Bite 11: God Has Been Good in Amos 2:4-3:2

We’ve Looked at the Transgressions

Yes, sin, which is the violation of God’s perfect law, should be high on the radar of my heart and mind. In fact, M’Cheyne also said, “The greatest need of my people is my personal holiness.” If you read about this young preacher from Scotland, you know that he knew the ultimate reality of the need of Christ, but he also knew his sin needs must be rooted out. On top of the importance of holiness, the gaze upon Christ should be tenfold.

Being bogged down in all the sin can cripple or overwhelm. In the study of Amos a focus on sin is good and right, but I will also keep the eyes of my soul fixed firmly on the grace of God. In light of all that Amos has to say about a specific people which is a microcosm of all peoples including me, I will remember the cross.

I challenge you, dear fellow student of the Word, to the same.

What Has God Done?

Looking at our text, what comes next is a recounting of God’s action toward his people. God has indicted the whole family of Israel because of the violations of the law. Their actions toward their fellow man which are ultimately actions toward the holy God. By way of reminder, God explains what actions he’s taken toward his people. Amos is poetic in scripture; I am succinct in my list.

Definitions

I’m going to look up what some of these words mean. You’re probably thinking that I’m not very educated because off the top, I don’t know who Amorites are or what a Nazirite is. You’d be correct in your thinking. I’m not. But handy, I have tools which will help educate me.

Amorites

Who are the Amorites? Well, who were the Amorites because God destroyed them. I created a Factbook report in my Logos Bible Software and here is what I found:

Amorites (אֱמֹרִי, emoriy; Αμορραίων, Amorraiōn). A Semitic people referred to as the descendants of Canaan. 
The term “Amorites” in the Old Testament refers either to a specific people group in Palestine or generally to non-Israelite peoples living in the land before the Israelites. The origin of the Amorites goes back to 3000 bc. The biblical writers describe the Amorites as inhabitants of the northern part of Canaan, Syria, and the Transjordan area especially during the conquest and settlement of the Israelites in the land. 
They appear to have been weakened after the monarchy was established in Israel (2 Sam 21:2; 1 Kgs 9:20). The Amorites ruled most of the Transjordan during the time of the conquest, and were a major obstacle for the Israelites in their endeavor to settle the promised land.1

Cedars and Oaks

I bet now you’re thinking, “How can she be so ignorant to not know what cedars and oaks are?” Well, I know what they are generally in North America and specifically in the Pacific Northwest, but I’d like to know what Amos knows about them in order to understand his literal meaning. Back to Logos where I looked up cedars.

If you recall, cedar wood was a precious commodity used to build aspects of the temple. Looking in the Lexham Bible Dictionary, it informs me that they grew in Lebanon.

Nope, that doesn’t really help. What do I need to know about Lebanon?

Natural Resources
The mountains of Lebanon, especially the western slopes, were well-known for their evergreen trees. The Old Testament refers to Lebanon’s cedars frequently (e.g., 1 Kgs 5:14; 2 Kgs 14:9; Psa 29:5; Isa 14:8; Ezek 27:5). Lebanon was also home to pine, fir, cypress, and oak trees.2

I imagine not knowing about Lebanon and its huge trees is like not knowing just exactly how big the sequoia redwoods are on the West Coast on Highway 101. Or how big they get in Yellowstone. Knowing a little of what Amos knows helps me understand more than surface knowledge of cedars.

And here is a little something about oaks:

The oak is often a symbol of strength. As a venerable, mighty tree, the oak is associated with worship (Gen. 13:18), with sacrificial offerings (Hos. 4:13), long life (Isa. 6:13), and sanctuaries (“the oak in the sanctuary of the LORD” at Shechem, Josh. 24:26).3

Nazirites

Now for me to be clueless about Nazirites makes sense because the Bible doesn’t even make it clear what they are all about. Numbers 6:1-21 discusses the details of the special vow. Here is what I found in the text:

Prophets

This is a concept that I’ve had a bit of exposure to but I still want what I know to be in front of me. It can be a touchy subject in some circles since I believe we don’t have the same kind of prophets today as Amos was in his day. The same kind. There are still prophets, but they fulfill a different purpose since the Canon is closed.

Foretellers

Within the office of prophet there have been foretellers, like Amos. Like Isaiah. Guys in the Bible who have said what would happen in the future. They heard directly from God and had authority to say this is The Word of God. See that word within the word? Within authority is the word author. That’s a kind of prophet. Not one we have running around today.

Forth-tellers

But also within the office of prophet there have been forth-tellers. Those who hear the Word of God as written, understand it, and then can share it with other sheep. Brings to mind folks like Priscilla and Aquila in Acts 18:22 when they heard Apollos preaching what he knew. But he only had information up to the baptism of John, and they taught him the rest of the Good News. After that, he went off to another region and continued to preach in his eloquent way. Priscilla and Aquila were prophets to explain truth to Apollos and then Apollos in turn was a prophet, powerfully showing that Jesus is the Christ.

Isn’t that a beautiful story? Someone was passionate and gifted to teach but didn’t have the whole story. Humble enough to hear the rest of the story and act on it. People who were gifted to teach (Priscilla and her husband were rockstars. How do I know? They hung out with Paul. A rockstar. Those kind of folks hang out together.), then taught the charismatic guy (Apollos was eloquent, fervent, powerful, etc.) who then went off to do more good work in the kingdom.

Amorites, cedars, prophets. These are some words and concepts I investigated in order to proceed. If I don’t know how Amos understood them, I won’t understand what he literally meant in his poetry.

Literary Devices

In the past, we’ve chatted about literary devices. Verbal illustrations, if you will. As you read Amos 2:9-11, do you see any? The nerd in me is bubbling to the surface, enjoying these word pictures. Because God could’ve made a list like I did. Instead, he drew a list with pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words, unless the picture is made of words. Ha!

Simile

God reminds the audience that he destroyed the Amorites who were as tall as cedars and strong as oaks. Now I can see in my mind’s eye how tall the cedars were since they grew in fertile Lebanon. And that oaks were a symbol of strength to Amos just as they are now. I’m actually pretty excited to know that about the cedars. Imagination will take me some places, but if I know what the author literally intended to say by his simile, I understand so much better.

Who is God? He destroys the enemies who are so big and so tall and so strong. It’s like we’re on the playground in elementary school where the taunts flew: “My dad can beat up your dad.”

Merism

Do you remember this literary device from this article? We have another example here. God through Amos continues to explain what he did to care for his people.

I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots beneath.
Amos 2:9

How much destruction was there? From one extreme to the other. When there is destruction from the tippy top to the very bottom, there is destruction all between. It’s complete. Knowing about this literary device also helps me know my God better.

Makes me think of the NT passage which says that the good work God begins, he finishes. Right-o, had to go find it. Philippians 1:6. Work God does gets finished. Completely. Beginning to end.

And last night I was awake so I had the audio from the ESV app playing. In a dozing state I heard that Jonah was asleep in the boat in the storm. Do you remember? When the captain came and talked to him about how crazy he was for sleeping at a time like this, he basically asked him, “Who are you?” Jonah’s answer was,

I am a Hebrew, 
and I fear the LORD, 
the God of heaven, 
who made the sea and the dry land.4

Merism. God made both ends of the extreme and therefore he made all the stuff in between.

So the descendants of Canaan were destroyed from top to bottom in order for Israel to take possession of the Promised Land.

Chiasm

When we get to Amos 2:11-12, I didn’t immediately see a literary device. But as I read it through a few more times, I noticed a pattern. An ABba pattern in the poetry became apparent.

Amos mentions the prophets (A) and then the Nazirites (B). In the next verse he reports what has happened to the Nazirites (b) and the prophets (a). Between them, God asks the rhetorical question about his goodness and honesty, “Is it not so, O people of Israel?”

I’m not sure how this literary technique illustrates who God is functionally. However, I can see through the order and artistry of the writing that in some small way, God appreciates beauty. Like I said, Amos wrote pictures with words and I wrote succinctly. Hm. Perhaps God is not always interested in the most efficient path. I’ll have to give that a little more consideration and watch to see if that thought has merit according to the scriptures. Or according to Romans 1, in nature. Because God revealed himself clearly in nature.

To get a little more information about chiasm, you could read about it out here. I hadn’t seen that website before but it looks interesting. I’ll have to check that out later.

One More Simile

In Amos 2:13-16, there is one more “as” couplet. They will be pressed down as sheaves in a cart. But after that, God describes exactly and without apology what will come to pass.

• Runners, no more running (Amos 2:14)
• Cross-fitters, no more strength (Amos 2:14)
• Archers, not safe at a distance (Amos 2:15)
• Runners, still not fast enough (Amos 2:15)
• Horsemen, also not fast enough (Amos 2:15)
• Brave, shall flee naked (Amos 2:16)

Nothing will save them. No matter what qualities the Israelites have, they won’t be enough to withstand God. That is both comforting and terrifying. Depending on whether or not I am walking with my God or I am walking contrary to my God.

Our Bible Study Bite for today is to understand how the author intended the words he used. In order to understand what the author literally meant, as best I can I need to get inside his head. Inside his time, culture, maybe even his personality if possible. It’s an aspect of understanding the context.

In his writing, Amos literally meant that the cedars were tall. Really tall. In his poetry, the cedars are intended to look a certain way. Without context of Lebanon and what grew there (from what I read, Lebanon cedars no longer exist in Lebanon), my imagination would be hobbled.

Reflection

Getting into OT study was originally an idea I got from listening to R.C. Sproul. He said that if I don’t study the OT, I won’t have a good idea of who God is. So my objective primarily in study is to see who my God is. Right now I’m sharing what God is teaching me about who he is.

In this segment of study, I see a regular Joe who has been a rugged farm guy his whole life. This farm guy heard God call him from the countryside to speak truth to God’s people. Funny, I’ve been giving some thought to this idea that God is not an exclusively efficient God. Why would God call a country boy from Tekoa to travel up to Israel to proclaim his Word? Was there no one up there already who could’ve done the job? I do believe that God is an inefficient God.

Doesn’t that sound blasphemous? Like saying God has no potential.

God is Inefficient in Creation

But I’ve been thinking about it. God has revealed who he is in nature. So that even without a Bible or news about Jesus, the native of somewhere has no excuse to not know who God is. And then worship him as God alone. God supreme.

In nature, couldn’t the sun rise <snap> just like that? But instead, it’s on a curved trajectory. And there are colors that change throughout the process. If there are puffy clouds, there is potential for even more drama and beauty.

In creating human life. Why did God create one strong-vessel human and one weak-vessel human? I’m pretty sure I’m treading on thin ice right now, but hear me out. Before anyone gets bent out of shape, remember that Peter is the one who spent time with Jesus (the Word) getting taught about life and godliness and then went on to teach us in 1 Peter 3:7 that women are in some way a weaker vessel.

Couldn’t God have made more efficient humans to accomplish what he wanted? Of course. But instead he made men to be men, which is beautiful when operating according to God’s plan. And he made women to be women, which is also lovely to behold when operating according to God’s plan. I don’t claim to know all that Pete meant by weaker vessel, but in some way, women are inefficient. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve observed men as well: they are also inefficient. But for whatever reason, it’s pointed out in scripture that women are the weaker vessel.

And of course there’s food. As Jeremy pointed out when I shared this idea with him, God could have limited the food supply in the world to potatoes. Just potatoes. No butter or milk from cows to make the potatoes creamy. Certainly no fat for making them crispy and still fluffy. Mm. A piping hot salty steak fry with tangy tartar sauce.

God is Inefficient in Resource Allocation

Like with Amos. Why the guy in his bib overalls from the south going north to preach in the city? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to have someone up there do the work? Then he knows the town for getting around, knows the people and how they speak, and so forth. But no, in the case of Amos, God calls him to relocate to do kingdom work.

There’s also the inefficiency of Fisherman Peter from Galilee sent to the Jews while the educated Paul is sent to the Gentiles. If evangelism were a business, this is all wrong. This is not using Pareto’s 80/20 rule.

If God Were Efficient

A few days ago, I sold enough pots that I had 4 boxes on my porch. It was a special order for 11 mugs to a company in Colorado and a random sourdough crock heading for Massachusetts.

I’d ordered shipping through Etsy and for good measure, I also go through USPS.com to request pickup for my Priority Shipping packages. After the second day when USPS didn’t show up to pick up packages, I requested again but this time to have pick up at my neighbor’s house (which the postal lady visits more often). So I had tried 3 different requests. No pick up. Now I have to take the packages to the post office myself or they will be late.

At 11:30, I drove down to the neighbor’s to get my pots again. Heading out onto the road from her driveway, I chatted with God about how nice it would be if the postal lady happened to be at the mailboxes so I could just hand them off and not juggle 4 boxes of pottery into the post office. After thinking about it a half a second, I went ahead and asked God if he would provide that for me. Following the curve of the road, the mailboxes came into view. No little postal truck. Ok. I’ll drive to town.

Oh, but what if you were to have the little truck zip into the neighborhood before I left the neighborhood? Hey God, will you have the little truck zip? It’s okay if you don’t because I trust you with my time….

The little truck zipped into my neighborhood.

In this particular case, it would have been more efficient to have the postal lady come up to my house 2 days ago. But would I have had a chance to see my Heavenly Dad orchestrate events for me in this way? Down to the 5 seconds of passing the little truck? God orchestrated when my best friend Christina would leave my house from our weekly breakfast and I would go get the boxes and drive down the road and… Would I have seen the tender kindness of my God? Completely inefficient. And completely glorious.

This is what God has been teaching me in this passage as I work my way through Amos. What has he been teaching you in your studies?

Wrap Up

Our Bible Study Bite today will be quick because I mused a while on what I’ve been learning on a heart level. Please recognize that we may know the words the biblical authors are using as they have been translated into our English Bibles, but we may not have a good grasp of what they meant when they used them. What we are exposed to in our North American lives is not the life Amos had in 700 bc. So let’s not assume. Let’s ask people who have researched and have an understanding of that time period.

Thanks for studying with me today! If you’ve found anything helpful here, please like and subscribe. And if you know of other students of the Word, would you please share so we can all study and encourage each other with what we’re learning?

1. Long, S. C. (2016). Amorites. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
2. III, D. M. (2016). Lebanon. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
3. Rattray, S. (2011). Oak. In M. A. Powell (Ed.), The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated) (Third Edition, p. 712). New York: HarperCollins.
4. Jonah 1:9