Amos 2

This prophecy's eight judgments start with the most obvious enemy, Damascus, and end with the least obvious, Israel itself. This order would have captured Israel's attention as they listened to God's judgment on their enemies. However, Amos eventually revealed God's judgment on Israel, too.

he burned to lime the bones: In an earlier conflict, the people of Moab captured the king of Edom. Burning a body was viewed as a deep insult. If the king’s ashes (literally lime) were then mixed into plaster, the shame would be even greater.

Kerioth, a major town (Jeremiah 48:20–24), is mentioned on the Moabite Stone as a shrine to Chemosh, the god of Moab. The Moabites may have burned the remains of Edom's king or offered him as a human sacrifice at this site. Because of this act, God would destroy the king of Moab and his officers. This likely happened through an invasion by Sargon II of Assyria around 715 to 713 BC (compare Isaiah 15–16). Josephus, in Antiquities 10.9.7, suggests further destruction in 582 BC (see also Jeremiah 48; Ezekiel 25:8–11; Zephaniah 2:8–11).

• reject the Law (Hebrew torah) of the LORD: The pagan nations mentioned earlier committed acts against basic human decency. However, Judah went further; they had God's word but rejected its teachings (see Hosea 4:6; 8:1). God holds people accountable based on the privileges they have received (see Amos 3:2).

• led astray by the lies: After discarding God's true instruction, Judah turned to a substitute found in pagan syncretism (the mixing of different belief systems) and idolatry (see 1 Kings 14:22–24).

The southern kingdom of Judah was closest to the northern kingdom of Israel in family ties and location. Even so, deep bitterness existed between the two kingdoms.

People in the north viewed the descendants of David in the south as harsh rulers. They believed these kings caused the division between the kingdoms by forcing people to work and by placing heavy taxes on them.

The pagan worship practiced in Judah brought the same punishment as the sins of its pagan neighbors. That punishment was fire, a sign of God’s judgment, which would destroy Jerusalem (Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14; 2:2)

This judgment came to pass in 586 BC, when the Babylonians burned Jerusalem after capturing the city (see 2 Kings 25:9; Nehemiah 2:17; 4:2).

Honorable people are called the righteous. They lived in right relationship with God and with other people. When this word appears alongside poor, it describes the righteous needy, people who were both faithful and poor.

The law given through Moses urged those who had enough to help those in need by lending freely (Deuteronomy 15:7–11). As a last option, people who could not repay their debts could become bond servants. They would repay what they owed through their work (Leviticus 25:39–43).

In Amos’s time, these righteous needy were sold into bond service for a pair of sandals. This phrase is an exaggeration that shows how small the debt was (see Amos 8:6). The sandals may have been given as a pledge for the debt or used as a sign to confirm the agreement (see Ruth 4:7).

Israel: Amos listed the sins of Israel's neighbors, then revealed his main point: The Israelites would face the same consequences (similar to Nathan's use of prophetic speech to prompt self-judgment, 2 Samuel 12:1–13).

• To trample on people means to treat them in a harsh and cruel way (see also Amos 8:4).

• The helpless and oppressed suffered under a system that refused to give them the justice the law required (Exodus 23:6–8).

• When a father and son slept with the same woman, it showed how morally broken the people of Israel had become. The law given through Moses clearly forbade this behavior (Leviticus 18:7–8, 15; 20:11–12).

• profane my holy name: By worshiping fertility gods, Israel and nearby nations practiced “sacred prostitution” (see Hosea 4:10–14). They believed sexual relations with a shrine prostitute would ensure good crops and healthy livestock. This verse suggests these acts were done in the name of the Lord. When performed as religious rituals, these corrupt actions treated God’s name as worthless.

• The irony is that those who oppressed the poor openly displayed their sins during religious festivals.

• The law of Moses allowed a lender to take a poor man’s cloak as security for a debt. However, the cloak had to be returned before nightfall, because nights were cold (Exodus 22:26–27; Deuteronomy 24:12–13). The law also said that a widow’s clothing must never be taken as security for a debt (Deuteronomy 24:17).

• fines: The wealthy also imposed unjust fines. They bribed judges and used their power to prevent the poor, who could not defend themselves, from receiving a fair hearing (Amos 5:12).

The term Amorites generally refers to the people living in Canaan (see Genesis 15:16; Judges 6:10).

Besides priests, God gave prophets to share his word and will (Deuteronomy 18:15–19) and holy men called Nazirites, who were dedicated to the Lord by vows that included avoiding fermented drinks (Numbers 6:1–21). Israel showed disrespect for God by telling both the Nazirites and the prophets to ignore and violate God’s calling (see Amos 7:12–13).

The chapter ends by describing a battle where Israel loses and runs away (see Psalm 33:16–17).

The archers stood in the back rows. If they ran away, it meant the front rows had fallen.

Amos later refers to that day as the "Day of the LORD" (Amos 5:18). Both expressions mean the time when God will judge Israel (see also Amos 8:3).