Comments on Amos 9 This chapter presents Amos' seventh and apparently final, final documented anyway, vision. This vision presents the sifting of the wicked from Israel (v. 1-10) and its subsequent restoration (v. 11-15). v1-10 Amos sees the Lord in vision, apparently standing at the altar in the Temple at Bethel. The Lord commands the pillars of the Temple be struck so they will be broken down upon the heads of all present, with none escaping (v. 1). Anywhere they seek to hide, no matter how high or low, the Lord will find them and humble them (v. 2-3). Even after they go into captivity, the Lord will not relent in His punishment of them (v. 4). Verses 5-6 then make a parenthetical authority statement indicating that the Lord is in control over all creation so He can do as He pleases with it. Verse 7 resumes the theme from v. 4 and accuses Israel of being no different than any of the heathen nations around them. He redeemed them from Egypt, and yet they rebel against Him (v. 7). As a result, He will destroy this sinful nation, but not utterly (v. 8). Rather He will sift Israel like wheat, with not a kernel of the good falling to the ground. Only the chaff will be blown away (v. 9). All sinners among Israel will be destroyed by the impending invasion, especially those who contradict His servant Amos (v. 10). The sifting out of the wicked described here makes the restoration described in v. 11-15 possible. By preserving a righteous remnant, the Lord creates a group of people who are humble and spiritual. v1 is clearly an attack on the corrupt priests at the idolatrous Temple at Bethel. Naturally, a reflection of Amos' experience with Amaziah. v4 While one could see this verse as indicating there is no escape from the imminent temporal punishment, the underlying implications of the impossibility of escaping eternal punishment are certainly present. v5-6 In the authority statement, the imagery of the flood is employed to symbolize the Lord's anger and the destruction of the foreign invaders. This symbolism obviously has its source in Noah's Deluge, but is also commonly employed by others of the Prophets, cf. Isa. 28:2, Isa. 59:19, Jer. 47:2, Nahum 1:8. v10 refers to the confrontation between Amaziah and Amos. v11-15 In the preceding 10 verses the Lord states He will sift Israel like wheat, leaving the good. Now, He explains the purpose of leaving the good: He will restore the remnant of Israel in the days to come. The vision starts with a message of doom (v. 1-10), but ends here with a message of hope. In the day of restoration the Lord will reestablish the kingdom of David (v. 11, cp. Hosea 3:5, Micah 5:2), so that Israel will possess all nations (v. 12, cp. Micah 4-5). In that day the lands of Israel will be blessed with fantastic bounty, in contrast to the present curses of drought (v. 13, ct. 4:6). Israel will be redeemed from captivity, they will rebuild all of their ruined cities, and they will enjoy the produce of their own labors (v. 14). And Israel will be planted firmly in her ancestral lands, according to the Abrahamic covenant (v. 15). v12 Anciently, under the rule of the David, Israel exercised political power over several surrounding nations. Thus, the statement is alluding to the restoration of the grandeur of the original Davidic Kingdom. v13 The KJV doesn't do a good job on this one: Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. The JPS renders it: A time is coming -declares the Lord- When the plowman shall meet the reaper, And the treader of grapes Him who holds the [bag of] seed; When the mountains shall drip wine And all the hills shall wave [with grain]. v14 A complete curse reversal. All of the curses heaped on Israel (exile, captivity, destruction, looting) will be reversed in that day of redemption. v15 concludes the book with the final explanation of why the Lord is sparing a remnant from Israel. The Lord alludes to the ancestral lands of Israel, lands which were promised to Abraham under the covenant between him and the Lord. Thus, when the Lord states He will plant Israel in the land He has given them, He is indicating He is fulfilling the promises made to Abraham. These promises included both lands and people, thus the Lord has to preserve a righteous remnant to inhabit the land. Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.