Amos 4 · The Lantern

Punishment Brings No Repentance

Hear this word, cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their masters, “Bring, and let us drink!”

The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness: Look, days are coming upon you when he will carry you away with hooks, and the last of you with fish hooks.

And through the breaches you will go out, each woman straight ahead, and you will be flung to Harmon — the utterance of the LORD.

Come to Bethel and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression. And bring your sacrifices in the morning, your tithes on the third day.

And burn a thank offering from what is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, make them heard — for so you have loved, sons of Israel — the utterance of the Lord GOD.

And I myself also gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places; and you did not return to me — the utterance of the LORD.

And I myself also withheld the rain from you, while there were still three months to the harvest; and I sent rain on one city, and on another city I did not send rain. One plot would be rained on, and the plot on which it did not rain would dry up.

And two or three cities staggered to one city to drink water, and were not satisfied; and you did not return to me — the utterance of the LORD.

I struck you with blight and with mildew; the many gardens of yours, and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees, the cutting locust devoured; and you did not return to me — the utterance of the LORD.

I sent among you pestilence in the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, along with the captivity of your horses; and I made the stench of your camps go up, and into your nostrils; and you did not return to me — the utterance of the LORD.

I overthrew among you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a brand plucked from a burning; and you did not return to me — the utterance of the LORD.

See how God, through His love of goodness, seeks repentance; and by means of the plan He pursues of threatening silently, shows His own love for man. "I will avert," He says, "My face from them, and show what shall happen to them." For where the face of the Lord looks, there is peace and rejoicing; but where it is averted, there is the introduction of evil.

(Verse 11) I will overthrow you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you will become like a bundle snatched from the fire, and yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. LXX: I will overthrow you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you will become like a bundle plucked from the fire, but even so you did not turn back to me, says the Lord.

In this he was probably suggesting to us the eventual sacking that happened in the time of Jeremiah by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who took the whole of Judea, set fire even to Jerusalem itself and its neighboring cities and towns, pulled down the divine Temple, took captive the survivors from the fighting, and as a glorious conqueror went back home with the captives, who final…

Therefore thus I will do to you, Israel — because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel!

(Verse 12, 13.) Therefore, I will do these things to you, Israel: but after I have done these things to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel. For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth - the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name.

Since initial measures did not suffice, He proceeded to an overthrow similar to the Sodomites; this was the kind of thing, as he said, that was inflicted on them by divine wrath.

And thus even the good movement of the free-will, whereby anyone is prepared for receiving the gift of grace is an act of the free-will moved by God. And thus man is said to prepare himself, according to Proverbs 16:1: "It is the part of man to prepare the soul"; yet it is principally from God, Who moves the free-will.

For look — the one forming mountains and creating wind, and declaring to man what his thought is, the one making dawn into darkness and treading on the high places of the earth: the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name.

When Christ came, the people of the old covenant denied him, but the devils confessed him. His forefather David was not ignorant of him when he said, "I will place a lamp for my anointed." Some have interpreted "lamp" as the splendor of prophecy; others have understood by the lamp the flesh he assumed of the Virgin, according to the words of the apostle: "But we carry this trea…

But if any one thinks that the word of the prophet is to be explained with reference to the Holy Spirit, because it is said, "declaring unto men his Christ," he will explain it more easily of the Lord's Sun of justice.

This is Amos the third in order, who also was privileged to tell of the coming of the Lord Christ and in these words: Lo! I am he that confirms the thunder and that creates the wind and that announces to men his Anointed.

Amos4

Punishment Brings No Repentance