Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · minor prophets · Amos · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
HEar this word of the Lord against you: because he had spoken of judgments, which none should escape, and men are averse from hearing any thing V. 1.against him, therefore he presseth them to hear this, and the like should every Preacher do, and not forbear to declare the will of God in any thing, because the hearer will distaste it.
And what is it that he would have them hear? You only have I known of all the V. 2.families of the earth, therefore I will punish you: Here he speaks to all the tribes of Israel together, which he brought out of Egypt, v. 1. whom only, he saith, he had known peculiarly to choose them, and to do such mighty things for them, and to give them his laws. Of the like comparison, see Ps: 147. 20. whereby we may see, that to live in sin is more hainous in those that are of the Church, then in any other people, and they shall therefore most certainly be Note. punished for all their iniquities, so farre will it be from being a shelter to such sinners, that they are of the Church, that they shall be punished the more.
Can two walk together except they be agreed? that is, the Prophet cannot walk V. 3.with God in speaking in his behalf, by threatning judgments against sinners, as he doth, but they might be sure that it was done by the consent and according to the will of God.
Will a Lion roar in the forrest when he hath no prey? Here is another similitude to V. 4.shew, that his threatning being according to Gods will, is as the Lions roaring, and not as a contemptible mans uttering his voice, of which roaring see before ch. 1. 2. And as the Lion roareth not, but being sure of a prey, so the Lord roareth not by his instrument, a Prophet, but the people against whom, shall surely bee made a prey to them, that he shall send out to destroy.
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no ginne is for him? but if a snare be set so cunningly that he cannot escape, then he must needs fall, and till V. 5.the bird falleth thus, the fowler will not take up the snare that he laid. Now God is the Fowler, of whose snares to take sinners it is spoken Psal. 11. and the meaning is, if God had not by me his Prophet laid a snare in threatning judgments against you for your sins; ye needed not to fear the coming of such judgments upon you, but now the snare is laid, and shall not be taken up again, till ye be intangled with these destroying judgments, unlesse yee repent.
Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be afraid? shall there be evill V. 6.in a city and the Lord hath not done it? Here is a third similitude tending to express the same, as a trumpet being blown by a potent enemy signifying his entrance into a City to destroy it by his souldiers thus called together and animated to the fight, all the Citizens tremble for fear, so the Lord sounding an alarum by the trumpet of his Word, it stands the people in hand, against whom, to tremble and seek to make pecce with him with speed. And if they do not so, but harden their hearts, and evill betides them, they must not count it a casualty, but a judgment justly sent by God for their neglecting of his voice; see the like to this before, Esay 45. 7. touching Gods making of evill, that is not sin, but the evill of destruction coming for it.
Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets. V. 7.This is added for explication and confirmation of that which went before: for having said, there is no evil in the City which the Lord hath not done, and before spoken of the Lions roaring, the snare laying and trumpet sounding to warre and bloudshed, hereby is all explained, that the Lord was meant in all the former passages as hath been said, for he doth those things, and agreeth with his Prophets to publish them: and confirmed, because his Prophets denouncing judgments speak by revelation from God, and not of their own heads. Before such revelations they are secrets, and it is unknown what kind of evill, or by what means it shall come upon a wicked people, but such is Gods candor in his dealing with them, that he will not bring it till the Prophets be acquainted therewith, that they may first denounce it, which is also partly done to grace his Prophets by thus making them of his privy councell, as of old he did Abraham.Gen. 18.
The Lion roareth, who can but tremble? the Lord hath spoken, who can but Prophesie? Here by the Lion again is meant the Lord, whose threatnings by his Prophets, V. 8.should make all men to tremble, and when he speaketh by revealing his will to any man, commanding him to declare it to others; no man may refrain from prophesying, whatsoever danger through mens tyranny comes of it, when Jonah did otherwise, we see, in what danger he himself was, and Ezek. 3. the watchman not speaking as he is bidden, must answer for the bloud of others, and Jeremy 1. 17. Speake all that I bid thee (saith God) or else I will slay thee.
Publish it in the Palaces of Ashdod, &c. Here to shame the Israelites the more, V. 9.he calleth the Heathen Philistims and Egyptians together to be spectators of the abominations done in Samaria the head city of the ten tribes, as who should say, that they were so grosse, that they exceeded the wickednesses practised amongst them that were without teaching and all knowledge of the true God. And yet in Ashdod, as Gualter saith, they were so crosse in running to all excesse of riot, that at their feasts they used to have a dead mans soull Gualter.shewed, and then it was said, Eat and drink freely, for after death ye shall be such. And if they were so vile and yet Israel exceeded them in wickednesse, how vile was Israel, and worthy of most severe judgments? see the like exprobration, Jer. 2. 10, 11. & Mat. 11. & 12. 1 Cor. 5. See the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressions, of which more particularly, ch. 2. 6, 7, 8. and V. 10.this he calleth violence and robbery in their Palaces, charging them that they knew not to doe right, not for want of theoricall knowledge, but of an heart well affected, but contrarywise addicted to all evill, the like unto which is said Jer. 4. 22. and he speaks of robbery in their palaces to denote theie Kings and Judges, who are also called for their bribery, companions of theaves, Esa. 1. 23.
An adversary shall be round about thee. Having laid open their grosse sinning, V. 11.now he cometh to shew the punishment, which should be such, that which way soever they made account to escape, their hopes of so doing should be vaine.
For first, if by fleeing, he saith, that enemies should compasse them round about.
2. If they confided in their palaces or fortifications, he saith, thy palaces shall be spoiled, and in further amplifying the same, v. 15. I will smite the winter house, and the summer house, and the houses of ivory, and the great houses.
3. To expresse further their great destruction, if they should trust to their multitudes of people, he saith: As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the Lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell as Samaria, V. 13.of the corner of a bed, or at Damascus, out of a couch, that is, they shall be destroyed, as sheep by a Lion who having killed and eaten what hee listeth of them, the shepheard coming findeth nothing but fragments, all the sheep being destroyed, so that of great multitudes he hereby sheweth, that they should be brought to nothing, onelyonly as the shepheard coming after such destruction takes up these parts, hereby to shew, how many sheep are destroyed, so he meaneth that nothing shall be left in Israel, but testifications of their ruine, and this should be done by enemies, who should be to them as Lions to sheep.
For, that which is added of a corner of a bed, and a couch; it serves to set forth their security, who notwithstanding the judgments threatned lay sleeping upon their soft beds and couches of ease, as fearing nothing. And Samaria is spoken of, the chief City in Israel for the strength thereof, in which they trusted, counting it impregnable, and therefore slept securely there. And Damascus, because part of Israels confidence lay in Damascus, that is, the Syrians their confederates, Hieron.Esa. 7. 1. so Jerome. But Lyra, by the corner of a bed understands some part of Judah, to which the Israelites fled in Hezekiah his time, and by a couch Lyra.in Damascus, taking Damascus for an appellative signifying victual, some place, where he made provision for such as fled unto him. Some again reading the word Damashcus render it, ta bed, the corner of a bed. But both pervert the meaning, which is, as hah been before said, although I doe not think, that a confederacy with the Syrians was in Jeroboams time, any part of the Israelites confidence, but rather their having Syria and Damascus also in their power. For 2 King. 14. 24. Jeroboam their present King is said to have inlarged his Kingdom from the entring in of Hamath to the Sea of the Wildernesse, that is, saith Rabanus, all over Syria, see my exposition there. And upon this Gualter goeth, Raban. Gualter.saying, they had Samaria and Damascus both most strong Cities, and therefore thought themselves invincible, for which they are set forth as sleeping securely Gualter.in a bed or upon a couch.
I will visit the Altars of Bethel, and the horns of the Altars shall be cut off. This is V. 14.added to shew again, that as God was provoked by other sins in Israel before mentioned, chap. 2. so chiefly by their idolatry with the golden Calf at Bethel, which he would have them take speciall notice of, and that the idoll there should be destroyed, and for the horns of the Altar, they are specially mentioned, as being the most goodly part of it, guilt with silver and gold, and whereupon the bloud of their sacrifices was put for expiation of their sins. But hereby it is shewed, that this service being contrary to the Word of God, yet by them blindly trusted in, should be so far from profiting them, as that therefore they should be destroyed, and so it shall be with all the superstitions, their pains and cost about divine worship of their own devising in Note. stead of saving them shall bring them to ruine.