from Psalm 47 (Ps 48 in some versions ). It consists of verses 10-11, with verse 2 added to serve as a sort of acclamation of praise at the end.
We have received thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy temple. According to thy name, O God, so also is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of justice. Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.

Through the ministry exercised in God’s temple, the Church, we have become partakers in God’s mercy, and should, therefore, respond accordingly. This means praising the great and merciful God in the Church, the city of God, the mountain of his presence. It also means acting in accord with his saving justice, the bounty he has bestowed on us from the fullness of his right hand. For this reason, at the prayer preceding the Epistle, we pray that the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ will “grant us the spirit of always thinking and doing what is right, so that we who cannot exist without (God) maybe able to live according to (His) will.”

A s the Epistle teaches (Romans 8:12-17), we are not in debt to the flesh, so we should not live according to the flesh, for those who so live will die. Rather, we have received the Spirit of God. This is not a spirit of bondage to the flesh and the fear it bring, but a Spirit of sonship. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a pledge of our future inheritance as children of God and makes us children of God, so that we can call upon him as His Son did: “Abba! Father!” for we are heirs with Christ.

In the Gradual, which comes from Psalm 30 (31), we pray in hope that God will show himself a loving Father by being our protector and refuge.

The Gospel is from Luke 16:1-9. It tells a parable of a wicked steward who makes use of deceitful, worldly wisdom to make friends and secure a temporal future for himself. He is a son of darkness and, like his brothers and sister of darkness, he shows himself more prudent in securing his future in an evil fashion, than the sons of light, the children of God show in securing an eternal future in righteous fashion. Money and possessions exert a constant temptation upon both the sons of darkness and the sons of light. The sons of light ought to use their wealth is service to others rather than themselves, for in the end, it will in fact be of great service to them. You can’t take your wealth with you when you die, but in using it rightly you secure friends of influence in “eternal habitations” (RSV), who will secure for you an eternal reward. When we act like the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-22 which immediately precedes this Sunday’s Gospel reading) and waste the wealth the Father has given us on wine, women, and song, we must secure a future for ourselves by returning to the source of are real inheritance.

God will not save those who are “prudent” in evil fashion, but those who are humble, thus we pray in the offertory (see Ps 17): Thou wilt save the humble people, O Lord, and wilt bring down the eyes of the proud; for who is God but Thee, O Lord?”

we must be humble enough to recognize that our wealth is not our own, and thus we pray at the secret: “Receive, we beseech Thee, O Lord, these gifts, which, out of Thine own generosity, we bring unto Thee, that these holy Mysteries, by the working power of Thy grace, may sanctify our conduct in this life and bring us to the joys without end.”

For further reading:

Homily on Rom 8:12-13 by St John Chrysostom

On Works and Alms (Treatise 8) by St Cyprian of Carthage.

Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? by St Clement of Alexandria (This is a protestant site)

The Danger of Riches John Henry Newman
Lectures on Romans by St Thomas Aquinas (at the bottom of the page you’ll find a box with the page numbers. It will read 1 of 609. Erase this and type in 295 then press your ENTER key. This will take you to the beginning of his lecture on Chapter 8

The Roman Catechism Issued by Council of Trent. Go to Pages 267-269. I cannot link directly to the page. Follow instruction found in the previous link. Read what is found under the heading “Positive part of this Commandment.”

Summa of Theology 2a. 2ae. 62 (Hereafter ST.)on making restitution

ST. 2a. 2ae. 32 On almsgiving

ST 2a. 2ae. 117 On liberality

ST 2a. 2ae 119 On prodigality

Vs 1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar; and he said, Smite the capitals, that the thresholds may shake; and break them in pieces on the head of all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: there shall not one of them flee away, and there shall not one of them escape. (Note: unless otherwise stated, all quotes come from the AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION. The text is in the public domain).

I saw. Reminds us of the superscription which spoke of “the words of Amos…which he saw concerning Israel.” the Lord standing beside the altar. This could also be translated “on the altar” which would be more in keeping with the position God is usually said to assume. However, it should be kept in mind that this is a false altar upon which God is never have said to have manifested his presence. Indeed, seeking the Lord as if he were present on such a false altar has already been condemned (5:4-5).

God commands someone to smite the capitals, that the threshold may shake. Who exactly is being command to do this is unclear. Since what follows has God speaking in the first person, it seems likely that he is speaking with himself (see Gen 18:16-21). The capitals are to be broken so as to fall upon the heads of those worshipping in the temple. There may be an allusion here to Samson’s destruction of the temple of Dagon (Judges 16:23-31).

I will slay the last of them…there shall not one of them escape. This may be an allusion to Jehu’s destruction of the temple of Baal (2 Kings 10:18-27.

Vs 2-4 though they dig into Sheol, from there my hand shall take them; and though they climb up to heaven, from there will I bring them down. And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, I will command the serpent to bite them. And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence I will command the sword, and it shall slay them: And I will set my eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

No matter how deep they go (Sheol, sea), nor how high (the top of Mt. Carmel, heaven) they will not escape God’s punishments, for he is the Lord of creation as the following verses make clear:

Vs 5-6 For the Lord, God of hosts, is he who touches the land and it melts, and all that dwell thereupon shall mourn; and the land shall rise up like the river, and sink back again, like the river of Egypt; It is he that builds his chambers in the heavens, and has founded his vault upon the earth; he that calls forth the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth; the Lord is his name (My translation based heavily on ASV)

Like 4:13 and 5:8-9 these verses are a doxology The image of the land melting and its rising up and sinking back like the river (i.e. the Nile) indicates an earthquake as in 8:8 (see also 1:1). The word melts in verse 5 could (and probably should) be translated as tremble, shakes, or shudders (see Psalm 46:6; Nahum 1:5).

Vs 7 Are you not like the children of the Ethiopians to me, O children of Israel? says the Lord. Was it not I who brought Israel up out of Egypt, as I brought the Philistines out from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?

Israel is in reality no different from any pagan nation because it has separated itself from the one God and his covenant and laws. Mere possession of the land of promise is nothing, since God gave land even to the pagan Philistines (who are said to have come from Caphtor, probably Crete). Its covenant relationship with God is what set Israel apart (see Exodus 19:5), but this relationship they had severed, thereby making themselves no better than other nations (see Exodus 8:19-20).

Vs 8-10 Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I shall destroy it from off the face of the earth; save that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the Lord. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, like grain is sifted in a sieve, yet the smallest kernel shall not fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, evil shall not overtake nor meet us.

Only those lowly and humble enough to repent (symbolised by the smallest kernel) will escape. Those out of touch with their own sinfulness see no need to repent and will therefore be lost.

(Unless otherwise noted the translations of Amos are mine. Since I’m no expert on Hebrew, the reader is asked to consult a recognised translation)

Before beginning, you may wish to familiarize yourself with some background on Amos available on the web.  And you certainly should familiarize yourself with the historical and theological background as presented in the Old Testament.  See my “Introductory Readings and Discussion List HERE.

Verse 1: The Superscription.
Vs 1 The words of Amos, one among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw regarding Israel during the reign of Uzziah, the king of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, the king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

What is the focus and purpose of this superscription (vs 1)? At first sight it may seem that its primary purpose is to introduce the reader to the prophet and to the time period of his ministry; and this is not incorrect. However, notice that everything of importance that is told to us in this first verse is related to “The words”. We are told four things:

1. We are told who received the word-Amos.
2. We are told how he received it-in a vision.
3. We are told something of its content-it concerns Israel.
4. We are told when Amos’ vision concerning Israel and his subsequent ministry took place-During the reigns of Uzziah and Jeroboam II, two years before and earthquake.

The fact that Amos is said to have received the word in a vision may sound odd to us at first; but it shouldn’t, since it’s a typical way of speaking. Do you see what I’m saying?

Words (the Hebrew term is dabar= “daw-baw”). The term usually refers to speech or words, whether spoken or written. It could however also refer to business, work or actions. Actions, like words, can be revelatory. This is why the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation states:

In his goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of his will (Eph 1:9) by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in the Holy Spirit have access to the Father and come to share in the divine nature (Eph 2:18; 2 Pet 1:4). Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (Col 1:15; 1 Tim 1:17) out ot the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends (Ex 33:11; John 15:14-15) and lives among them (Bar 3:38), So that He might invite and take them into fellowship with himself. THIS PLAN OF REVELATION IS REALIZED BY DEEDS AND WORDS HAVING AN INNER UNITY: THE DEEDS WROUGHT BY GOD IN THE HISTORY OF SALVATION MANIFEST AND CONFIRM THE TEACHING AND REALITIES SIGNIFIED BY THE WORDS, WHILE THE WORDS PROCLAIM THE DEEDS AND CLARIFY THE MYSTERY CONTAINED IN THEM. (Dei Verbum 2)

God’s actions, and by extension the actions his prophets perform, are themselves as revelatory as spoken words. (See these “prophecy in action stories: Isaiah 20:1-6; Jer 19:1-15;). These actions dramatically reinforce oracles which accompany them. Other stories along similar lines can be found here (2 Kings 13:14-19; Ezek 4:1-8).

The words which Amos saw refers primarily to his visions narrated later in the Book.

Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa.

The name Amos means “one who carries a burden.” This is a fitting name for a prophet since one of the words for prophecy in Hebrew is massa (mas-saw), which is derived from the same root (amas) as Amos. Amos=one who carries a burden, is a prophet who carries the burden (massa) of the Lord. (Note: The word massa is usually translated into English as “oracle.”)

Shepherd. The word used here (noqed= no-kade) is very rare. It is used in only one other place in the bible, 2 kings 3:4, where it refers to King Mesha of Moab. The noqed sheep are a short-legged, ugly species of sheep which were highly prized for their fine wool. Only someone of wealth would own them. Does this mean that Amos was wealthy? According to Jewish tradition he was. Christian commentators are divided. Amos appears to be a rather cultured individual. His writing is in good Hebrew style and his poetry is exceeded in the bible only by that of the aristocratic Isaiah. His knowledge of the history of his own nation, along with his knowledge of the history of surrounding nations suggests he is a man of some education. Likewise he seems to have had some knowledge of astronomy. All of this suggests a man of some means.

On the other hand, in chapter 7 he identifies himself as a herdsman but uses a much more generic term that noqed. He also describes himself a a “dresser of sycamore trees.” This means he poked holes into the fig-like fruit of this tree just before it began to ripen. This slowed down the ripening process and made the generally bitter fruit a bit sweeter and more palatable. Such fruit was the diet of the poor. This suggests that Amos was not a man of means.

I would propose this solution. At the time of Amos’ ministry king Uzziah of Judah was involved in massive building projects and also a large military build up. This of course took money, and governments get money by taxation. The taxes in Judah had become so severe that it was becoming hard for even the wealthy to maintain the lifestyle they were used to. As a result of this, the rich began to devise various ways of cheating the poor to supplement their income.

Amos was from Judea but he preached in the Northern Kingdom of Israel where the very same problems existed. In his preaching Amos is unmerciful towards the rich for their treatment of the poor. All of this leads me to the following conclusion: Amos had been wealthy but had fallen on hard times do to the excessive taxation. Unwilling to supplement his dwindling income by taking advantage of the poor he may have sold off most of his noqed sheep and started raising other types of livestock. He may also have been forced to supplement his income as a “dresser of sycamore trees.” But all of this is, of course, speculation.

Tekoa. The name probably refers to a wilderness area (2 Chron 20:20) located south of Jerusalem. It could also refer to a town in this area.

The reign of Uzziah/Jeroboam. To find out more about Uzziah click here. To find out more about Jeroboam II click here

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Verse 2: Keynote of the book

Vs 2 He (Amos) said: The Lord does roar from Zion, gives out his voice from Jerusalem, the meadows of the shepherds mourn, the height of Carmel withers.
The Lord roars from Zion and gives out his voice from Jerusalem. As a stockherder, a roaring lion would have been one of Amos’ worst nightmares. In the bible the people of God are often referred to as God’s sheepfold and He is often described as a Shepherd. Amos’ oracles make it clear that God, Israel’s shepherd, is about to become their worst nightmare.

The roar of a Lion is often a figure of hostility in the bible, describing what the enemies of God and his people do. In Psalm 22:13 it is used to described the enemies of the righteous psalmist. In Psalm 74:4 it is used to describe the yelling of God’s enemies (Babylonians) in as they destroyed the Jerusalem temple.

We are perhaps to understand that God is doing his roaring thru the prophet {see Amos 3:1-8 especially vss 4 and 8}

The Northern Kingdom of Israel, after its split with Judah had set up sanctuaries in opposition to the temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem (1 Kings 12: 26-33); the only place in the Holy Land where valid sacrifice could be offered. By doing this the kingdom showed itself an enemy of God, and now God is about to show himself an enemy to his sinful people.

Mourning meadows/withering Carmel. The text implies that God’s judgment of Israel has already begun. The beginning of this judgment is a drought. This was one of the curses threatened by God if his people ever forgot him or turned to false worship (see Deut 28:20-24).

Carmel is a reference to Mount Carmel. The name means “the garden with fruit tree,” a reference to the extraordinary fertility of the mountain which, due to its geographical location receives more rainfall than most other areas in the Holy Land. A withering Carmel would be a bad drought indeed. The prophet Nahum 1:4 and Isaiah 33:9 also see the drying up of Carmel as a sign of God’s anger.

Carmel was already famous to the people of the Northern Kingdom. During the time of Elijah,
God gave power to the prophet to bring drought upon the land of Israel for three years because of its idolatry (they were worshipping Baal). This situation came to an end when Elijah challenged 450 prophets of Baal to a duel on Mount Carmel. With his victory over them, the rain returned to Israel and the first sign of the coming rain was spotted atop Carmel. (see 1 Kings 18)

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NOTE: Mousing onto the blue colored links (without clicking on) will cause a pop-up box to appear with the cited biblical text in it. The default setting for the text is the Douay-Rheims translation, however the feature allows you to choose several different translations in which to read the text. Red/orange colored texts which are underlined must be clicked on.

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1:3-5 Oracle against Damascus.

Thus says the Lord: For the three trangressions of Damscus, and for four, I will not call it back; for they have threshed Gilead with threshing sleds of iron, I will send fire upon the house of Hazael it shall eat up the strongholds of Ben-Hadad. I will break the bar of Damascus, cut off those who dwell in the valley of Aven, along with him who holds the scepter in Beth-Eden; and the people of Aram shall go as captives into Kir, says the Lord.

The first oracle is against Syria, which was also named Aram, and, Damascus, which was its capitol.

Thus says the Lord: Is typical of prophetic speech. The prophet is speaking on God’s authority, not his own.

For three trangressions…and for four: These words form part of all the oracles. They express indefiniteness, a lack of any limit. Transgression is, in the literal Hebrew, rebellion. The word implies a rebellion against some authority (1 Kings 12:10; 2 Kings 1:1). The implication here is that the authority rebelled against is God. Although the pagan nations did not have the Law as the Chosen People did, they still had the moral authority of their God-given conscience.

Damascus: The capitol of Aram, which was also called Syria;

I will not call it back: “it” has no referrent in the Hebrew but clearly God’s punishment is what will not be called back. God’s patience is at an end. The looming threat throughout the book is the Assyrian Empire.

They have threshed Gilead with threshing sleds of iron: Threshing sleds were heavy wooden platforms which had small iron spikes on the bottom of them. These were dragged over harvested grain to crush it in order to seperate the kernels from the chaff. While this crime of Damascus is often interpreted literally, it should be understood that this image was a common metaphor for wholesale military destruction.

Gilead refers to Israellite territory east of the sea of Galilee (called Kinneret in the OT) and the Jordan River. This area was often subject to invasion by Aram. Numerous battles between Aram and Israel took place in the 9th century BC for control of the region and Israel lost control of part of it. It was during one of these battles, near the city of Ramoth-Gilead that King Ahab of Israel was killed (see 1 Kings 22). Only around the time of Amos was Israel able to assert its full control over the region. The people would see the punishment of Aram as well justified.

I shall send fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall eat up the strongholds of Ben-Hadad: The kingdom and the short lived dynasty of Hazael will succumb to military attack.

Hazael was an officer of King Ben-Hadad (not the one Amos mentions). He was suppossed to be annointed by Elijah as king of Aram (see 1 Kings 19:15), whether this happened or not is unclear. Later, he was sent to Elisha by Ben-Hadad to inquire if he (Beh-Hadad) would recover from an illness. At this time Elisha predicts the trouble Hazael will bring upon Israel (see 2 Kings 2:8). Upon his return to Aram Hazael murdered Ben-Hadad and ascended the throne. For this reason, Assyrian records refer to him as “son of a nobody”, for he had no royal blood in him. He warred unsuccessfully against Shalmaneser III of Assyria in 841 and 837 BC. He also warred against Jehoahaz of Israel and conquered the territory around Ramoth -Gilead (see 2 Kings 10:32). This left Jehoahaz weakened (see 2 Kings 13:7). He conquered the Philistine city of Gath and then laid siege to Jerusalem, the capitol of Judah which paid him a heavy tribute to end the siege (see 2 Kings 12:17-18). He was succeeded to the throne by his son Ben-Hadad (the one Amos does mention).
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I will break the bar of Damascus: The heavily fortified gates of the city will be breached by the Assyrians.

I will cut off those who dwell in the valley of Aven: The word Aven means sin or evil power. It is a contemptous reference to the Beqa Valley which was part of Aram/Syria at that time. (It now sits on the border between Lebanon and Syria). The place will be cut off; this is perhaps a reference to their no longer being able to trade along the Mediterranean costal routes because their access to it has been cut off. More likely, in light of the rest of the text, it refers to exile.

along with him who holds the scepter at Beth-Eden; and the people of Aram shall go as captives into Kir:

Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael is the one who holds the scepter. Beth-Eden means “house of pleasure” and is a contemptous word-play on the name of a city “Bit Adini”. This city was located on the banks of the Euphrates River, about 200 miles northeast of Damascus. It would be, in the event of an Assyrian invasion, the first target to be attacked. It was a strong, fortified city and therefore a key for the maintaining of the kingdom of Aram. Beh-Hadad is said to hold the scepter from this city, meaning his whole kingdom and rule was dependent on it. The prophet is implying that it will fall and, as a result, the king and the people will go as captives to Kir. There is evidence to suggest that at the time of Amos’ ministry, Assyria had already gained control of Beth-Eden (Bit Adini). The location of Kir is disputed, many think it’s a reference to an area east of Babylon, on the northeast shore of the Persian gulf. According to Amos 9:7, the people of Aram were orignally from Kir and had been transplanted to Syria by the goodnes of God. The comparison to the Chosen People in that passage suggests that the people of Aram had once ben slaves, like God’s people. Into slavery they will return.

TO SEE PICTURES OF GILEAD CLICK HERE

Amos 1:6-8 ORACLES AGAINST PHILISTIA

For info on Philistia click here. Be sure to click on the map to enlarge.

Amos 1:9-10 ORACLE AGAINST TYRE

The covenant of brotherhood is a reference to the pact both David and Solomon had with King Hiram of Tyre, which established a “brotherhood” among them. Hiram supplied both men and materials to David for the building of his palace (2 Samuel 5:11-12). He later supplied men and materials to Solomon for the building of the Jerusalem Temple (1 Kings 5:15-32). In both these passages the Biblical language of covenant (love, brother) is used. During the time of king Jehu of Israel Tyre failed to support Israel in its troubles with Aram. Tyre is said to have delivered up a whole people to Edom inasmuch as their failure to help Israel led to the exile of many Israelites from Gilead by Aram. For more on Tyre click here.

Amos 1:11-12 ORACLE AGAINST EDOM

He pursued his brother with the sword: According to the book of Genesis, Esau was the father of the Edomites. He was also the elder twin brother of Jacob, (also called Israel) who is the father of the twelve tribes. In Genesis 27:39-40, Isaac, the father of the twins, prophesied that Esau would live by the sword, be subject to his younger brother, but eventually free himself. Israel gained control over Edom during the reign of David and held onto that control till the time of Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20-22). Archaeologist have discovered a whole string of forts on the border between Edom and the holy land, suggesting tht conflict between the brother-peoples was not rare.

he cast off all pity: A poor translation. The Hebrew phrase refers to the killing of women: “he destroyed wombs.”

his anger tore perpetually: The Hebrew word for “tore” refers to a lion eating, emphasising the bitterness of the anger.

he kept his wrath forever: Literally, “his wrath watched forever.” Like a lion which, when guarding its kill will attack at the slightest provocation.

For more on Edom click here.

Amos 1:13-15 ORACLE AGAINST AMMON

For more on Ammon click here.

Amos 2:1-3 ORACLE AGAINST MOAB

For info on Moab click here.

Amos 2:4-5 ORACLE AGAINST JUDAH

Judah has been led astray by lies, a common biblical term for idol.

Given the length of the oracle against Israel I will treat of it in another post.

1:6-8 ORACLES AGAINST PHILISTIA

For info on Philistia click here. Be sure to click on the map to enlarge.

1:9-10 ORACLE AGAINST TYRE

The covenant of brotherhood is a reference to the pact both David and Solomon had with King Hiram of Tyre, which established a “brotherhood” among them. Hiram supplied both men and materials to David for the building of his palace (2 Sam 5:11-12). He later supplied men and materials to Solomon for the building of the Jerusalem Temple (1 Kings 5:15-32). In both these passages the Biblical language of covenant (love, brother) is used. During the time of king Jehu of Israel Tyre failed to support Israel in its troubles with Aram. Tyre is said to have delivered up a whole people to Edom inasmuch as their failure to help Israel led to the exile of many Israelites from Gilead by Aram. For more on Tyre click here.

1:11-12 ORACLE AGAINST EDOM

He pursued his brother with the sword: According to the book of Genesis, Esau was the father of the Edomites. He was also the elder twin brother of Jacob, (also called Israel) who is the father of the twelve tribes. In Genesis 27:27:39-40, Isaac, the father of the twins, prophesied that Esau would live by the sword, be subject to his younger brother, but eventually free himself. Israel gained control over Edom during the reign of David and held onto that control till the time of Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20-22). Archaeologist have discovered a whole string of forts on the border between Edom and the holy land, suggesting tht conflict between the brother-peoples was not rare.

he cast off all pity: A poor translation. The Hebrew phrase refers to the killing of women: “he destroyed wombs.”

his anger tore perpetually: The Hebrew word for “tore” refers to a lion eating, emphasising the bitterness of the anger.

he kept his wrath forever: Literally, “his wrath watched forever.” Like a lion which, when guarding its kill will attack at the slightest provocation.

For more on Edom click here.

1:13-15 ORACLE AGAINST AMMON

For more on Ammon click here.

2:1-3 ORACLE AGAINST MOAB

For info on Moab click here.

2:4-5 ORACLE AGAINST JUDAH

Judah has been led astray by lies, a common biblical term for idol.

Given the length of the oracle against Israel I will treat of it in another post.

Having spoke judgement oracles against seven nations, including Judah, the prophet begins his eighth and longest oracle -against Israel itself.

2:6-8 ECONOMIC INJUSTICE

Vs 6. Thus says the Lord: For the three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not call it back; because for silver they have sold the righteous, and for a pair of sandals the destitute.

As we have seen already, transgression means deliberate rebellion against God. In Israel’s case, however, the trangression is more deplorable than it was with the pagan nations because it, unlike those nations, was privileged with the law, the revealed will of God (see Deut 4:5-8). Judah too, in a short, two sentence statement, was condemned for its infidelity to the law, but Amos sees Israel’s sins as much worse.

In the first reason given for the condemnation, the operative words are the righteous and the destitute, not “silver” or “sandals”. The sin of Israel, its rebellion against the revealed will of God, is injustice toward men which manifests itself in greed. This brings to mind a famous Biblical text:

He (Jesus) said to him: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with your whole mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: you mst love your neighbor as yourself. The whole of the law and of the prophets rests on these two commands. (see Mt 22:34-40. Also Lev 19:18)

As will be seen later, the righteous are sold and the needy are cheated by bribery in the law courts.

Vs 7 They lust for the very dust of the land that has settled on the head of the poor. They pervert the way of the poor; a man and his father go to the same servant, so as to profane my holy name.

Their greed, the manifestation of their unrighteousness, shows itself as greed for land. This greed is here described as so intense that it is a lusting after the very dust of the land that has settled on the poor man’s head!

they pervert the way of the poor. The Hebrew word for way is derek, like its Greek counterpart hodos, it refers literally to a path or road (highway, freeway, pathway). In the Bible, both words are used to denote moral activity (see psalm 1). The sense here could be that the action of the unrighteous leads the poor man into unrighteousness. Another possible interpretation is that the word poor is being used here in the sense of meek or humble. They pervert the way of the meek would then mean that they have left the right road, the right course of moral activity. They no longer walk the road of the humble. (Again, see the metaphor of “the way” in psalm 1).

A man and his father go into the same servant: The law in Leviticus 18:8 and 20:11-12 forbid a father and son from having sexual relations with the same woman. Such an act was considered a form of incest and a gross perversion of the moral order, thus a profaning of the holy name of God.

The word I translated as servant could also be translated as prositute. But given the econmic context of vss 6-8 I think servant is better. A man could put his daughter into servitude to pay off a debt, alleviate a desperate financial situation, or simply because he could not take proper care of her. The law provided protection for such women (see Exodus 21:7-11). It may be that the wealthy men of Isarel were cheating and taking advantage of the poor to gain their daughters as “sexual” servants. (This is the view of Marvin Sweeney in THE TWELVE PROPHETS, Vol. 1).

Vs 8 And on garments taken in pledge they stretch themselves out beside every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the place of their gods.

If a person owed a debt certain of his garments could be taken in pledge ((Ex 22:25-26), but these had to be returned to him at night for humanitarian reasons. According to Deuteronomy 24:12-13, a man who took anothers garment as a debt pledge was forbidden to sleep on it since it had to be returned to the debtor for him to sleep in. Apparently, Amos is accusing the wealthy of not breaking the law of Deuteronomy. However, not simplu content to break this law, they compound it by drinking the wine of the condmned. Condmned here means those who have had a legal judgement go against them. Fines could be paid with agricultural commodities. As we have already noted, the courts in Israel were perverted by bribes. The prophet is here condemning people for enjoying ill-gotten wine on ill-gotten garments. Worse still, they are enjoying these things beside every altar in the place of their gods. They enjoy the fruits of their perversion of justice beside the altars of the “high places” so often condemned by the prophets (see Hosea 10:8; Amos 7:9).

2:9-11 WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR HIS PEOPLE

Vs9 Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them, who were as high as the heights of the cedars, and who were as strong as the oaks; I destroyed the fruit that was above and the roots that were beneath.

The opening of verse 9 is emphatic. It highlights the marked contrast between what God has done for Israel and how they have responded.

Amorites refers to a Semetic speaking people who migrated into the Holy Land, Syria, and Mesopotamia (Iraq) early in the second millenium BC. The Bible identifies them , along with Canaanites and Hittites, as possessing the Holy Land before the advent of the twelve tribes. The Bible presents the Amorites as idolaters and as exceedingly sinful and this is given as the reason for God’s action against them (see Leviticus 18:24-30).

Their height is compared to that of the cedar tree and their strength is compared to that of an oak. In the bible, trees are often used as a symbol of might, but also of pride and arrogance (see Ezekiel 31; Isaiah 2:13; and my notes on Isaiah 2:13-16). The Amorites were too strong and powerful for the People of God to defeat without God’s help (see Numbers 13:25-14:45). For the sake of his people God destroyed the tree-like Amorites completely: their fruit above and their root beneath.

Vs 10 And it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, and who led you in the wilderness for forty years, so that you might take possession of the land of the amorites.

The forty years in the wilderness was a result of the people’s lack of trust in God, manifested in their refusal to trust that he could conqueor the Amorites (see the Numbers link above). Yet, although God did punish the people for this sin he did not reject them, he thus manifested both his justice and his mercy. Even in the midst of their forty year punishment God took care of them (Deut 8:1-5). The purpose of all they experienced those forty years was so that they might take possession of the land.

Vs 11 From among your sons I raised up prophets; and from among your young men (I raised up) Nazarites. Is this not so, O sons of Israel? says the Lord.

Once the people had come into the Holy Land God raised up prophets for them, to ensure that they stayed on the straight and narrow in their relations with him, for a prime duty of the prophet was to oversee the right worship of God and the eradication of idolatry (Deut 18:9-22).

Nazarites The law regarding Nazarites can be found in Numbers 6:1-7. The exact significance of Nazarites is unknown. The term means “dedicated”, this may imply that they were meant to be examples to the people of holiness and commitment to God since things were made holy when they were dedicated to the service of the Lord.

2:12-16 A FURTHER SIN AND GOD’S RESPONSE

Vs 12 But you caused the Nazarites to drink wine, and demanded of the prophet: “Do not prophecy.”

They probably find commitment to the Lord a burden on their own guilty consciences, and so they force the Nazarite to abandon his commitment in order to feel better about themselves. Some things never change. For the same reason, prophets calling for right morality and a commitment to God are silenced. “Why should I listen to a celibate in Rome talk about sex and marriage?” “Don’t impose your morality on me!” Like I said, some things never change.

Vs 13 Behold, I will press down upon you as sheaves press down upon a cart.

Having found God’s moral will a burden, the people will now be burdened by the the Lord’s punishment, which will weigh upon them like produce in an overloaded cart.

Vs 14 Flight will perish from the fleet, the strong will not hold onto his strengh, and the mighty one will not deliver himself.

Vs 15 The skilled bowman will not stand, and the fleet of foot shall not deliver himself, and the one who rides a horse shall not save his life.

Vs 16 The stoutest heart among the mighty shall run away naked on that day, says the Lord.

The self-reliant, the “free moral agents”, will not be so fast, strong, or mighty, to save themselves from God’s wrath (Vs 14). This wrath will apparently manifest it self in the form of an invading army (Vss 15-16); the Assyrians, who would destroy the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC.

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Here begins another major section of the Prophet’s Book (3:1-4:13). It is in the form of a sermon which has combined many elements. The basic point of the sermon is that punishment is coming necessarily, and this necessity is due to Israel’s sins. It opens with a “call to attention” formula typical of the prophetic literature.

AMOS 3:1-2

1. Hear this word that the Lord has spoken concerning you, O sons of Israel, concerning the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
2. “Only you have I known among all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for your iniquities.”

“Hear this word” is a common biblical address meant to get an audience’s attention. It is found at the beginning of hymns of praise (Judges 5:3), it (or a similar formula) is also used in wisdom teaching (Prov 7:1, 24), and in military and political negotiations as well (2 Kings 18:28-29). But it was very common in prophetic speeches, especially those taking the form of a warning (Hosea 4:1; Isaiah 1:10; Ezekiel 6:3).

The word that the Lord has spoken concerning Israel is quoted beginning in verse 2: “only you have I known among all the families of the earth; therefore (i.e. for this reason, because of this) I will punish you for your iniquities.”

God chose to know Israel in a way not enjoyed by the other peoples of the world. Know, as used in Scripture, implies a special, intimate relationship of experience (see Gen 4:1; Jer1:5).

The wording of verses 1 and 2 would have called to the people’s minds the covenant of Moses which was itself a partial fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (also called Israel).

God had chosen Abraham so that in his descendents “all the families of the earth might find blessing (see Gen 12:3; 18:18;). A promise repeated after the near sacrifice of Isaac (Gen 22:18), and repeated again to Jacob (Israel) in Gnesis 28:10-15.

In Exodus 19, as God prepares to make his covenant with the people under Moses, he says to Moses: “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you up on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all the peoples; for all the earth is mine.” (Ex 19:3-5, RSV). And as he makes the covenant he begins with these words: “I am the Lord, your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

The words then of Amos 3:1-2 would have reminded the people of their founding traditions and their privileges as the Chosen People. A privilege Paul describes memorably: “They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Messiah.” (Rom 9:4-5, NAB). But with privilege and blessing comes responsibilities (see Luke 12:48) which the people had not fulfilled: Therefore, God says in Amos 3:2, I will punish you for your iniquities. In punishing the people God is showing himself to be what he was, the father of Israel, His firstborn son (Exodus 4:22-23); “for whom the Lord loves he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.” (see Hebrews 12:1-12).