Friday, May 09, 2003 :::
The Lord spoke through Amos around 760 BC, warning Israel of the disaster that would come upon them at the hands of the Assyrians (722 BC).
Amos 3.11 ¶ Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "An enemy will overrun the land; he will pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses."
The first references in Amos to "that Day" are to "the day I punish Israel for her sins." Integral to this prophecy is the doctrine of the remnant:
Amos 3.12 ¶ This is what the LORD says: "As a shepherd saves from the lion's mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites be saved, those who sit in Samaria on the edge of their beds and in Damascus on their couches."
The reason for the impending judgment was idolatry (of course), injustice and self-indulgence (Amos 3.13-4.1). The divine cure was deprivation (Amos 4.2-13).
The predictions of "the day" of Israel's punishment (at the hand of the Assyrians) flow seamlessly into Amos's warning about the Yom YHWH (Day of the Lord):
Amos 5.18 Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light.
Clearly, the breaking forth of God's judgment by means of the Assyrians typifies, and manifests the character of, the yet future Yom YWHW (Day of the Lord).
::: posted by Roderick of TMin at 11:14 AM
