Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 6 · Section 7
VERSE 7.
Are ye not as children of the Ethiopian to me, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord? Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
THe Prophet goes on to confirm the certainty of Israels destruction from the sinfulness of their condition; to this end, first, He labours to convince them of their Ingrat… tude and Apostasie; whereas the Lord had brought them in great mercy out of the land of Egypt where they lay buried (as it were) in a grave of misery, and made them his Israel, and peculiar people; yet they di… ingeniously behaved themselves more like Ethiopians and Heathens, than his beloved Israel, and therefore as they had been like them in …inning, so now they should be like them in suffering.
In this Verse the Prophet by a Prolepsis prevents two Objections. 1 Whereas they boasted that they were Gods people in Covenant, and descended of holy Progenitors, and therefore God would not destroy them.
A. To this the Prophet answers, that in their wayes and walking they were more like to prophane, Heathenish, Idolatrous Ethiopians,Scriptura cum gentes remotas maximè & abjectas memora re velit, Aethiopes proponit. Mercer. who were strangers from the Covenant of Grace, and aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, than Israelites, or the seed of Abraham since they did not the works of Abraham, but of Infidels; and therefore since they had made themselves thus vile by their sins, God regarded them no more than the most contemptible Nations in the world, and was resolved to deal with them accordingly. The Ethiopians were a vile, accursed Nation, the symbole of servitude, Gen. 9.25. Cursed be Cham, a servant of servants, i. e. a most vile slave let him be. Now from this Cham came Canaan and his brother Chus, who was the father of the Ethiopians; hence they are called Chusiim (as in the Text) from Cham and Chus, Gen. 10.6.
The Interrogation is a strong Affirmation, Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopian to me? q. d. Ye are so, there is an emphasis in that word mihi, to me, q. d. though ye excell other Nations in many priviledges, and are honoured by men, yet when you come before me, what can you bring that is not mine? all your feathers and favours are but borrowed, and when I have taken mine own from you, wherein are you better to me than Ethiopians, or the most vile and contemptible Nation in the world? In respect of Creation, and by nature we are all alike, both Saints and Scythians, Israelites, and Ethiopians, we all come out of the same corrupt mass, it is onelyonly free-grace which makes the difference; and therefore the more God had done for Israel, the more humble and obedient they should have been. But since they forgat the God of their mercies, despised the counsel of his Prophets, and hardened themselves in their sins, the Lord tells them in plain termes, that now he esteemed them no more than the most base and barbarous Nations in the world; and this the Lord doth to abase them, and make them know themselves who were stuft with such high conceits of themselves, and their priviledges, though they walked clean contrary to them; in which respect they were inferiour to Heathens, who never sinned against such light and love as they had done.
Obj. 2. A second Evasion was this, The Lord hath chosen us for his own peculiar people, above all the Nations of the world, and hath delivered us from Egypt, and brought us into Canaan, and therefore (though we do go on in our sin, yet) we shall prosper, and no Iudgement shall come upon us, as this precise Prophet Amos threatneth.
Ans. 1. It doth not follow, that because you have been delivered out of Egypt, that therefore you shall go unpunisht for your sin; but the contrary, since you have received such great blessings, therefore you must yeeld answerable obedience, remembring that they which have much, of them shall be much required; and if they offend, they shall be sooner, and more severely punished, Amos 3.2. Dan. 9.12. 2. The Prophet tells them, that they had no reason to be puft up with this deliverance, for the Lord had granted the like external deliverances (though not alike in all circumstances to that of Egypt) to Heathenish and Idolatrous people, whom they lookt upon as Dogs and Swine. The Prophet instanceth in two Examples.
The first is that of the Philistims, whom the Lord brought from their slavery in Caphtor, See the Large Annot, on Jer. 47.4.Jer. 47.4. The Philistims and Caphtorims are put amongst the posterity of Mizraim, the Son of Cham, Gen. 10.6, 14. 1 Chron. 1.11, 12. they expelled the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, which belonged to the Philistines, and possessed their Country, Deut. 2.23.
The second instance is that of the Syrians, whom the Lord brought from Kir, where they served other Nations. These are called Aramites, from Aram the Son of Shem, from whom they descended, Gen. 10.22. these were grosse Idolaters, and worshipped many Gods, Iudg. 10 6. and especially that noted Idol Rimmon. 2 King. 5.18.
There was a double Kir, 1. There was Kir, a City of special note in the Land of Moab, Isa. 15.1. 2. Kir another City situate in Media, of which we read, 2 King. 16.9. Isa. 22.6. Amos 1.5. This was under the dominion of the Assyrians, and this is the Kir in the Text. Some make this Kir to be Cyrene, but there is no ground for that, for Cyrene was situate in Lybia, but Kir in Media under the Assyrians, which is far distant from Lybia. This deliverance of the Syrians from Kir, is mentioned only in this place; this they had from the Histories of those times which were then well known;In my Commen. on 2 Tim. 3.8. p. 15. as they had many other things not mentioned in the Scripture, as I have shewed elsewhere.
Some give the sense thus, As the Philistines were ungrateful to God, who brought them out of Caphtor, and the Syrians, when he brought them out of Kir; so Israel hath been ungrateful to God, who brought them out of the Land of Egypt. But the genuine sense and summe of all is this. There is no reason, O ye children of Israel, why I should respect you more than the very Ethiopians (that accursed and contemptible posterity of Cham) yea why should I make any difference between you and the uncircumcised Philistines, or Idolatrous Syrians, whom you have equalized, yea exceeded in sin? If you say that I brought you out of Egypt, did not I also bring the Philistines and Syrians out of Caphtor and Kir? you have therefore no cause to be puft up with these common favours. It is true, I have out of mine own free love to you, exalted you above the Nations, but since by your sins you have abused my favours, and abased your selves, I do now no more value you than so many Blackmores and Heathens.
OBSERVATIONS.
1. To be born of pious Progenitors cannot preserve an impious people from ruine.
It will not avail men to say with those Jews, Wee have Abraham to our Father, unless we do the works of Abraham, Iohn 8.39. Rom. 9.7, 8. Let our Ancestors be never so gracious,See Mr. Geering against Pride c. 9. ss 4. p. 78. Vossius Rhet. lib. 1. sect. 13. p. 56. ad 67.4 to. ☜ unless we follow their gratious example, and walk in their steps, we are no better in Gods esteem, than Ethiopians and out-casts, yea the piety of predecessors is so far from justifying any in their sins, that it aggravates them, in that they had such good patterns set before them, and yet they would not follow them.
A Noble Pedigree is little worth,Tota licè: veteres exornent undique cerae Atria; nobilitas sola est at que unica virtus. Iuvenal. Satyr. 8. where the line of well-doing continues not; and 'tis much more glory to begin the honour of ones house, than either to end it, or not encrease it. What did it profit Ch…m that he was the Son of Noah? or hurt Abraham, that his Father Terah worshipped Gods of Clay? or hurt Timothy, …hat he was born a Gentile: Honesty (how mean soever the birth be) knows no disgrace.Stemmata quid faciun…? qu…d prodest Pontice longo Sanguine censeri, pictos que oftendere vultus majorum? Iuvenal. Satyr. 8. The Prince of Satyrists (though a Heathen) yet hath spent a whole Satyr to very good purpose, against those that boast of their Noble Pedigree, when themselves have nothing that is truly Noble in them.
2. Priviledges abused increase wrath, Mat. 11.20, 21, 22, 23. Rom. 2.9. 1 Cor. 10.2, 3, 4, 5. Heb. 2.1, 2, 3.
When men ungratefully abuse their mercies, and the God of their mercies,In my Com. on Hos. 13.15. Obs. 3. 'tis just with God to strip them of those mercies. But of this at large elsewhere.
3. Sin debaseth a people, and makes glorious Nations like to unglorious and contemptible Heathens.
Whilst Israel walked up to his priviledges, he was exalted, but when he offended in Baal, and fell to Idolatry, he died and lost his reputation with God and Man, both at home and abroad, Hos. 13.1. Ezek. 16.3.
4. The changes in Nations, aud translating of Kingdomes from one to another, are not casual, but providential. There is the finger of God in them all. 'Tis he that destroyed the Canaanites, and brought in Israel. 'Tis he that cast out Israel, and brought in the Assyrian; he rooted up Iudah, and brought in the Chaldean; and rooted up the Chaldeans by the Medes and Persians, and brought the Philistines and Syrians out of Caphtor and Kir. He puts down one, and sets-up another in the Throne, and none may say unto him, What dost thou? Deut. 2.21. & 4.21.
5. External favours and deliverances are no Arguments of Gods internal love and favour to a people.
See Mr. Seeker on Mat. 5.47. p. 366, 367, &c. ☜Uncircumcised Philistines, and Idolatrous Syrians may be delivered from a Caphtor and a Kir; and yet these preservations may be to them but reservations to greater wrath. Pharaoh was delivered from many plagues, yet his heart being hardened, at last hee perisht in the Sea. All things come alike to all, and there is no judging of Gods favour by these external things,See Dyke on the Heart. chap. 4. p. 51, &c. See six Observations more in Mr. Hutchinson on the place. I study brevity. Eccles. 9.1, 2. The Sun of prosperity shines as well on the barren Wildernesse, as upon the fruitful Pastures.