Punishing the Punishers (Amos 1:2—2:3)
It is God who identifies a nation’s sin and announces the consequences—and they are irrevocable.
Today’s world is quick to hate Israel. Anti-Israel forces continuously make false accusations against the Jewish nation and rally others to oppose and attack it. Apparently, they have not read the Bible. Scripture makes it clear that God has but one covenant nation, Israel; and He warns, “For he who touches you [Israel] touches the apple of His eye” (Zech. 2:8).
God sometimes allows Israel’s enemies to triumph in order to punish His people. But then He punishes the punishers. In the 8th century BC, God sent the prophet Amos to the northern kingdom of Israel to chastise it for erecting altars in Shechem, Dan, and Bethel (places where He had not put His name nor commanded worship). But God’s judgment would engulf not only Israel but also the surrounding Gentile nations.
God’s Pronouncement
Scripture lists the judgments on the Gentile nations not based on geographic location but, rather, based on how they persecuted the Jewish people.
There were four reasons for doing so: to (1) grab Israel’s attention; (2) show the Israelites God cared for them by judging their enemies; (3) encourage the Israelites to repent by helping them sense that God was preparing to judge them; and (4) teach Israel that God is slow to judge nations, patiently giving people time to repent.
Each nation’s denunciation begins with a formula: “Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions . . . and for four, I will not turn away its punishment” (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). Commentators interpret this phrase in different ways. It is best to interpret it as meaning the nation committed an incalculable number of sins, its cup of guilt was full, and God’s judgment must fall.
God makes three points in the statement: (1) Punishment is inevitable and irrevocable; (2) it is God who identifies a nation’s sin and announces the consequence; and (3) God is long-suffering, giving a nation time to repent.
The Nations’ Punishments
Amos approached each nation using an identical pattern. He gave the reason God denounced it, listed its repulsive deeds, and presented the results of its coming destruction.
SYRIA. This nation is identified by its major city, Damascus. God allowed Syrian King Hazael to smite Gilead, Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, lands where the Israelites had settled east of the Jordan River (1:3–5). The Syrians brutally ran over the captives of Gilead with a threshing machine consisting of long, sharp teeth that shredded an individual’s flesh.
For such savagery, God sent a fire into the house of King Hazael that devoured the palaces of Ben-Hadad. Damascus was burned, and the people were taken captive to Kir (vv. 4–5).
PHILISTIA. The second country denounced is Philistia (vv. 6–8), with its major cities of Gaza (capital), Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron (vv. 7–8). Gath is not mentioned. Judah probably already captured Gath before this prophecy was given. Gaza was a center for slave trading because of its location on the Mediterranean coast between Tyre and Egypt. Israelites sold into slavery suffered great abuse at the hands of Edom. The Edomites, in turn, sold their slaves to other countries for great profit.
In 743 BC, Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria attacked Gaza, making it a vassal city and subjugating the entire area. Decades later, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Philistia, its cities, kings, and citizenry.
TYRE. The third place denounced is Tyre (vv. 9–10), Phoenicia’s major city. Tyre’s transgression was that it delivered up the whole captivity in Edom and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood (v. 9). Amos did not identify the captives, but they probably were Israelites, bought by the Phoenicians and then sold to Edom.
The result of Tyre’s sin would be its destruction by fire. This prophecy was fulfilled when Alexander the Great destroyed Tyre in 332 BC, after a seven-month siege. History records that 6,000 people were killed during the siege, and 30,000 were sold into slavery.
EDOM. Edom showed no pity or compassion on Israel (vv. 11–12; Obad. 10–16) and, for sheer pleasure, tore it apart as a bloodthirsty wild beast kills its prey (Amos 1:11). Edom “kept his wrath forever,” continually seeking opportunities to gratify its hatred of Israel.
Consequently, its two major cities, Teman and Bozrah, were burned (v. 12). Thus, the entire nation would be destroyed. The Assyrians subjugated Edom in the 8th century BC. By the 5th century BC, it had become a desolate wasteland and was later overtaken by the Nabateans, an Arabian tribe.
AMMON. The Ammonites “ripped open the women with child” during their border raids into Gilead, trying to destroy Israel’s population and grab Israel’s land
(v. 13). The Ammonites were Lot’s descendants through his younger daughter (Gen. 19:38).
Ammon’s detestable sin would be punished by the burning of its capital city, Rabbah (present-day Amman, Jordan). The invaders would enter Rabbah with bloodcurdling shouts of war and, like a whirlwind, destroy the city and its people (Amos 1:14). This prophecy was fulfilled when Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria destroyed Ammon in 734 BC.
MOAB. Moab was located between Ammon and Edom, east of the Dead Sea. The Moabites were Lot’s descendants through his older daughter (Gen. 19:37). They committed the despicable crime of digging up the bones of Edom’s king and burning them into lime (Amos 2:1). Many scholars believe this incident took place when Edom confederated with King Jehoram of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah to attack King Mesha of Moab (2 Ki. 3:4–9).
Moab’s sin resulted in the burning of its major city, Kerioth (Amos 2:2). In the conflict, its judges, princes, and citizenry were utterly consumed. (See Jeremiah 48.) History confirms that Moab ceased to be a power in the Middle East.
Edom, Moab, and Ammon existed in what today is Jordan, east of Israel. God bestowed this land on the three nations (Dt. 2:5, 9, 19). The relationship between Israel and Edom, Moab, and Ammon was fraught with conflict. In fact, King David of Israel defeated and ruled over these nations during his reign (2 Sam. 8:1–14).
When Babylon rose to power and moved against Israel, Edom, Moab, and Ammon helped Babylon. Although Edom was not confederated with Judah’s enemies, it acted as one of them. God’s punishment of Edom is just: He said, “As you have done, it shall be done to you; your reprisal shall return upon your own head” (Obad. 15).
This is the “eye for eye” principle found in God’s law (Ex. 21:24; Dt. 19:21). Edom reaped exactly what it sowed against Israel. Eventually, Babylon turned on Edom and destroyed it (Obad. 7–9). Edom became occupied by the Nabateans, never to be restored.
Moab and Ammon also ceased to be nations, but God promised to restore both (Jer. 48:47; 49:6).
Principles to Remember
Here are some lessons from the book of Amos that we do well to learn:
→ God holds all nations accountable for how they treat Israel.
→ God is extremely patient with nations, providing time for them to repent before He executes judgment.
→ God is no respecter of nations. He will judge all of them for their sin.
→ When a nation’s cup of sin is full, judgment is irrevocable.
→ God is sovereign over all nations, choosing the times of their rise and fall.
→ God will punish leaders and nations that perpetrate fraud, oppression, and violence.
→ God will restore some nations, but others He will destroy forever.
The nations that hate Israel today would do well to learn these principles before their cups of sin overflow and their judgment becomes irrevocable.
