Friday, July 18, 2008

Amos 9, 7-12

7. The LORD denies that He has any special relationship with Israel anymore. They are no longer His chosen people, any more than the Philistines or the Arameans.

8. Israel is described as "the sinful kingdom." The LORD will "destroy it from the face of the earth." Some of the people of Israel will survive: "I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob."

9. God speaks of shaking the people of Israel "as grain is shaken in a sieve." Perhaps this means that the bad ones will sift through, but the good ones will not be destroyed, "not a kernel will fall to the ground." The good ones (relatively speaking) will be scattered "among all nations."

10. The bad ones will be destroyed: "all the sinners of My people will die by the sword." These are the ones who are confident that God will not judge them, "those who say, 'The calamity will not overtake or confront us.'"

11. Amos then turns to the southern kingdom, the house of Judah (I think). God says that He will restore a king to the throne of Judah: "In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches, etc."

12. Then this restored kingdom will become an empire: it will "possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name."

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