Amos - Lesson 3

THE BOOK OF AMOS
LESSON 3
CHAPTERS 3:1-6:14

Three Sermons on Judgment (3:1-6:14)
The Book of Doom Concludes (4:13)

Sermon 1: Amos 3:1-4:13
Sermon 2: Amos 5:1-9
Sermon 3: Amos 5:10-6:14

Amos 3:1-2 ~ Election and Punishment
1 Listen (Hear), Israelites, to this prophecy which Yahweh pronounces against you, against the whole family which I brought up from Egypt: 2You alone have I intimately known of all the families of earth, that is why I shall punish you for all your wrong-doings.

Chapter 3 begins with Yahweh's prophecy to the "Israelites" (literally "sons of Israel"), continuing with the theme of the Exodus from 2:10. Three oracles begin with "Listen/hear" 3:1, 4:1, and 5:1. Yahweh Himself is the speaker in the first person as verse 1 shows.

2 You alone have I intimately known of all the families of earth, that is why I shall punish you for all your wrong-doings.
"To know" in the Biblical sense means intimate knowledge through the covenant bond and to be "chosen" and "loved" (Gen 18:19; Dt 9:24; Wis 10:5; Jer 1:5; Hos 13:4). Israel being the "chosen" is not, according to Amos, a privilege (see 9:7) but a responsibility which the nation of Israel must discharge by faithfulness, obedience, and righteous conduct. Being "known" by God means acknowledging, recognizing, and committing oneself to a covenant union with Yahweh. It involves the will to commit oneself and the understanding/knowledge of what God requires in the relationship. Amos 3:2 does not suggest that God is unaware of the existence of other nations, but He is uniquely committed to Israel, unlike other nations.

Amos 3:1-2 emphasizes one of the main themes of the book. It goes back to what is behind the threatened judgment of Israel. The Old Testament focuses on the special status of the covenant people and the favored treatment they received. Because Yahweh chose Jacob and saved Israel from Egyptian bondage, He has a right to demand devoted obedience. He will judge Israel all the more strictly for its failures in obeying the laws He established for their well-being. In the view of the prophets, Yahweh's punishments became a sign of proof of His divine concern and commitment. When the people receive His judgments and endure them in that spirit, the penalties become a corrective restoring of the relationship to fellowship with God through their repentance and return to respect and obedience (4:6-11). All God's punishments are intended to be redemptive.

Amos 3:3-8 ~ Riddles and the Prophetic Call Cannot Be Resisted
3 Do two people travel together unless they have agreed to do so? 4 Does the lion roar in the forest if it has no prey? Does the young lion growl in his lair if it has caught nothing? 5 Does a bird fall on the ground in a net unless a trap has been set for it? Will the net spring up from the ground without catching something? 6 Does the trumpet sound in the city without the people being alarmed? Does misfortune come to a city if Yahweh has not caused it? 7 No indeed, Lord Yahweh does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants, the prophets. 8 The lion roars: who is not afraid? Lord Yahweh has spoken: who will not prophesy?

The seven riddles are linked as a chain. The first riddle refers to the covenant people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah who rejected the path God gave them that leads toward life. In his last sermon on the Plains of Moab on the east side of the Jordan River, Moses told the people there were two paths. One offered life and prosperity, and the other death and disaster (Dt 30:15-20). If they obeyed God and were faithful to the covenant oath they swore at Sinai, they would travel the path of life, but to reject God's commandments would lead to disaster: "If you obey the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I am laying down for you today, if you love Yahweh your God and follow [walk in] his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws and his customs, you will live and grow numerous, and Yahweh your God will bless you ... But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish ... (see Dt 30:16-18a).

The second and third riddles describe two aspects of the hunting practices of lions and their behavior in the forest and den. God is the lion who roars from Zion (1:2) and hunts His prey, the covenant people who have broken their oath of obedience. Riddles four and five form a pair linked by the common word "ground." Riddles two and three are also linked to riddles four and five by their shared theme of catching and by their similar poetic and grammatical patterns. Riddles six and seven are connected by the word "city." The first of the two resembles riddles two and three in discussing a loud noise (the trumpet blast resembles a lion's roar). Trumpets signaled the call to battle or were a warning of danger. The entire riddle series is pervaded by an atmosphere of fear/terror.

8The lion roars: who is not afraid? Lord Yahweh has spoken: who will not prophesy?
The LORD is the lion who roars from Zion (1:2). Bad things are happening. Only at the end do we learn that God is behind it all, and His prophets cannot resist His divine call to carry His message of judgment.

Amos 3:9-12 ~ Samaria Will Perish for Her Corruption
9 From the palace roofs of Assyria and from the palace roofs of Egypt, proclaim aloud, Assemble on the hills of Samaria and observe the grave disorders inside her and the acts of oppression there!' 10 Little they know of right conduct, declares Yahweh, who cram their palaces with violence and extortion. 11 This is why, Lord Yahweh says this, an enemy will soon besiege the land, he will bring down your strength, and your palaces will be looted. 12 Yahweh says this: As the shepherd rescues two legs or the tip of an ear from the lion's mouth, so will the children of Israel be salvaged who now loll in Samaria in the corners of their beds, on their divans of Damascus.

Samaria was the capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel under the Omride Dynasty in the early 9^th century BC (1 Kng 16:23-24) until the city was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC. The name also became associated with the entire region of the Northern Kingdom after the Assyrian conquest. Samaria was infamous for its wickedness. Yahweh's prophets denounced the city and its people. Isaiah called Samaria the haughty crown of Ephraim's drunkards, and the faded flower of its proud splendor (Is 28:3, "Ephraim" refers to the Northern Kingdom and its first king from that tribe who broke away from the United Kingdom of Israel). Isaiah also prophesied its end (Is 2:4), referring to the Assyrian conquest (Is 9:8-12; 10:9-11; 36:19).

In verse 9, Israel's two most powerful hostile neighbors are summoned to witness her acts of wrong-doing (cf. Dt 30:19; also see Is 1:2).
Question: Yahweh announces His judgment delivered by an enemy who will punish Samaria in what three ways in verse 11?
Answer: The enemy will "besiege the land," "bring down" their strength, and "loot" their palaces.

12 Yahweh says this: As the shepherd rescues two legs or the tip of an ear from the lion's mouth, so will the children of Israel be salvaged who now loll in Samaria in the corners of their beds, on their divans of Damascus [on the damascus of a divan].
A shepherd discharged his liability for a missing sheep by producing its body parts left by a predator. Amos prophesies that nothing but scraps will be salvaged to attest to the honesty of the great Shepherd that is Yahweh and his prophet (see Ex 22:12). Verse 12 literally ends with the words, "on the damascus of a divan." The word damascus may designate a luxurious textile as the derived English word "damask" does today. Their wealth will not save the people of Samaria, who will be taken captive or killed as they lay upon their expensive furnishings.

Amos 3:13-15 ~ Against Bethel and Domestic Luxury
13 Listen and testify against the House of Jacob, declares the Lord Yahweh, God Sabaoth, 14 the day when I punish Israel for his crimes, I shall also punish the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be hacked off and will fall to the ground. 15 >I shall blast winter house with summer house, ivory houses will be destroyed, and many mansions cease to be, declares Yahweh.

The "House of Jacob" is Israel. The God of Hosts (Yahweh Sabaoth) calls the righteous to testify against the crimes of Israel.

Question: What are the "altars of Bethel"? See 1 Kng 12:27-31; 13:1-5.
Answer: God will again punish the false altars of Bethel, where the Northern Kingdom's first king, Jeroboam I, established the worship of a golden calf served by illicit priests.

The "horns of the altar" (most ancient altars had projections at the four corners) where the blood of sacrifice was smeared will be hacked off. Houses in which the furniture or walls were overlaid with ivory will be destroyed. Decorations of ivory were discovered during archaeological excavations in Samaria.

Amos 4:1-3 ~ Against the Women of Samaria
1 Listen to this saying, you cows of Bashan living on the hill of Samaria, exploiting the weak and ill-treating the poor, saying to your husbands, Bring us something to drink!' 2 The Lord God has sworn by his holiness: Look, the days will soon be on you when he will use hooks to drag you away and fish-hooks for the very last of you; 3 through the breaches in the wall you will leave, each one straight ahead, and be herded away towards Hermon, declares Yahweh.

Question: Why does God call Samaria's women "cows of Bashan"? What was Bashan? See Dt 32:14; Jer 50:19; and Ezek 39:18.
Answer: God calls Samaria women "cows of Bashan" because they are spoiled and self-indulgent. Bashan was a region of the upper Transjordan, east of the Sea of Galilee and north of the Yarmuk River, noted for its lush landscape and many flocks and herds.

Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in ancient Israel. Known today as Jabal el-Shaiykh (its Arabic name), meaning "snowy mountain." Mount Hermon's three peaks are covered with snow most of the year, rising over 9,000 feet above sea level, 30 miles long and 15 miles wide. In the Bible, Mount Hermon is also called Sirion (by the Sidonians) and Senir (by the Amorites) in Deuteronomy 3:9 and Psalm 29:6, two names meaning "breastplate," likely referring to the mountain's rounded, snow-capped crests that gleam in the sunlight. Located at the northeastern boundary of Israel on the border with Syria and Lebanon, Mount Hermon marked the northern limits of the Promised Land (Dt 3:8; Josh 11:17; 12:1; 13:5). Visible from great distances, the mountain range is nearly 30 miles in length and about 15 miles wide on the border between Syria and Lebanon. Along with melting snow and the abundant rainfall on Mount Hermon, large springs at the base of the mountain form the headwaters of the Jordan River.

and be herded away towards Hermon, declares Yahweh.
The captives will be "herded" like cattle north to Mount Hermon and then across the Euphrates River into exile in Assyrian lands (2 Kng 17:5-6).

Amos 4:4-12 ~ The Self-Deception, Obstinacy and Punishment of Israel
4Go to Bethel, and sin, to Gilgal, and sin even harder! Bring your sacrifices each morning, your tithes every third day, 5burn your thank-offering of leaven and widely publicize your free-will offerings, for this, children of Israel, is what makes you happy, declares the Lord Yahweh. 6I even gave you clean teeth in all your towns and a shortage of food in all your villages and still you would not come back to me, declares Yahweh. 7I even withheld the rain from you full three months before harvest-time; I caused rain to fall in one town and caused no rain to fall in another; one field was rained on and the next for want of rain dried up; 8two towns, three towns went tottering to one town for water to drink but went unsatisfied, and still you would not come back to me, declares Yahweh. 9I struck you with blight and mildew, I dried up your gardens and vineyards; the locust devoured your fig trees and olive trees, and still, you would not come back to me, declares Yahweh. 10I sent plague on you like Egypt's plague, I slaughtered your young men with the sword, and at the same time, your horses were captured; I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps and still you would not come back to me, declares Yahweh. 11I overturned you as God overturned Sodom and Gomorrah; you were like a brand snatched from the blaze and still you would not come back to me, declares Yahweh. 12So this, Israel, is what I plan to do to you. Because I am going to do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God!

Question: How did God challenge the sinful people?
Answer: God challenged the people to go to their pagan worship sites at Bethel and Gilgal to sin even more.

Bethel is mentioned by Amos seven times (3:14; 4:4; 5:5, 6; 7:10, 13). Gilgal means "circle of stones" and is a name in the Old Testament for several sites. The best known was somewhere east of Jericho. Joshua defeated the king of Gilgal during the conquest of Canaan (Josh 12:23), and the place where the Israelites established their first encampment after crossing the Jordan River (Josh 4:19). In their first religious ceremony in the Promised Land, the men born after the Exodus were circumcised (Josh 4:19-20; 5:2), and a circle of twelve stones from the Jordan River were set up as a memorial of the twelve tribes (Josh 4:20). A second Gilgal was in the southern hill country of Samaria, in the mountains of the tribal lands of Ephraim, near Bethel. It is more likely that this is the Gilgal circle of stones associated with illicit worship at Bethel that God referred to.

Bring your sacrifices each morning, your tithes every third day, 5burn your thank-offering of leaven and widely publicize your free-will offerings, for this, children of Israel, is what makes you happy, declares the Lord Yahweh.
The accepted practice was to "burn" sacrifices on an altar in religious offerings of incense, bread/cereals, and the flesh of animals. Some ceremonies honoring Yahweh specified the use of leavened bread, and in others, leavened bread was forbidden (cf. Lev 2:11). The sacrifice of thanksgiving in Leviticus 7:11-13 has the same vocabulary as Amos 4:4-5 and was accompanied by both unleavened and leavened cakes. However, this oracle reads like a mock call to worship in a sarcastic invitation to sin even more by going to the pagan shrines to offer illicit sacrifices by non-Aaronic priests.

"Clean teeth" in verse 6 is a metaphor for having nothing to eat as in the conditions of a famine.
Question: In 4:6-11, Amos lists how many plagues?
Answer: He lists seven plagues: 1. Famine (verse 6), 2. drought (verses 7-8), 3. blight (verse 9), 4. locusts (verse 9), 5. pestilence (verse 10), 6. sword/war (verse 10), and 7. overthrow or destroyed by earthquake and fire like Sodom and Gomorrah (verse 11).

12So this, Israel, is what I plan to do to you. Because I am going to do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God!
Verse 12 declares that the time for repentance has passed, and the people must prepare to face God and His judgment.
Question: Why is verse 12 a warning we should all take seriously?
Answer: God is patient with our errant behavior and indulgences in sin, but He has a limit. He sends holy messengers to call us to repentance, but if we fail to respond, He will call down His divine judgment upon us as a warning to future generations and peoples.

Amos 4:13 ~ Doxology
13For look, he it is who forges the mountains, creates the wind, who reveals his mind to humankind, changes the dawn into darkness, and strides on the heights of the world: Yahweh, God Sabaoth, is his name.
This doxology makes the threat even more impressive by emphasizing God's divine power over the elements and, therefore, over all life. It is the conclusion to the "Book of Doom."

Amos Chapters 5-6

Many Biblical scholars see Chapters 5-6 as a separate book of prophecy after the conclusion of The Book of Doom at the end of Chapter 4 and the opening of the Book of Visions at the beginning of Chapter 7 (Anderson and Freedman, Amos, Page 461). The "Woes" that begin in 6:1 divide the section into two parts. Chapters 5 and 6 each end with similar judgment oracles with the same name for God in 5:27 and 6:14, "Yahweh, Elohim (God plural) Sabaoth." The woes are prominent in Chapters 5 and 6, especially in 5:7, 18-20; 6:1-7, and 13 (14). The "woe" (hoy in Hebrew) is one of the oldest and most frequent of the prophetic forms. The "Woes" are exclusively employed by the prophets, except for 1 Kings 13:30. It occurs in all the books of the major prophets and half of the minor ones. In the Book of Isaiah, it is found 21 times. However, the most concentrated use is in Habakkuk, where it appears five times between verses 2:6 and 12. Jesus, God's Supreme Prophet, used the same genre in Luke 10:13-16 and the seven "woes" against the Pharisees in Matthew 23:13-32 (sometimes translated as "alas" in translations such as the NJB).

Amos 5:1-3 ~ Lament for Israel
1 Listen to this word which I utter against you, it is a dirge, House of Israel: 2She has fallen down, never to rise again, the virgin Israel. There she lies on her own soil, with no one to lift her up. 3For Lord Yahweh says this: The town which used to put a thousand in the field will be left with a hundred, and the one which used to put a hundred will be left with ten, to fight for the House of Israel.

Verse 1 of the oracle calls Israel to listen to a lament of grief like those songs of mourning offered for the dead, but this lament concerns Israel. It predicts the death of the Northern Kingdom, anticipating the mourning that follows Israel's demise, serving as a death sentence.

3For Lord Yahweh [Adonai Yahweh] says this: The town which used to put a thousand in the field will be left with a hundred, and the one which used to put a hundred will be left with ten, to fight for the House of Israel.
Amos is fond of the title "Adonai Yahweh," which occurs twenty times in his prophecies. "House of Israel" refers to those descendants of Jacob-Israel in covenant with Yahweh, God of Abraham.
Question: According to the oracle, what percentage of the population will survive?
Answer: Only one-tenth of the population will survive.

Amos 5:4-7 ~ No Salvation Without Repentance
4For Yahweh says this to the House of Israel: Seek me out and you will survive, 5but do not seek out Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal is going into captivity and Bethel will be brought to nothing. 6Seek out Yahweh, and you will survive, or else he will sweep like fire upon the House of Joseph and burn it down, with no one at Bethel able to quench the flames. 7They turn justice into wormwood and throw uprightness to the ground.

After the opening in 4a, the oracle continues with an exhortation in seven lines. The chiastic formula in which Bethel is listed first and last identifies Bethel as the prime target (also see 3:14; 4:4; 7:10, 13), but not the only target of God's wrath. You will recall that the Northern Kingdom's first king set up a pagan altar and illicit worship at Bethel (see 1 Kng 17:26-33; 13:1-5).
Question: Why is the mention of Beersheba significant? Locate Beersheba on a map of Israel.
Answer: It is important because Beersheba is located in Judah and shows that Judah is not exempt from God's judgment.

6Seek out Yahweh, and you will survive, or else he will sweep like fire upon the House of Joseph and burn it down, with no one at Bethel able to quench the flames. 7They turn justice into wormwood and throw uprightness to the ground.
The only way to survive is to repent and return to Yahweh before He sends His holy fire of destruction. Verse 7 can be seen not only as a judgment against the unjust but as a celebration of the justice of God.

Amos 5:8-9 ~ Doxology
8He it is who makes the Pleiades and Orion, who turns shadow dark as death into morning and day to darkest night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the surface of the land. Yahweh is his name. 9He brings destruction on the strong, and ruin comes on the fortress.

The doxology proclaims the glory and omnipotence of Yahweh over the cosmos and the land and over life and death. Although verse 8a mentions the creation of two constellations, the emphasis is on making darkness (also see 4:13; 5:18 and 20). Pouring water over the land is likely a reference to devastating floods, like the Great Flood of Noah's time. These verses celebrate God's limitless and sometimes terrifying power.

Amos 5:10-13 ~ The Threats of the First Woe
10They hate the man who teaches justice at the city gate and detest anyone who declares the truth. 11For trampling on the poor man and for extorting levies on his wheat: although you have built houses of dressed stone, you will not live in them; although you have planted pleasant vineyards, you will not drink wine from them: 12for I know how many your crimes are and how outrageous your sins, you oppressors of the upright, who hold people to ransom and thrust the poor aside at the gates. 13That is why anyone prudent keeps silent now since the time is evil.

Verses 10-13 are the first of the woes in the Book of Woes. The Woes are throughout the Book of Amos but concentrated in Chapters 5-6. They appear in clusters, with the largest group being the seven in 6:1-6.

Verse 10 recalls Isaiah 29:21 NABRE, ... those who condemn with a mere word, who ensnare the defender at the gate, and leave the just with an empty claim. The city gate was where the town elders sat to address justice in criminal proceedings, family disputes, and business/commercial interests. For example, see Ruth 4:1-12 where Boaz came to the city gate to consult the town elders concerning the right of redemption over Ruth.
Question: What accusations did Amos make against those in authority?
Answer: Amos accused many holding positions of authority of having disdain for the poor and mistreating their interests. They accepted bribes ("hold people to ransom") and abused the poor who could not pay for their favor.

13That is why anyone prudent keeps silent now since the time is evil.
The prudent or wise man keeps silent because he realizes the futility of speaking out for justice in these evil times and that such action is dangerous. He must leave justice to God.

Amos 5:14-15 ~ Exhortation
14Seek good and not evil so that you may survive, and Yahweh, God Sabaoth, be with you as you claim he is. 15Hate evil, love good, let justice reign at the city gate: it may be that Yahweh, God Sabaoth, will take pity on the remnant of Joseph.

These verses are at the midpoint of the chapter and the book and contain the heart of Amos's message. They make a basic statement about the religion of Israel and a summary of the prophet's call to repentance: Israel, seek God and live!

Amos 5:16-17 ~ Impending Punishment
16Therefore Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord, says this: In every public square there will be lamentation, in every street they will cry out, Alas! Alas!' [Hoy, hoy = woe/woe]! The farmer will be called on to mourn, the professional mourners to lament, 17and there will be wailing in every vineyard, for I mean to pass through among you, Yahweh says.

These verses continue the series of "woe" oracles from verses 11-13. The tone is ominous as the theme of mourning continues, but the prophet expresses the lamentation as if the nation was already destroyed. The wording in verse 17, spoken in the first person, recalls God's threat in Exodus 12:12 concerning the tenth plague: That night, I shall go through Egypt and strike down all the first-born in Egypt, man and beast alike, and shall execute justice on all the gods of Egypt, I, Yahweh!

Amos 5:18-20 ~ The Day Of Yahweh
18Disaster [hoy/woe] for you who long for the Day of Yahweh! What will the Day of Yahweh mean for you? It will mean darkness, not light, 19as when someone runs away from a lion, only to meet a bear; he goes into his house and puts his hand on the wall, only for a snake to bite him. 20Will not the Day of Yahweh be darkness, not light, totally dark, without a ray of light?

Amos continues to repeat the theme of light versus darkness, using "darkness" twice in verses 18 and 20. Those under God's judgment will not be able to escape from the darkness of His divine judgment no matter in what direction they try to escape.

Amos 5:21-27 ~ Against Formalism in Religion
21I hate, I scorn your festivals, I take no pleasure in your solemn assemblies. 22When you bring me burnt offerings, your oblations, I do not accept them, and I do not look at your communion sacrifices of fat cattle. 23Spare me the din of your chanting, let me hear none of your strumming on lyres, 24but let justice flow like water, and uprightness like a never-failing stream! 25Did you bring me sacrifices and oblations those forty years in the desert, House of Israel? 26Now you must shoulder Sakkuth your king and the star of your god, Kaiwan, those idols you made for yourselves; 27for I am about to drive you into captivity beyond Damascus, Yahweh says--God Sabaoth is his name.

The remainder of the chapter is direct speech by Yahweh. The passage may be divided into two sections. Verses 21-24 are an angry denunciation followed by a plea for repentance in verses 25-27. Verse 21 suggests a formal renunciation or severance of a relationship, as in a divorce (i.e., Hosea 9:15; Jeremiah 12:8 and Malachi 1:3). The point of the passage is that righteousness should be constant to be sincere.

23Spare me the din of your chanting, let me hear none of your strumming on lyres ...
Vocal and instrumental music accompanied religious ceremonies in the Jerusalem Temple (1 Samuel 10:5; 2 Sam 6:5, 15).

25Did you bring me sacrifices and oblations those forty years in the desert, House of Israel? 26Now you must shoulder Sakkuth your king and the star of your god, Kaiwan, those idols you made for yourselves; 27for I am about to drive you into captivity beyond Damascus, Yahweh says--God Sabaoth is his name.
The conclusion of the chapter contains a rhetorical question (verse 25) and a threat of exile (verse 27). The answer to the questions is "yes." The Covenant and Law of Moses was established at Mount Sinai and practiced by the people during the years in the wilderness.

Israel bringing sacrifices was criticized earlier in verses 21-22. The forty years in the desert (mentioned in 2:10) refers to the forty years from the exodus out of Egypt and Israel's sojourn in the wilderness until the conquest of the Promised Land. Amos, like Hosea (Hos 2:16-17; a href ="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hosea/9?10">9:10) and Jeremiah (Jer 2:2-3), regarded the desert sojourn as a time of perfect union with Yahweh and His people.

Verse 26 refers to idol worship. Sakkuth probably refers to the planet Saturn, supported by the word "star." Sakkuth and Kaiwan are likely interchangeable names for the star-god Saturn, described as an idol the people made. Sakkuth may be a variation of the name of the Mesopotamian star god known as Sakkuat.

Question: According to Yahweh, God (Elohim = plural) of Hosts, what will be their punishment (verse 27)? On this side of salvation history, we understand the plural Elohim to represent the three-in-one identity of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Answer: Exile beyond Damascus.

Salmanesar V, king of Assyria, invaded the Northern Kingdom and laid siege to Samaria for three years. In 721 BC, his successor, Sargon II, captured Samaria and deported the citizens of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to Assyria, settling them in Halah in the extreme north of Mesopotamia and the cities of the Medes in Eastern Mesopotamia (2 Kng 17:5-6).

Amos 6:1-7 ~ Against the Self-Indulgent and Their False Sense of Security
1 Disaster (Hoy/Woe) for those so comfortable in Zion and for those so confident on the hill of Samaria, the notables of this first of nations, those to whom the House of Israel has recourse! 2Travel to Calneh and look, go on from there to Hamath the great, then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they more powerful than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? 3Thinking to defer the evil day, you are hastening the reign of violence. 4Lying on ivory beds and sprawling on their divans, they dine on lambs from the flock and stall-fattened veal; 5they bawl to the sound of the lyre and, like David, they invent musical instruments; 6they drink wine by the bowlful and lard themselves with the finest oils, but for the ruin of Joseph they care nothing. 7That is why they will now go into captivity, heading the column of captives. The sprawlers' revelry is over.

This passage is the third in Amos's series of "woes" (Amos 5:1, 18; 6:1) and marks the start of the last section of this part of the Book of Amos. In verses 1-7, the prophet reproaches the people and their proud and self-centered rulers, whether they live in Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, or in Zion, a symbolic name for the Southern Kingdom of Judah. In this case, it refers to Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom. Those wealthy and self-indulgent covenant people who lie on beds of ivory, anoint themselves with oil, and, in their inflated egos, spend their leisure time imagining that they can play their harps with the talent of the great King David (verses 4-6), are no better than their pagan neighbors who do not know God in the bond of covenant unity.

2Travel to Calneh and look, go on from there to Hamath the great, then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they more powerful than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?
Calneh was the fourth city of Nimrod's kingdom that included Babel, Erech, and Accad, the capital of ancient Babylon (Gen 10:10; Is 10:9).

Hamath was a prosperous kingdom that opposed the advance of the Neo-Assyrians. It was conquered by Assyrian king Tiglath Pileser III, who ruled 745-27 BC. It was destroyed by Assyrian king Sargon II who deported many of the people to Samaria (2 Sam 8:9; 2 Kng 17:24; 18:34; Is 36:19).

Gath was one of the five main cities of the Philistines (Josh 13:3; 1 Sam 5:7-10; 6:17). It was a walled city (2 Chron 26:6) that was not taken by Joshua in the conquest of Canaan. It was famous as the city of the giant Goliath, slain by the young David (1 Sam 17:4). King David conquered the city (2 Sam 21:11; 27:2), but it won its independence and became a trading center. The Arameans destroyed Gath in c. 830 BC (2 Kng 12:17). The answer to the two rhetorical questions in 2b and c is "No, Samaria was not more powerful than those three great cities."

4Lying on ivory beds and sprawling on their divans, they dine on lambs from the flock and stall-fattened veal ...
Ivory is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Old Testament in connection to wealth and royalty. King Solomon made "a large throne of ivory" overlaid with "refined gold" (1 Kng 10:18). Amos denounced the Israelite nobility "lying on ivory beds."

Amos's charge against the rich and powerful is that they are living lives of luxury and are heedless of the misfortunes of the poor. Their willful self-indulgence and disregard for their covenant obligations to the poor will bring "the collapse of Joseph" (verse 6). "Joseph" and "Ephraim" are symbolic titles for the Northern Kingdom of Israel (see Amos 5:6). A prince of Ephraim from the tribe of Joseph led the civil war against the Davidic king of the United Kingdom of Israel that resulted in the split into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (1 Kng 11:26; 12:19-32).

The complacent and overconfident rich are symbols of Israel's failure to keep the covenant with Yahweh by being disobedient to the commandments and failing to heed the prophets' warnings. God's prophets told the people that both kingdoms would face God's divine wrath for their covenant failures, but the Northern Kingdom, says Amos, would be the first to go into exile along with their rulers (verse 7). The prophecy of a future exile was fulfilled in 722/1 BC when the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom and disbursed the ten northern tribes into conquered pagan lands to the east (2 Kng 17:6-12).

Amos 6:8-14 ~ The Punishment of Earthquake and Invasion
8Lord Yahweh has sworn by his own self, declares Yahweh, God Sabaoth: I detest the pride of Jacob, I hate his palaces, I shall hand over the city and all in it. 9If ten people are left in a single house, they will die 10and a few will be left to carry the bones from the house, and they will say to anyone deep inside the house, Any more there?' and he will answer, No.' Then he will say, Hush! Yahweh's name must not be mentioned.' 11For look, Yahweh gives the command: as he strikes, the great house falls to pieces and the small house is in fragments. 12Can horses gallop over rocks? Can the sea be ploughed with oxen? Yet you have changed justice into poison, and the fruit of uprightness into wormwood, 13while rejoicing over Lo-Debar and saying, Wasn't it by our own strength that we captured Karnaim?' 14But look, House of Israel, against you, declares Yahweh, God Sabaoth, I am raising a nation to oppress you from the Pass of Hamath to the Gorge of the Arabah.

These verses are the concluding portion of the Book of Woes. They begin with an oath (verse 8) and end with a judgment (verse 14). The palaces/fortresses are evidence of Jacob/Israel's pride and the object of God's hatred since they suggest Israel's lack of trust in God to protect them. They also become the prime target of God's destructive judgment.

Verses 12-13 ask a series of three rhetorical questions; the answer to each is "No." Every righteous act turns into the poison of wormwood. Wormwood is a poisonous and bitter fruit that grows from the root of idolatry.

13while rejoicing over Lo-Debar and saying, Wasn't it by our own strength that we captured Karnaim?'
Lo-Debar means "not a thing;" it is a town in Transjordan. Karnaim is a word play on the meaning "horns." The implication is that one city is a nonentity, and its capture is no great triumph, while "horns" may refer to Ashtarot Qarnayim, another Transjordan town devoted to a pagan goddess with two horns. The two towns belonged to territory recaptured by King Jeroboam II of Israel, which defined the Kingdom's northern and southern boundaries (Amos 6:14). The Israelites were rejoicing over the restoration of their borders, but that happiness will be shortlived because God is raising a nation that will oppress Israel, destroying her borders.

14But look, House of Israel, against you, declares Yahweh, God Sabaoth, I am raising a nation to oppress you from the Pass of Hamath to the Gorge of the Arabah.
As a consequence of Israel's sins, in particular their sins of arrogance, self-righteousness, oppression of the poor, and their claim of independent and autonomous power, the Northern Kingdom will be destroyed from the Pass of Hamath, the pass through the mountains of Lebanon on the south, to the Gorge of the Arabah. The area identified as the Gorge of Arabah in the Bible covered almost the entire length of what is today the Jordan Rift Valley, running in a north-south orientation between the southern end of the Sea of Galilee and the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea.

Will divine judgment also be the fate of our wealthy nation as we wander far from God, becoming so self-absorbed that each person decides for themselves what is sinful and what is righteous behavior? Will God no longer cover our nation with His hand of protection now that we elect leaders who declare that we are no longer a Christian nation? Divine judgment is always meant to be redemptive. It is often in the crucible of suffering that people and nations remember that they need God.

Catechism references (* indicates Scripture quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
Amos 5:21-25 (CCC 2100*); 5:24 (CCC 1435*)