Amos 1-2
Dear RTB’ers,
Thus far in RTB 2024 we’ve been fairly “linear” in our readings – Genesis and Exodus in the Old Testament and a gospel (Luke) and Acts in the New Testament. Now the STS authors have us jumping around a bit, dropping us into the middle of the Old Testament with Amos and Hosea. So a bit of OT history might be helpful.
When we left Exodus, we had the Israelites escaping from Egypt into the Wilderness of Sinai and receiving the Ten Commandments from the Lord. They stayed in that Wilderness for forty years before they entered the Promised Land. After conquering most of the Canaanite people they ran through a period of some 400 years of various “judges” leading the people through trials and tribulations. Soon the people demanded a king – someone like the kings that they saw in their neighboring pagan nations. So God gave them Saul, then David, then Solomon, then Solomon’s son Rehoboam. During Rehoboam’s reign the Kingdom split north (Israel) and south (Judah / Judea). In the south Jerusalem and its temple were the center of worship for faithful Israelites. However the people in the Northern Kingdom rebelled against the Southern leadership and formed their own center of worship in Bethel. Here’s where we pick up today, with Uzziah as the king of Judah and Jeroboam II as the king of Israel (Amos 1:1), probably sometime relatively early in the 8th century BC.
Amos begins with the Lord’s judgments against Israel’s neighbors (Amos 1:3–2:3): Damascus, Gaza (and three other Philistine cities), Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab. Each of these “nations” has a long history with the Israelites, both friendly and hostile and including some family relationships. [NOTE: Gilead, another name that is twice mentioned (Amos 1:3,13) is land east of the Jordan River that is occupied by the Israelites, with three of their twelve tribes living there. Note also that the Gaza mentioned in Amos 1:6-8 is the same “Gaza Strip” where Israel and Hamas are fighting today.]
Then the Lord turns his anger toward Judah and Israel (Amos 2:4-16). He does not hold back! Judah’s sins are noted in Amos 2:4, with Israel’s sins listed in Amos 2:6-8,12. Then the Lord recounts His own grace in bringing the Israelites as His own people (Amos 2:9-11) and pronounces His judgment against them (Amos 2:13-16).
Enough for today! If you don’t own a Study Bible, you might consider buying one!
Blessings!
As we’ll be spending the next few days reading Amos and Hosea, you might want to review our “Tips on the Prophets” from last year.
Also, I’d like to encourage us all to dialog more. If you have an insight, share it. If you have a question, ask it. Don’t be shy. We all benefit from such conversation as we look more deeply into God’s Word.