Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 4.djvu/963



Though this prophet appeared a little before Isaiah, yet he was not, as some have mistaken, that Amos, who was the father of Isaiah, (Isa. i. 1. ) for in the Hebrew their names are very different; their families too were of a different character; for Isaiah was a courtier, Amos a country farmer. Amos signifies, a burthen, whence the Jews have a tradition, that he was of a slow tongue, and spake with stammering lips; we may rather, in allusion to his name, say, that his speech was iveighty, and his word the burlhen of the Lord. He was (as most think) of judah, yet prophesied chiefly against Israel, and at Bethel, ch. vii. 13. Some think his style savours of his extraction, and is more plain and rustic than that of some of the other prophets; ! do not see it so, but it is plain that his matter agreed with that of his contemporary, Hosea, that out of the mouth of thene t'-.uo witnesses the luord might he established. It appears by his contest with Amaziah the priest of Bethel, that he met with opposition in his work; but was a man of undaunted resolution in it, faithful and bold in reproving sin, and denouncing the judg- ments of God for it, and pressing in his exhortations to repentance and reformation. He begins with threatenings against the neiglibouring nations that were enemies to Israel, ch. i. and ii. He then calls Israel to account; and judges them fur their idolatry, their unworthy walking under the favours God had bestowed upon them, and their incorrigibleness under his judgments, ch. iii. and iv. He calls them to repentance, {ch. . ) rejecting their hypocritical sacrifices, unless they did repent. He foretells the desolations that were coming upon them, notwithstanding their security, {ch. vi.) some particular judg- ments, {ch. vii.) particularly on Amaziah; and after other reproofs and threatenings, {ch. viii. and ix.) concludes with a promise of the setting up of the Messiah's kingdom, and the happiness of God's spiritual Israel therein; just as the propliecy of Joel concluded. These prophets, having opened the • wound in their reproofs and threatenings, which show all wrong, in the promises of gospel-grace open the remedy, which alone will .i-et all to rights.

In this chapter, we h,ivc, 1. The general title of this pro- phecy, V. I. with the general scope ofit, v. 2. II. Uod's fiarticular controversy with Syria, (v. 3.. 5.) wilh Pa- estine, {v. 6.. 8.) with Tyre, (v. 9, 10.) with Edom, (v. 11, 12.) and with Ammon, (v. 13.. 15.) for their cruelty to his people, and the many injuries they had done Ihem. This explains God's pleading with the nations, Joel iii. 2.

HE words of Amos, who was among A the lieidmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in tlie da3's of Uz- ziah king of Jndah, and in the days of Jero- hoam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2. And he said. The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem ; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. Here is,. . The general character of this prophecj'. It is, the words which the prophet saw. Are words to be seen? Yes, God's words are; the apostles speak of the nvord of life, which they had not only heard, but which they had seen with their eyes, which they had looked ufion, and which their hands had handled; (1 John i. 1.) such a real, substantial thing is the word of God. The prophet saw these words, (1.) They were revealed to him in a vision, as John is said to see the -voice that spake to him; Rev. i. 12. (2. ) That which was foretold by them, was to him as certain as if he had seen it with his bodily eyes