Amos 9

¹¹ The Nazirites were those who made a vow to totally consecrate themselves to the Lord for varying periods of time (see Numbers 6:1–8).

¹² Bethel, in southern Israel, was the center of pagan worship for the Israelites (see 1 Kings 12:2830,32–33).

¹³ God is not against wealth as such; He is against the misuse of it. Wealth must be gained justly and it must be used unselfishly; all wealth belongs to God, and we are but stewards of it.

¹⁴ God never authorized sacrifices to be offered at Bethel and Gilgal (verse 4); the only place sacrifices were to be offered was on the altar of the temple in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ Any grain offering burned on the altar had to be prepared without yeast (Leviticus 2:11). Only those offerings not burned on the altar could have yeast (Leviticus 7:13).

¹⁶ In verse 5, Amos paints a picture of many religious people, especially those from affluent countries. For them, religious worship is a show, a means of winning approval or of gaining new business contacts. But such worship is condemned by God (see Amos 5:21–24). If we want our worship to be acceptable to Him, we must worship Him from our hearts and according to His revealed will.

¹⁷ For further discussion on the subject of testing and discipline, see Exodus 15:25–27 and comment.

¹⁸ The picture of a burning stick being snatched from the fire (verse 11) is a picture every believer in Christ can relate to; each one of us has been “snatched from the fire” by the grace of God. By grace we have been saved from the fire of God’s judgment (see Zechariah 3:1–2 and comment).

¹⁹ According to this chapter, it does appear that God had run out of patience with Israel. Yet in the next chapter God again calls the Israelites to repentance. God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). But unrepentant sinners cannot presume on God’s patience forever; the day will come—as it came for Israel—when God’s patience ends and judgment begins.

²⁰ The house of Joseph is Israel, the northern kingdom. The two leading tribes of Israel were Ephraim and Manasseh, founded by the two eldest sons of Joseph (Genesis 41:50–52; 48:1–5).

²¹ In verse 5, the Lord mentions three places where false worship was carried out: Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba (in Judah). These places and the pagan shrines associated with them would be destroyed; the false gods of the Israelites would not be able to stand against the true God of Israel.

²² Notice that verses 7 and 10 are interrupted by a parenthetical statement (verses 8–9). The statement is a brief word of praise to God, similar to that in Amos 4:13. Pleiades and orion are two constellations of stars. The Lord calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land (verse 8)—an apt description of a tsunami washing over the land after an earthquake.

²³ There are many today who long for the day of the LORD (verse 18), who long for the return of Christ. However, not everyone may be ready to meet Him! Let us not be like the ancient Israelites, who thought they were awaiting a Savior but in fact were awaiting a Judge.

²⁴ For further discussion of the day of the LORD, see Joel 1:15; 2:28–32 and comments.

²⁵ A plumb line is used by builders to make sure that vertical structures are not slanted.

²⁶ Isaac was the son of Abraham and the father of Jacob. In verse 9, Amos uses “Isaac” as another name for Israel.

²⁷ Amaziah gives us a picture of false religion. He claimed to be a priest of God, but he served the king instead. He called the shrine at Bethel the king’s sanctuary (verse 13), not God’s sanctuary. Religion in Israel had become the servant of politics. But Amos shows us the role of true religion in society; God’s servants are called to examine society in the light of God’s word and to expose and condemn any evil they find.

²⁸ Amos was a shepherd (verse 14); today we would call him a “layman.” Many other prophets came from priestly families or had special training or qualifications, but not Amos. Amos is proof that the Lord can take any one of us into His service to fulfill His purposes. Let no one excuse himself from the Lord’s service by saying: “I’m only a layman; I’m only a sheepherder.”

²⁹ The Pride of Jacob is the Lord Himself; the Lord was the true pride of Israel. Thus when the Lord swears by the “Pride of Jacob,” He is swearing by “Himself,” there being no one greater for Him to swear by (see Amos 6:8; Hebrews 6:13–14).

³⁰ The false gods of Israel included all the Canaanite gods the people worshiped. But surely the most displeasing to God were the two golden calves that had been set up in His name, one at Bethel and the other at Dan in the far north (1 Kings 12:28–30).

³¹ In verse 12, Edom represents the historic enemies of Israel (see Isaiah 1:11–12); even among these enemies there will be a believing remnant. The nations represent the remaining Gentiles in the world.

³² Note that the text of James’ quotation in Acts 15:16–17 is slightly different from the Old Testament text. This is because James was quoting from the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the “Septuagint.” One might ask: Is James’ quotation just as much God’s word as Amos’s original statement? Yes, it is; James too was inspired by the same Holy Spirit who inspired Amos.

³³ For further discussion of prophecies of the restored Israel and the Messianic age, see Isaiah 32:1418; 35:1–4; 60:1–3; Joel 1:15; 2:28–32 and comments.