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Judgment on Syria
3 The Lord said:
I will punish Syria
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They dragged logs with spikes
over the people of Gilead.
4Now I will burn down the palaces
and fortresses of King Hazael
and of King Benhadad.
5I will break through
the gates of Damascus.
I will destroy the people
of Wicked Valley
and the ruler of Beth-Eden.
Then the Syrians will be dragged
as prisoners to Kir.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Judgment on Philistia
6 The Lord said:
I will punish Philistia
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They dragged off my people
from town after town
to sell them as slaves
to the Edomites.
7That's why I will burn down
the walls and fortresses
of the city of Gaza.
8I will destroy the king of Ashdod
and the ruler of Ashkelon.
I will strike down Ekron,
and that will be the end
of the Philistines.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Judgment on Phoenicia
9 The Lord said:
I will punish Phoenicia
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They broke their treaty
and dragged off my people
from town after town
to sell them as slaves
to the Edomites.
10That's why I will send flames
to burn down the city of Tyre
along with its fortresses.
Judgment on Edom
11 The Lord said:
I will punish Edom
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They killed their own relatives
and were so terribly furious
that they showed no mercy.
12Now I will send fire to wipe out
the fortresses of Teman
and Bozrah.
Judgment on Ammon
13 The Lord said:
I will punish Ammon
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
In Gilead they ripped open
pregnant women,
just to take the land.
14Now I will send fire to destroy
the walls and fortresses
of Rabbah.
Enemies will shout and attack
like a whirlwind.
15Ammon's king and leaders
will be dragged away.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Judgment on Moab
1 The Lord said:
I will punish Moab
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They made lime from the bones
of the king of Edom.
2Now I will send fire to destroy
the fortresses of Kerioth.
Battle shouts and trumpet blasts
will be heard as I destroy Moab
3with its king and leaders.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Reflect
God exists whether we believe it or not. He has something to say about us, whether we ask him or not.
Amos has set a stage. The Judge has entered. Court is in session. Amos reads out the charges against Israel’s enemies, their “countless crimes.” They have mercilessly plundered, killed and sold “my people” into slavery. Amongst them are their kin: descendants of Esau (Edom) and Lot (Ammon). But the last charge is not about Israel at all: Moab is charged with mistreating the Edomites, the ones charged for their slave trading. Why does God care?
Perhaps the Edomites and Ammonites have some residual memory of their Biblical origins, the shared lineage of their distant cousins. But the Philistines and Moabites were always enemies. They do not acknowledge God, nor recognize his authority or follow his laws nor believe they need to listen to his prophets. So why is Amos bothering with their crimes, even when it is against each other? Why is he counting?
When we say “our God” we think, “and not theirs” don’t we? When we see countries disown him, we feel our influence and his dominion ebb. Amos says, “it is all his, it all counts”. We don’t mind the fuzzy comfort of all being “children of God.” But Amos is counting crimes, counting injustice, counting abuse, counting violence, counting the slaves sold and bought – then as now. God is tracking it all. He sees. He knows. He warns. He judges. Justice is for all.
He’s not just interested in me, my family, my church, my denomination, my religion, my country. He is interested even in how his enemies are treated. We think they “got what they deserved.” What kind of God is this? He is the God of heaven, not just our little bit of earth.
Respond
You care about us, and them, whoever our “them” is. You hold us accountable, all of us. We may not murder, torture or enslave. But do we hate, are we cruel, do we trap or fail to free others from burdens we could relieve? As we open our ears to hear you, open our eyes so we see ourselves, honestly.
Alexander Best
Alexander cultivated a network of Christian leaders, OneMission, to promote collaboration, including service to the 15,000 new students arriving at University of Toronto each fall, under the umbrella, ServeToronto. He helped foster the same at the PanAm Games in Toronto and is the former Canadian Director of the Lausanne Movement Canada. He publishes THisToronto, a social media platform promoting & connecting the activities of over 300 ministries and churches in the city."