Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 3 · Section 14
VER. 14.
But behold, I will raise up against you a Nation, O house of Israel, saith the Lord the God of Hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entring in of Hemath, unto the river of the Wilderness.
THese words contain the Conclusion of the fifth Sermon, which Amos made to this People. We have seen their Sin before, we are now come to their Suffering. This people gloried in things of nought, and would not beleeve the Prophets words, but now they should be taught by blows, and bee made to feel what they would not fear, and therefore the Prophet begins with a but, But behold, q. d. you think by your own strength and power to subdue your enemies, but I will raise up against you the Assyrian, a mighty Nation, that shall chase you from one end of the Land to another.
The Lord had told them before of Judgements in general that should come upon them for their sins, now he comes to particularize the Judgement; he tells them who shall inflict it, on whom, and how farre. They had forsaken God, and cast him off, and now he forsook them, they trusted to their own strength but God sends against them a stronger than they, that should subdue them. But I will raise up against you a Nation, &c.
In the words we have, 1. The Adversative Particle, But.
2 The Note of Attention, Behold.
3 The matter to be attended, I will raise up against you a Nation, viz. the Assyrian against Israel, and the Babylonian against Iudah; for the bounds here set for the promised Land, do imply both Kingdoms, primarily Israel and Samaria, and secondarily, Iudah and Ierusalem, as I have shewed on Vers. 1.
The Kingdom of Israel was overthrown by Salmaneser King of Assyria, and the City and Temple of Ierusalem, by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon; these God raised up to cool their courage, and abate their pride.
4 The Lord tells them what this Nation shall doe to Israe…, They shall afflict them, they shall press and oppress, them by violence and Tyranny;Lachetz, coarctavit, pressit, oppressit, afflixit, ut videre est, Judg. 4.3. 1 Sam. 10.18. Psal. 106.42 they shall hem them in, and so straiten them, that none shall escape.
5 Here is the extent of this affliction, and how farre it shall go, and that is from Hemath, which was situate in the North border of Canaan, looking Eastward, vers. 2. Unto the river of the Wilderness; that is, to Sichor, a river of Aegypt in the South, looking Westward, and parting the Land of Israel from the Land of Aegypt, Numb. 34, 5, 8. Josh. 13.3, 5. & 15.47. 1 Chron. 13.5 it is called the river of the Desart, because it came out of the Desart; some think it was the river Nilus, but the bounds of Canaan never extended so farre. Ieroboam had re-gained those bounds to Israel, they were proud of the Prize; but about thirty years after Tiglath-Pileser re-gained it all from Israel, and laid it to the Assyrians; and not long after comes Salmanesar the King of Assyria, and takes Samaria, and subdues the whole Kingdom of Israel. About one hundred years after, Iudah was carried captive into Babylon, according to that woe denounced against them, ver. 1. When Warrs arise yet some use to escape, but here the Lord threatens, that they shall be opprest from one end of the Land to another▪ Though the Country were large and spacious, and there were many ways to escape, yet the enemy should befet them so strictly that there should be no escaping, but all should goe into Captivity. As all had sinned, so all should now suffer for sin. So that this verse seems to be a kind of Antithesis, and check to their Carnal confidence in their own strength and success, q. d. it is true, your King Ieroboam hath recovered your borders, but I will send one that shall recover all from you again. He restored all from Hemath to the Sea of the Plain; and I will send the Assyrian who shall wast Israel from Hemath to the Sea, i. e. from North to South, and from East to West; and then shall you see how infirm your firmness was; when your Valour shall be turned into weakness, your Glory into shame, and your Mirth into mourning.
6 Who is it that saith all this? why it is one that can and will perform it, It is the Lord, the God of Hosts; who hath the Army of the Assyrians, and all other Armies at his beck and command, vers. 8.
OBSERVATIONS.
1 Pride goes before destruction. In the precedent verse we read of Israels Pride and Carnal-confidence, and now see their fall. When pride is in the faddle, destruction is on the crupper, Dan 4.30. we read of Nebuchadnezzars pride, and ver. 31. we read of his fall. Children that hold by their own coats pull themselves down; by his own strength shal no man prevail, 1 Sam. 2.9. Ezek 28.9.
2 The Lord is true in all his Threatnings. Not one word shall fail of all that he hath spoken against a rebellious people. Hee threatned to send the Assyrian against Israel here, & he did it. He threatned to send the Babylonian against Iudah, and they came at last.
3 When people are rejoycing and most secure, then usually Iudgements are nearest. In the precedent verse they were rejoycing, and in this verse comes their ruine. When the old World was buying, selling, marrying, and merry-making, then came the Floud and swept them all away, Mat. 24.38, 39. When Bellsring, Canons roar, Fires flame, and there is nothing but mirth and jollity, then may destruction be at the door. When men cry Peace, peace, then comes sudden and swift destruction, 1 Thes. 5.3. 2 Pet. 2.1.
4 It is God who raiseth up enemies against a rebellious people. I will raise up a Nation against you. See more on Amos 4.10.War is one of Gods sore Judgments which he sends against a people of his wrath, Ezek. 14.21. when men will not serve God with gladness and sincerity in abundance, then he makes them serve their enemies in want and misery, Deut. 28.47, 48. Isa. 42.24, 25. The Assyrian is but Gods …tod, his Staff, his Axe, his Saw, to scourge, beat, hew, and divide; they are but Instruments, it is God that is the Agent.
5 Universality in sin brings universality in suffering. As the Land had been …ilted from corner to corner with uncleaneness,See my Com. on Hos. 13.16. p. 109. See an excellent Ser. of Mr. Bacon on Exod. 23.2. p. 14. at the end of his Exposition of Mr. Perkins Cathech. so now it should be answerably filled with punishment. National Sins bring National Plagues, Ezra 9.10, 11. When all the old World was corrupt, then came the Floud and swept them all away. When all Sodom, and all Ierusalem were given to wickedness, then came Judgements and destroyed them. Multitudes in sin are so far from Patronizing the sinners, that it hastens wrath.
6 Sin brings a people into a desperate condition. It brings them into such straits, that they know not wch way to turn themselves. The Land of Canaan was spacious, and there were many ways of escaping, but their sins had brought things to that pass, that they were surrounded with enemies, and there was none to deliver them.
7 As Kingdoms have their times of flourishing, so they have their times of fading too. Israel flourisht, and was succesful under Ieroboam, but they fade and fall in the reign of King Hoshea. See Greenhil on Ezek. 26.17. Obs. 3. p. 442.The Gr…cian, Babylonian, and Persian Monarchies which were sometimes famous through the world, are now mouldred away, and come to nothing, and so shall the Roman.
8 God usually retaliates Sinners, and pays them in their own coyn. This people had for a long time pressed the Lord with their sins,V. Caryl on Job 15.25. Obs. 1. p. 131. Greenhil on Ezek. 7.18. p. 75. Amos 2.13. and now themselves are prest and opprest with Judgments. Sodom, and Gomorah, that burnt in lust, were burnt with fire. Nadab, and Abihu, that offered strange fire, perisht by strange fire from the Lord.There was one Martin a vile man, that threatned to slit a godly Ministers nose in Piedmount, that was assaulted by a Woolf, which bit off his nose, so that he dyed thereof mad. Fox Book of Martyrs, 2 Vol. p. 202. Asa, that set the Prophet in the Stocks, had a disease in his feet. Babylon, that shed the bloud of Saints, hath bloud given her to drink. Hee that on earth denied a crumb of Bread, in Hell shal not have a drop of water, Luk. 16.24, 25. They that delight in left-hand blessings, Prov. 3.16. shal be placed with the Goats on the left hand, Mat. 25.33. and those that delight in darkness, shal be sent to darkness, 2 Pet. 2.17. They that say unto God, Depart now, he will say unto them, Depart at the last Day. He that will not owne Christs truth now, shall not be owned by him then. They that trample upon the Saints here, the Saints shall tread them under their feet hereafter, Micha 4.11, 12, 13. & 7.10. so that all the wicked at last shall be compelled to say with Adonibezek, Judg. 1. As I have done, so hath the Lord rewarded me. The Aegyptians that worshipped creeping things, were punisht with Froggs, and other creeping things. Demosthenes and Tully, that were proud of their Eloquence, perisht by it. Milo, that gloried in his strength, was ruined by it. Absolom, that was proud of his Hair, it helpt to hang him, 2 Sam. 18.9. Let every one then take notice of his sin by the suffering, and silence murmuring.
We have now seen the Sins that ruined Israel, viz. Idolarry, Superstition, Apostasie, Oppression, Luxury, Tyranny, Injustice, and Carnal-confidence, &c. If these Sins reign in England, what can we expect but that the Lord should send some Assyrian upon us, to avenge the quarrel of his Covenant on us? &c.
FINIS.