Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 2 · Section 3
VERSE 3.
For thus saith the Lord God, the City that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred, shall leave ten to the house of Israel.
WHat the Prophet had spoken before in general, now he comes to express more plainly and particularly, viz. That the Kingdome of Israel should perish; yet not so totally, but that a remnant should be spared; though the body of the people should be cut off, yet a decimation should live to praise God.
So that in this verse we have the reason of the Prophets lamentation and doleful ditty, and that is the great havock which God would make amongst this people; he would cut off nine parts, and leave but a tenth. When the Roman Armies did mutiny, the Commanders did use to decimate them, punishing every tenth man. But the Lord goes further here, being incensed against Israel, hee tells them, that by the Sword, by Captivity, by the Pestilence and Famine, hee would make such a slaughter amongst them, that the City which went out by a thousand, should bee brought to an hundred, and an hundred to ten; that is, of a great multitude very few should return. Such a woful decimation there should bee amongst them, that very few should escape. The like Threatning wee have set forth under another Metaphor, Amos 3.12. As the Shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the Lion, two legs, or the peece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel bee taken out of Samaria, &c. q. d. as a Shepherd when a Lion hath been devouring his flock, findes some mangled remains of a leg, or an ear; so shall it bee with Israel, some one or two shall escape the general slaughter and Captivity.
The City that went out by a thousand; that is, The City which had a thousand Inhabitants passing to and fro through the gates thereof; or more genuinely, The City which sent forth a thousand able men to the Wars, or that could furnish, and set out a thousand men fit to bear Arms, shall have but an hundred left. The Prophet seems to allude to that of Moses, Deut. 1.15. where the people are divided under Captains over thousands, and Captains over hundreds.
This Threatning was partly fulfilled in the three years siege of Samaria, 2 King. 18.10. and partly after, when there was a great devastation of men amongst them.
Lastly, To assure them of the reality and truth of all that hee had spoken; hee brings in the Lord asserting it, Thus saith the Lord God, q. d. You have not to do with impotent men, but with an Omnipotent God, who both can and will execute his judgements upon the heads of the wicked.
The summe of all is this, So few shall bee left alive after the long▪ and hard sieges of the Assyrians, that in those Cities of Israel out of which a thousand able men had wont to go forth to War, now there should be left but an hundred, and an hundred shall be brought to ten, saith the Lord who doth this.
OBSERVATIONS.
Sin is the grand depopulator of a Kingdome. It makes Cities that go out by thousands to return by hundreds, and reduceth their hundreds to tens. Wee use to complain of such as unpeople Towns and Villages; sin is the Arch-depopulation of Towns and Cities, it brings the Sword, Plague and Famine upon Nations, which sweep men away by thousands. As obedience multiplies a people, and makes them like the sand of the Sea for multitude, 1 King. 4.20. So disobedience makes men few in number, which were before as the Stars of heaven for multitude, Deut. 28.62. We should therefore unanimously rise in arms against this Cut-throat sin; if an enemy should come to Town that had killed our fathers, mothers, wives and children, and robbed us of all our pleasant things, with what indignation and fury would men, women and children joyntly rise to ruine such an enemy? Sin is this adversary, it robs Sovereigns of their subjects, Pastors of their people, and robs us of our dearest relations. We should therefore do by it as the Iews did by Paul (whom they lookt upon as their adversary, Act. 22.27, 28.) when they saw him, they stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, saying, Men of Israel help, This is he that is against this people, and against the Law, and against this place. So should we encourage each other against sin, and suppress it, saying, Magistrates, Ministers, men and brethren help, this is that which destroyes our people, wastes our Cities, unpeoples our Towns, opposeth the Laws, and brings confusion every where.
2 Obs. In the midst of judgement, God remembers mercy. All had deserved death here, yet such is his clemency that hee spares a Tenth, and leaves a remnant, Isa. 1.9. and 6.11, 12, 13. 'Tis the Lords singular mercy that any remain alive, and it is his overflowing goodness that wee are not all utterly consumed, and hurled out of the world at once, Lam. 3.22. In the midst of these devastations, here is a gleaning left to praise him.
3 Obs. The threatnings of Gods Ministers are Gods threatnings. Thus saith the Lord, the City that went out by a thousand, shall leave an hundred. Tis not I (saith Amos) but the Lord by mee his weak instrument, that tells you this. Wee are Ambassadors for Christ, 2 Cor. 5.20. Now the words of an Ambassador are esteemed as the words of him that sent him. This made Cornelius (though a Souldier and a Commander) yet to set himself as in Gods presence, and so to hear as if God himself spake to him, Act. 10.33. and so did the Thessalonians, 1 Thess. 2.13. when our preaching agrees with the word of God, it is to bee esteemed as the word of God himself. If this were truly beleeved, it would make us come with other affections to hear the word than most now do.