Amos 3 : 1-15 (Daily Bread of 28/9/2017)

I WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS

Key verse 3 :2

The second part of this book comprises chapters 3-6 that all start with the words « listen to this Word ». Each one of these parts containing the summary of one of Amos' evangelic messages probably concerning Bethel.

1. No one can stay calm when the lion roars (1-8)

In the first instance Amos tasks about the particularities bond that God shares with His people (1-2). The more kind God was towards His people, the more their situation got worse in light of their multiple sins. Then Amos spoke about the different examples that showed that the calamities that they had to pass through were not accidental but coming from God. The prophets had already been taught to acknowledge that (7). There are seven long illustrations which show us that there «  everything happens for a reason » (in the case wherein the judgement is the effect, then sin is the reason). However, given that the last reason does not fit in well with the others, it would be more to say that « every action has a consequence ».

2. Come see what the Samaritans have done (9-15)

Amos invited the people of other foreign nations to come take a look at the evil things that the Samaritans did (9-10).Members of the noble class were especially invited to see the generated state of their Isralien homologues. After that Amos declared the punishment that would fall upon Israel (11-15). Amos' description of the shepherd is very shocking. He describes the end result of God's judgement as the mutilated lamb that the shepherd managed to rescue from the lion. The withholders of power in Samaria live very comfortable lives with beds that are actually extremely comfortable sofas. God's judgement will also fall upon the sanctuary at Bethel wherein the horns were thought to be symbolic of God's saving grace. With the Assyrian invasion these horns will be broken. The winter house and the ivory palaces, which were symbols of luxury that housed the bourgeoisie and the princes respectively, will all be reduced to ruins (15). The prophet reproaches them for the violence that they practised here as opposed to the existence of such houses.