Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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THEBOOKOFAMOS
Lesson2,Chapter1continued
OverridingallthattheprophetAmostellsusisthatonlyYehoveh,GodofIsrael,
issovereignoveralltheearth.So,aswecontinuetodayinAmoschapter1,itis
paramountthatwekeepinmindasthebackdropfortheentirebookthat
Yehovehwasnotatypicalgodasdefinedandimaginedbyvirtuallyallknown
cultures,includingIsrael’s,inthe8
th
centuryB.C.,theerainwhichAmoslived
andprophesied.AswithallTorahClasslessonsitisoneofmygoalstoliftyouout
ofourcurrenteraandculturalmindset,andtoprojectusbackwardsintimeto
thevariousbiblicalerasandtheirevolvingsocietiesinorderforustogainatruer
understandingofwhatthesedivinelyinspiredwritersintendedtoimpartto
posterity.However,keepinmindthattheseHebrewwritersdidnotcomefroma
universalistmindset.Thatis,theydidn’tthinkintermsofcreatingadocumentto
bereadoutsidetheirownpeculiarIsraeliteculture,norassomethingthatought
tohavemucheffectorevenapplicationtotheworldingeneral.Thus,what
makesAmossignificantamongtheprophetsisthatheactuallyopensadoor,and
clearlyhasanintent,toalsoaddresspeopleandnationsbeyondIsrael,andheis
reallythefirstprophettodoso.Therefore,whathehastosayinthatregardis
innovative,eventhoughthefoundationaltheologyhebuildsuponisanythingbut
neworinnovative.AmosbaseshisentiretheologicalviewpointontheCovenant
ofMoses…TheLaw…TheTorah…thatwasgiventoMosesaround6centuries
beforehisdayandsowassomethingthathadlongbeenestablished.ForAmos,
thecoreissuewasthatnotonlyIsrael(bothEphraim/IsraelandJudah),butalso
thenations,hadstrayedfromthisestablishedLaw,whichIthinkwe,today,are
bettertothinkofandcharacterizeasGod’sunchangingandobjectivemoralcode
intendedforallhumanity.
Theopeningwordsofchapter1depictYehovehasalionthatisabouttotearinto
hisprey.Asortofapexpredatorwhoisgoingtosendterroranddevastation
upon8nationsorkingdomsfortheirrebellionagainstHim.Ofthesetargeted
nations,6arepaganand2(JudahandEphraim)representallofIsraeleven
thoughtheyareHisownsetapartandspecialpeople.Let’sre-readthe1
st
chapterofAmos.
RE-READAMOSCHAPTER1all

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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Oraclesofdestructionareoutlinedfor8nationsbeginningwithDamascus.At
thistimeDamascuswasasortofextendedcity/statethatessentiallyhad
becomethecapitalofaregioncalledAram(todayitiscalledSyria).Thus,much
likeinHosea’sandAmos’sprophecieswhentheywillcalloutSamariafor
destruction,itisbecauseSamariawasthecapitalcityoftheKingdomof
Ephraim/Israel,butSamariawasmeanttobeallinclusiveindicatingallof
Ephraim/Israel.Asusedhere,then,DamascusandAramaretobetakenas
parallelterms;itwasn’tonlythecityofDamascusbutalsotheentirenationof
Aramthatisbeingputunderjudgmentinverse3.
Astrangeformulaicstatementisnowmade:“ForDamascus’s3crimes…no4…”.
Thisopeningformulaof“3crimes…no4”willbeusedfortheremaining7
judgmentoraclesaswell.Whatistheintentandmeaningofthisstrangephrase?
Inordertounderstandit,weneedtofirstnoticeanothernumberingschemeand
patternthatitoccurswithin.Itistherecognizednumberingpatternof7-8.The
number8ispairedwiththenumber7inwhatscholarsofancientMiddleEastern
literaturecallascendingstaircaseparallelism.Don’tworryaboutwhatitiscalled;
thepointisthatyouwillnoticethatthereare8oraclesofjudgmentagainst8
nations.Yet,7ofthesenationscomeoutsidethefocusandmainsubjectofAmos,
whichisthenationofEphraim/Israel(withEphraim/Israelbeingthe8
th
nation
thatistoexpectdivinejudgment).Thethingtograspisthatthisisarather
commonliteraryfeatureofthatbiblicalera,employedthroughouttheMiddle
EasternnationsandnotjustIsrael.So,whilethepointofitmightbeobscureto
usinmoderntimes,itwasobvioustothepeopleofAmos’sera.
Weseethis7-8patterninanumberofplacesintheOldTestament.WhenAaron
wasgoingtobeordainedasHighPriest,wereadthefollowingthatbeginsin
Leviticuschapter8:
CJB
Leviticus8:33-9:2
33
Youarenottogooutfromtheentrancetothetentof
meetingforsevendays,untilthedaysofyourconsecrationareover;since
ADONAIwillbeconsecratingyouforsevendays.
34
Heordereddonewhathas
beendonetoday,inordertomakeatonementforyou.
35
Youaretoremainatthe
entrancetothetentofmeetingdayandnightforsevendays,therebyobeying
whatADONAIordereddone,sothatyoumaynotdie.ForthisiswhatIwas

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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ordered."
36
AharonandhissonsdidallthethingswhichADONAIordered
throughMoshe.
CJB
Leviticus9:1-2Ontheeighthday,MoshecalledAharon,hissonsandthe
leadersofIsra'el,
2
andsaidtoAharon,"Takeamalecalfforasinofferinganda
ramforaburntoffering,bothwithoutdefect,andofferthembeforeADONAI.)
Wealsofindthis7-8patternusedintheformulafortheSpringbiblicalfeastsof
Passover/UnleavenedBread/FirstfruitsandintheFallbiblicalfeastofSukkot.
Thatis,thereisanelementofthesefeaststhatisfor7days,butthenthereisan
8
th
dayaswell.
CJB
Leviticus23:34-36
34
"TellthepeopleofIsra'el,'Onthefifteenthdayofthis
seventhmonthisthefeastofSukkotforsevendaystoADONAI.
35
Onthefirst
daythereistobeaholyconvocation;donotdoanykindofordinarywork.
36
For
sevendaysyouaretobringanofferingmadebyfiretoADONAI;ontheeighth
dayyouaretohaveaholyconvocationandbringanofferingmadebyfireto
ADONAI;itisadayofpublicassembly;donotdoanykindofordinarywork.
So,whereasthenumber7issymbolicofidealcompleteness,thenumber8is
symbolicoftheclimaxofsomething.Whenusedtogether,7-8representthe
fullestpossibletotalityofsomething.Wefindthis7-8patternexpressedinother
placesintheTanakh(theHebrewBible)aswell.
CJB
Micah5:1-4Butyou,Beit-LechemnearEfrat,sosmallamongtheclansof
Y'hudah,outofyouwillcomeforthtomethefuturerulerofIsra'el,whoseorigins
arefarinthepast,backinancienttimes.
2
Thereforehewillgiveup[Isra'el]only
untilshewhoisinlaborgivesbirth.Thentherestofhiskinsmenwillreturntothe
peopleofIsra'el.
3
HewillstandandfeedhisflockinthestrengthofADONAI,in
themajestyofthenameofADONAIhisGod;andtheywillstayput,ashegrows
greattotheveryendsoftheearth;
4
andthiswillbepeace.IfAshurinvadesour
land,ifheoverrunsourfortresses,wewillraisesevenshepherdsagainsthim,
eightleadersofmen.

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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CJB
Ecclesiastes11:1-2Sendyourresourcesoutovertheseas;eventuallyyou
willreapareturn.
2
Divideyourmerchandiseintosevenoreightshares,since
youdon'tknowwhatdisastersmaycomeontheearth.
Further,weseethatthis7-8patterncanbeexpandedintolargernumbers.
CJB
Psalm90:10
10
Thespanofourlifeisseventyyears,orifwearestrong,
eighty;yetatbestitistoilandsorrow,overinamoment,andthenwearegone
Andevenlarger….
CJB
1Kings5:29-30
29
Shlomohad70,000mentocarryloadsandanother
80,000stonecuttersinthehills,
30
besidesShlomo's3,300supervisorswhowere
inchargeofthepeopledoingthework
So,too,weneedtounderstandthe3-4pattern.First:thenumber3is,inHebrew,
Shelosh.Shelosh,inadditiontoindicatingthenumber3alsomeansharmony,
newlife,andcompleteness.Thenumber4meansallthecompassdirections,
whichsymbolicallymeanstheentireearth.So,whenweunderstandthat,thenit
becomesclearerthatsaying“ForDamascus’s3crimes…no4”,itisanunderstood
expressionofthaterameaning“forallthewrongthingsagainstGodtheyhave
done”.Itisnotintendedtoliterallymean3specificcrimes,butonsecond
thoughttherewere4specificcrimes,andthenwe’retostartlookingforexactly
whatthose4crimeswere.Andbecausethis3-4patternofmeaningofthecrimes
these8nationscommittedfallswithinthe7-8patternofmeaningbylistingthose
8nationsthatincludesbothgentileandHebrewnations(thatis,nationsthat
togetherrepresentboththepeoplegroupsthatGoddividedtheworldintoupon
HiscovenantwithAbraham…gentilesandHebrews),thentheconceptisthatnot
ONLYthose8nationslistedwillbeunderGod’sjudgment,butratherthisapplies
toallthenationsonearthbecausetheyareallguiltybeforeGod.Wealsoneed
tonoticethatwhileintheneartermforAmositmightonlybethosenamed8
nationsaffected,fromapropheticviewpointitwilleventuallybeallthenations
onearthputunderGod’sjudgmentfortheircrimesagainstHim.
CJB
Joel4:1-2"Forthen,atthattime,whenIrestorethefortunesofY'hudahand
Yerushalayim,
2
IwillgatherallnationsandbringthemdowntotheValleyof

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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Y'hoshafat[ADONAIjudges].Iwillenterintojudgmentthereformypeople,my
heritageIsra'el,whomtheyscatteredamongthenations;thentheydividedmy
land.
CJB
Matthew25:31-33
31
"WhentheSonofMancomesinhisglory,accompanied
byalltheangels,hewillsitonhisgloriousthrone.
32
Allthenationswillbe
assembledbeforehim,andhewillseparatepeopleonefromanotherasa
shepherdseparatessheepfromgoats.
33
The'sheep'hewillplaceathisright
handandthe'goats'athisleft.
BeforewegetintothespecificsofsomeofwhatDamascusisbeingjudgedfor
doing,weneedtobackawayandunderstandthefar-reachingtheological
principlebeingdevelopedherethathasbeenshelvedwithinChristianityfor
goingon18centuries.ItisthatGod’sLaws…Hisdefinedandobjectivemoral
code…appliestoeveryoneandeveryplaceonearth.It’snotjustforIsrael.
PriortotheCovenantwithMosesonMt.Sinai,therewassomethingthatexisted
thatPaulsaysisnaturalandintrinsictoallhumans.Ithasgainedthename
NaturalLaw.
CJB
Romans2:9-16
9
Yes,hewillpaybackmiseryandanguishtoeveryhuman
beingwhodoesevil,totheJewfirst,thentotheGentile;
10
butgloryandhonor
andshalomtoeveryonewhokeepsdoingwhatisgood,totheJewfirst,thento
theGentile.
11
ForGoddoesnotshowfavoritism.
12
Allwhohavesinnedoutside
theframeworkofTorahwilldieoutsidetheframeworkofTorah;andallwhohave
sinnedwithintheframeworkofTorahwillbejudgedbyTorah.
13
Foritisnot
merelythehearersofTorahwhomGodconsidersrighteous;rather,itisthe
doersofwhatTorahsayswhowillbemaderighteousinGod'ssight.
14
For
wheneverGentiles,whohavenoTorah,donaturallywhattheTorahrequires,
thenthese,eventhoughtheydon'thaveTorah,forthemselvesareTorah!
15
For
theirlivesshowthattheconducttheTorahdictatesiswrittenintheirhearts.
Theirconsciencesalsobearwitnesstothis,fortheirconflictingthoughts
sometimesaccusethemandsometimesdefendthem
16
onadaywhenGod
passesjudgmentonpeople'sinmostsecrets.(AccordingtotheGoodNewsasI
proclaimit,hedoesthisthroughtheMessiahYeshua.)

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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Foramorein-depthstudyofthispassage,youcangototheTorahClasswebsite
orappandlookupthestudyoftheBookofRomans.But,tofocusontheissueat
handofwhetherthereexistsasingle,commondivinelawforallhumans,even
thosewhohavenoknowledgeoftheexistenceoftheTorah(gentiles,mainly),
Paulsaysthereisalawintrinsictoourhumannaturethatwasplacedthereby
Godandthereforenohumanhasanexcuseforbreakingthislaw.
This“lawwrittenontheirhearts”(biblically,heartmeans“mind”)is
whattheologiansmeanbyNaturalLaw.St.ThomasAquinastalks
aboutitasman’srationalparticipationintheeternallaw.Whathe
meansisthatGod’suniverseisanorderly,rationalone,andweare
rationalbeings.Thus,there’salotwe’reabletorationallydiscernand
simplybyinstinctknowaboutwhatweshouldandshouldn’tdo.
ThosewhohaveneverheardoftheTenCommandmentsalready
knowthatit’swrongtomurder—eveniftheydoitanyway,orevenif
theyrationalizeacertaintypeofmurderasnotreallymurder.
Atitsmostbasiclevel,NaturalLawsaysto“dogoodandavoidevil.”
Westartmoraldiscussionsfromanadvantage:wedon’thaveto
showthatweshoulddogoodandnotdoevil;wecanmerelyshow
whatisgoodversuswhatisevil,andletourconsciencesdotherest.
IthinkthisisalittleeasiertocomprehendifwethinkofthisNaturalLawinterms
oftheveryearliestdivinemoralcode,whichmustbeginwiththepremisethat
thereissuchathingasmorality.Thereissuchathingasrightandwrong.
However,whenweagreethatthereexistssuchathingwithinmankindas
morality,thenextissueiswhodefinesit?Whodetermineswhatisrightandwhat
iswrong…forallhumanity?Weonlyhaveacoupleofpathstogo,here.Either
someoneoutsidethehumanspheredefinesitandbestowsituniversallyoverall
humanity,orhumansdefineitandsoitwillbynaturevarynationbynationifnot
nearlyindividualbyindividual.Onitsfacethenotionthatamoralcodecouldbe
differentfordifferentpeopleisabsurdbecausethentherewouldbenosolidbasis
fordecidingwhatmoralityis.Itwouldmeanthatthereisnoobjectivestandard
fornationsorindividualstofollowortobejudgedby.Moralitybecomesa
subjectivefreeforallandself-determined.Or,putanotherway,Godmetesout
variousmoralitiesforvariouspeople.Icanlie,butyoucan’t.Youcanmurder,

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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butIcan’t.Therefore,inthejudgmentthatwe’llalleventuallyface,wewouldn’t
evenknowinadvancebywhatstandardwe’llbejudged.
Amosopensupthiscanofwormsperhapsnotevenknowinghedid.Afterall,
whenwereadthelistofcrimes(thesin,therebellion)ofthese6pagannations,
theyarealltakenfromtheTorah,whichitselfisbutanuancedexpansionofthe
NaturalLaw.TheTorahisnotdifferentthantheNaturalLaw;itissimplywritten
downinmorespecificsandofferscaseexamplesascomparedtotheNaturalLaw
thatGodmadepartofourhumanDNA.Amosdoesn’tevenbothertoaddress
whythese6pagannationsthatweren’tgiventheToraharetobejudgedbyit.
Forhim,it’sagiven.TheNaturalLawandtheTorahLawareoneinthesame.
Theypresentthesameobjectivestandardofmorality.WhatisitthatPaulsaid?
CJB
Romans2:14-15
14
ForwheneverGentiles,whohavenoTorah,donaturally
whattheTorahrequires,thenthese,eventhoughtheydon'thaveTorah,for
themselvesareTorah!
15
FortheirlivesshowthattheconducttheTorahdictates
iswrittenintheirhearts.Theirconsciencesalsobearwitnesstothis,fortheir
conflictingthoughtssometimesaccusethemandsometimesdefendthem
So,whatdoesthatmeanforBelievers…Christian,Messianic,howeverone
wishestoidentifythemselves?ChristianitysaysthatthemoralcodeGodgaveto
Mosesisdeadandgone;andthatthishappenedontheCross.Amossays,as
doesYeshua,asPaulalsosaysthatthereisbutoneuniversalstandardof
moralityanditappliestoallnationsandallpeopleatalltimesanderas.That
standardistheNaturalLawthatexpandedintotheLawofMosesandignorance
ofitisnoexcusetodisobeyitbecausethefoundationalprinciplesonwhichitwas
givenarethesameaswhathasalwaysbeenwrittenonhumanhearts.That
principle,asdoestheLawofMoses,continuetoexistnotjustforJews,noreven
onlyforChristians,butforallofmankind.AstheEndTimescomestoitsclimax,
itwillbeonthatbasisofauniversal,divinelygivenrightandwrongthateach
humanwhohaseverlivedwillbejudged.Forgivenessfordisobediencetothat
divinemoralcodewillbegivenbasedonsinceretrustinJesusChristasLordand
Savior.Thosewhohavenottrustedhavealreadybeencondemned.
Backtoverse3andthefateofDamascus.AramwasaconstantfoeofIsrael;
therewasopenwarfarebetweenAramandIsraelallduringthe9
th
and8
th

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
8/13
centuriesB.C.WhatwefindYehovehaccuseAram(Damascus)ofisapatternof
cruelty.AsDouglasStuartputsit:“Thecrimes(thepeshot,bettermeaning
rebellions)areviolationsoftheimplicitworld-widecovenant;thatis,
rebelliousnessagainstYahweh’ssovereignlaw.”Themostinfamouscrimethey
committed(accordingtoGod’swayofjudgingit)wastheirattackonGilead.The
wordingusestheagriculturalmetaphorofGileadbeingthreshedwithathreshing
slidethathadironspikesinit.Gileadwasanamegiventotheentireregion
wherethe2½tribesofIsraelthathaddeterminedtosettleontheeastsideof
theJordanRiverresided.TheparticularatrocitythatAmosseemstobereferring
tocanbereasonablyidentifiedbecauseoftheinclusionofthenamesBen-Had
andHazaelinapassagein2Kings.
CJB
2Kings8:7-13
7
ElishawenttoDammesek.Ben-HadadthekingofAram
wasill;andhewastold,"ThemanofGodhascomehere."
8
Thekingsaidto
Haza'el,"Takewithyouagift,gomeetthemanofGodandconsultADONAI
throughhim;askifIwillrecoverfromthisillness."
9
Haza'elwenttomeethim,
takingwithhimagiftthatincludedeverythinggoodDammesekhad,forty
camel-loads.Hecame,stoodbeforehimandsaid,"YoursonBen-Hadadkingof
Aramhassentmetoyou;heasks,'WillIrecoverfromthisillness?'"
10
Elisha
answered,"Goandsaytohim,'Youwillsurelyrecover'-eventhoughADONAI
hasshownmethathewillsurelydie."
11
ThenthemanofGodfixedhisgazeon
himforsolongthatHaza'elbecameembarrassed;finally,Elishabegantocry.
12
Haza'elasked,"Whyismylordcrying?"Heanswered,"BecauseIknowthe
disastersyouwillbringonthepeopleofIsra'el-youwillsettheirfortresseson
fire,youwillkilltheiryoungmenwiththesword,youwilldashtheirlittleonesto
piecesandriptheirpregnantwomenapart."
13
Haza'elsaid,"Butwhatisyour
servant?Nothingbutadog!Howcouldhedoanythingofsuchmagnitude?"
Elishaanswered,"ADONAIhasshownmethatyouwillbekingoverAram."
Acoupleofchapterslaterin2Kingswereadthis:
CJB
2Kings10:32-33
32
ItwasduringthatperiodthatADONAIbeganto
dismemberIsra'el.Haza'elattackedthemthroughouttheterritoryofIsra'el
33
eastoftheYarden-allthelandofGil'ad:theGadi,Re'uveniandM'nashi,from
'Aro'erbytheArnonRiver,includingGil'adandBashan.

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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InAmos1:4YehovehannouncesthepunishmentHewillinflictonAramanditis
givenintermsofwarfareofthatera,whichalwaysinvolvedfire.Setting
capturedcitiesonfirewasstandardoperatingprocedure.Inverse5wearetold
thatthegate-barwillbebroken.Thisisreferringtothelargepieceoftimberused
tolockthecitygateandkeepintrudersout.So,tobreakthebaristoforcefully
enterintothecityforthepurposeofransackingit.NextGodsayshewillkeepthe
residentsofDamascusfromfleeingtoBi’katAven;orinEnglish,theValleyof
Iniquity.Sincenoonewouldnameaplaceintheirownnationsomethinglikethis,
thenthisisanastyepithetthatAmosassignedtothisplace.Verylikelyitwasa
placewherethereligiouscultofAramwaspracticed,andsoanidoloftheirgod
waslocatedthere.Nooneiscertainofwherethisplacewaslocated,butclearly
itwasimportanttothepeopleofAram.ThementionofKirisinteresting.Kirwas
wherethepeopleofAramoriginallyimmigratedfrom,locatedineastern
Mesopotamia.SojustasGodthreatenedtosendIsraelbacktoEgypt(backto
oppression)fortheirrebellionagainstHim,GodsaysHeisgoingtoreverse
Aram’shistoryandsendthembacktowheretheycamefrom:Kir.There’sa
reasonancientpeoplemovedfromoneplacetoanother,alongwayaway:they
werehavingseriousproblemswheretheywereandtheirsurvivalwasinquestion.
So,whateverlifewaslikeinKirbeforetheirmigrationtoAram,thatiswhatthe
ArameansweregoingtoexperienceagaininconsequenceofviolatingGod’s
moralcode.
Verse6beginsGod’sjudgmentoracleagainstPhilistiaanditbeginsasall8do,
incorporatingthat3-4numberformula.So,forallofPhilistia’smanycrimes
againstGod’smoralcode,includingtheonethatislisted,theyaregoingtobe
severelypunished.Noticethatlikeinthepreviousoracleofdoomthatitisnot
PhilistiathatiscitedbutratheritisGaza.Gazawasthesouthernmostcity/state
ofthePhilistinenationthatextendedasfarnorthasAshdodandincluded
AshkelonandEkron.GazawasmerelyrepresentativeoftheentirePhilistine
domainthatisgoingtobedealtwithcatastrophically.Itwasprobablythemost
importantplaceinPhilistiabecauseitwaswheretheroadsof2importanttrade
routesintersected.Whatisimportanttounderstandisthatoneofthemain
purposesofthese2traderouteswastheslavetrade.Thisrepugnantbusinessin
humantrafficking,perhapsasmuchormoresothantheactualstatedindictment
againstGaza,isindicativeofthecharacterofPhilistiaasYehovehviewsit.

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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Oneofthemostheinouscrimestheycommittedissaidtobewhentheyexiled
andsoldanentirepopulationofpeopletoEdom.Probablythismeansthat
Philistiaconqueredsomepeoplegroup,capturedthem,andthensoldthemas
butcommoditiestowealthypeopleinEdom.Sellingslaveswasamostprofitable
venture.OneofEdom’sprimarysourcesofwealthatthistimewascoppermining.
Copperminingchewedupandspitoutpeopleastheconditionsforminingwere
horrific.Themineslookednothinglikewhatweseetoday.InTimna,aplacein
thesouthernmostregionofIsrael,wecanfindtheremnantsofcopperminesthat
gobacktothetimeofAmosandearlier.Themineshaftswerebarely2feetin
diameterandsotheminershadtoslitherdownintothesedarkholeslikeasnake
returningtoitsundergroundhome.Onlybythelightofatorchcouldthey
operateandtherewasnoventilationprovided;minersdiedbythetruckloadand
soaconstantstreamofreplacementswasneeded.NaturallytheEdomites
wantedforeignersasslavestobeusedasminers(andnottheirownpeople)
becausetheirliveswouldbeshortandmiserable.Someslaveswerelikelyused
inEdom’sshippingbusinessandinagriculture.Interestingly,thiskidnappingof
peopleandsellingthemintoslaverywasforbiddenbytheTorahandthepenalty
fordoingitwasdeath.
CJB
Exodus21:16
16
"Whoeverkidnapssomeonemustbeputtodeath,
regardlessofwhetherhehasalreadysoldhimorthepersonisfoundstillinhis
possession.
Typically,itwasthoughtbyIsraelitesthatGod’sordinanceagainstkidnapping
andmakingslavesofpeopleappliedprimarilytotheirownHebrewpeopleand
nottoforeigners.But,clearlyhereinAmosthisprohibitionappliesuniversallyto
everyone.Theemphasisthenisontheactofenslavementitselfanditis
consideredbyYehovehtobeimmoralandinhuman.Theethnicityandnationality
ofthevictimsmattersnotatall.And,bytheway:oneoftherationalizationsfor
slaveryinEuropeandlaterinAmericawasthatthebiblicallawagainstitapplied
onlytotheIsraelites.Therefore,gentileChristianswereperfectlyfreetocapture
orbuyslavesanditwasnotwrongandsoofnooffensetoGod.
Verse9movesustothenextnationtobejudged:Tzor.TzorandTyrewerethe
sameplace.Tzorwasaverypowerfulcity/stateoperatingontheshoresofthe
MediterraneanintheregionofPhoenicia.LocatedNorthwestofIsrael,their

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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economywasbasedonshipping,trading,andfishing.Tyre,too,wasaslave
traffickingnationanditbecamenotoriousforit.Forsomereasontheother
primarycity/stateofthePhoeniciaregion,Sidon,isleftoutoftheconversation.
SlavetradingisattheheartofthejudgmentagainstTzor;notbecausethey
capturedandsoldslavesbutrathertheyprovidedthetransportationsystemto
movetheseslavestofar-flungplaces.Thinkofthemoderndrugtrafficking
cartelswhereamajorpartoftheorganizationiscalledmules.Mulesdon’t
acquirethedrugs,packagethedrugs,orevensellthedrugs;theysimply
transportthemfromplacetoplaceforthosewhodo.Thinkoftheold-fashioned
crimeofbankrobbingwherebyonepersonmightbethedriveroftheget-away
carwhodoesn’tplantheoperationorevendotherobbing,butratheronlydrives
theparticipantstoandfromthecrimescene.Ourcriminallawsoftenseemtogo
easieronthemulesandget-awaydriversthanontheothers.Interestingly
whereasthePhilistinesweresentencedtodeathforacquiringandsellingslaves,
Tzorwassentencedonlytothedestructionoftheircityfortransportingthem.
TheLawofMosesprovidesvarioussentencesproportionaltotheseriousnessof
aperson’sparticipationinacriminalactivity,andthatseemstobewhatwe’re
seeingcarriedouthere.
TheotherissuebroughtupascauseforTzor’sjudgmentisthattheybroke
covenantwithkinsmen.Actually,whatitmostliterallysaysisacovenantof
brotherhood;atermusedhereandnowhereelseintheBible.So,thereis
disagreementonexactlywhatthismeans.Acovenantwithwhom?Wasitwitha
brother,intheliteralsense,orwasitwithatreatypartnerwithwhomtheyhad
abrother-likeclosenessofrelationship?Clearlytheactofbreakingthattreaty
wasseenbyGodasanactoftreacheryandbasicdishonestythatwasmost
seriousinHiseyes.Thereisasenseinthetoneofthisoraclethatperhapsthe
treatywasbetweenTyreandIsrael.Ifso,thenYehovehwouldhavebeennamed
astheguarantorofthecovenantofpeaceandsoitwasHisplacetopunisha
covenantviolator.Further,thementionofEdomandthetermbrotherhoodmight
indicatethatthisisspeakingofatreatywithEdom’sbrother.SinceitwasEsau
thatfoundedEdomandJacobthatfoundedIsrael,thenperhapsthisisthe
obscureconnection.
WedoknowofapeacetreatybetweenPhoeniciaandIsraelthatfirstoccurred
duringthetimeofKingDavid,whenHiramwasthekingofthePhoeniciaregion

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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(thisisalludedtoin2Samuel5and1Kings5).Itisoutrightstatedasafactwhen
Solomontookoverthethronefromhisfather(2Chronciles2andinlaterverses
of1Kings5).Soperhapsthisisthecovenantofbrotherhoodbeingreferenced.
Partofthereasonforthebeliefthatsuchacovenantexistedhastodowiththe
waythat1Kings5:15isconstructed.
CJB
1Kings5:15
15
HiramkingofTzorsenthisservantstoShlomo,becausehe
hadheardthattheyhadanointedhimkinginhisfather'splace,andHiramhad
alwayslovedDavid
Thekeyisthewordloveorloved(ahavorahabinHebrew).Let’sfocusafew
minutesonthiscommonandmuchusedwordintheBibleandwhatitactually
meanttothepeopleoftheBibleera.
Whileitmightseemabitdifficulttowrapyourbrainaroundatfirst,itis
necessarytograsptheunassailablefactthattheinherentnatureoflanguagesis
thattheyarenotcreatedinavacuum.Thatis,alanguagedoesn’tspringupfrom
nowhere;ratheralanguageisalwaysanoffshootfromanolderandalready
existinglanguage(clearlyitisnotimpossiblethatanexceptionortwomight
exist).Forinstance,severalEuropeanlanguagesstemfromLatin.TheHebrew
languageisnodifferentasitsprangfromasetofearlierlanguagescalledSemitic
languagesasspokenandwritteninwhatwetodaylooselycalltheMiddleEast.
So,Hebrewwordswillusuallyhavewhatiscalledcognatesinanotherclosely
relatedlanguage(andofteninmorethanonelanguage)thatexistedwellbefore
theHebrewlanguagebecameaseparatelyidentifiablelanguageallitsown.A
cognateisawordpresentintwoormoredifferentlanguagesthatsharemeaning,
spelling,orpronunciation,whichalthoughnotnecessarilyperfectlyidenticalin
everydetail,thewordsareintimatelyrelated.Itistheongoingacademicstudy
andsearchforcognatesfortheancientHebrewlanguage(whatisusuallycalled
biblicalHebrew)thatgivesusmoredepthinunderstandingtheintentofthe
wordsoftheoriginalbiblicalauthorsandtherefore,assumingtheauthorwas
inspiredinhiswritings,theintentofGod.ImentionthetermancientHebrew
becausethebiblicalHebrewlanguagehasdefinitedifferencesbetweenitandthe
modernconversationalHebrewasitisspokenandwrittentoday,andinmany
casesevenwiththeMasoreticHebrewofthe10
th
centurythatmanyOld
Testamentsdrawfrom.Moreoftenthannot,BibletranslatorsapproachHebrew

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
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toEnglishtranslatingbyfilteringtheHebrewthroughthemeaningsofwordsin
theMasoreticoreventhemoremodernHebrewlanguagedialectsthatsimply
didn’texistinthatformwhentheBiblewaswritten.So,howcanweknowwhat
certainwordsmeantintheancientHebrewformthathasn’texistedforcenturies?
ThebestwayistosearchforlanguagecognatesinotherandolderSemitic
languages,themeaningsofwhichareoftenbetterdefinedandunderstood,and
thenapplyingthatmeaningtotheHebrew.Thatiswhatwe’reabouttodoas
concernstheHebrewwordahav…orinEnglish,love.In1Kings5:15weread:
CJB
1Kings5:15
5
HiramkingofTzorsenthisservantstoShlomo,becausehe
hadheardthattheyhadanointedhimkinginhisfather'splace,andHiramhad
alwayslovedDavid.
TheKJVofthispassagesaysthatHiramwas“everaloverofDavid”.Inmodern
times,asreadthroughtheeyesofWesterners,thetoneoftheseEnglishwords
hasbeentakenbysometomeanthatHiramhadahomosexualloveaffairwith
David(whichisatbestmerelyincorrect,butfarmorelikelyitisoutright
intellectualdishonesty).Theissueliesinthemisunderstandingofthewordahav,
love.AcognatewordinAkkadian(amuchearlierSemiticlanguage)isra’amu,
whichmeans“tolove”.Thiswordisusedinthesphereofpoliticsandtreaties,
andithastodowithloyaltyandfaithfulness.Inthenowfamousarcheological
findcalledtheArmanaLetter,weread“Shouldmybrotherincreasetenfoldthe
friendship(ra’amuta)andbrotherliness(ahhuta)betweenusoverthat
maintainedbyhisfather,thenwewilllove(ra’amu)eachotherverymuch”.This
isdirectlyspeakingaboutatreatyofpeaceandnotabouthumanaffections.In
anotherancientletterconcerningthetermsofatreatybetweenEsarhaddonand
avassalking,weread:“Youwilllove(ra’amu)Ashurbanipalasyourselves”.
Perhapsthatlastphrasehasafamiliarringtoit,whichwe’llgettoinamoment.
Here'sthepoint:whilenodoubtthereareinstancesintheBiblewheretheword
ahav,love,indicatesawarmaffectionoraromanticintimacy,thereareatleast
asmanyinstanceswherebyitsimplymeansfaithfulnessandloyalty,andvery
ofteninthecontextofloyaltyandfaithfulnesstoasuperiorortothetermsofa
treaty.AsconcernstheissueofTzorbreakingacovenant,andofthebookof
1Kingsmentioninga“love”betweenDavidandKingHiram,inthecaseofthis
“love”itispolitical/treatylanguageandhasnothingtodowithromanceor

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
14/13
affection.Thus,itisfairlycertainthatthecovenantthatAmoswasspeaking
aboutwasbetweenPhoenicia(Tyre)andIsrael.Butnowlet’sexaminefora
momentwhattheimpactofthisnewunderstandingofthebiblicalwordfor“love”
oughttohaveuponBelieversandBiblestudents.
Yeshuasaysthatthe2fundamentalprinciplesorcommandmentsuponwhichall
otherprinciplesandcommandmentsarebuiltare,astakenfromMatthew22:
NIV
Matthew22:37-40
37
Jesusreplied:“‘LovetheLordyourGodwithallyour
heartandwithallyoursoulandwithallyourmind.’
38
Thisisthefirstand
greatestcommandment.
39
Andthesecondislikeit:‘Loveyourneighboras
yourself.’
40
AlltheLawandtheProphetshangonthesetwocommandments.”
Wecanknowwithcertaintythattheterm“love”asusedinthesetwocommands
istheancientHebrewahav,becauseChristwasquotingfromDeuteronomy6
(aboutlovingGod),andfromLeviticus19:18(aboutlovingyourneighbor),both
ofwhichwerewritteninHebrew.TheentirepassagerevolvingaroundlovingGod
inDeuteronomy6isallaboutobediencetoGod’scommands.Withoutdoubt,
then,thetermloveasusedherehasnothingtodowithaffectionorwarm
feelings;emotions.Rather,itismeantinthepoliticalsenseofhavingloyaltyand
showingfaithfulnesstoGod.ToloveGodmeans(biblically)todemonstrateyour
loyaltytoGodbyobeyingHim.Unfortunately,Christianitylongagoadoptedthe
Greeksenseofloveinwhichitnearlyalwayspointstoromance,affection,and
eveneroticpleasures.FellowBelievers,thismightbothersomeofyoutohear
thatGodwasnotseekingyouremotionalaffectionstowardsHim,butratherit
wasapragmaticdemandforyourdeterminedobedienceandloyaltytoHim,in
theformofobeyingtheTorah.
Asforthesenseoflove(ahav)inlovingone’sneighborasweloveourselveslet’s
beginbynoticingakeyphraseinwhatYeshuasaid:Hesaidthatthecalltolove
yourneighborisLIKEthecalltoloveGod.Alikeinwhatway?Recallhowinthe
treatytermsbetweenEsarhaddonandanunnamedvassalkingweread:“you
willloveAshurbanipalas(youlove)yourselves”.Thismeanttoshowasmuch
loyaltyandfidelitytoAshurbanipalasyoushowedtoyourselves,andIhaveno
doubtthatthisisthesubstantivemeaningofthecommandtoloveyourneighbor
asyourself.Onceagain,thiscommandisnotaboutourconjuringupwarm

Lesson2-AmosChapter1continued
15/13
feelingsorsentiments(emotion)forourneighbor;ratheritisabouthavingas
muchpracticalconcern(loyalty)forourneighbor’sneedsandwell-beingfrom
thestandpointofitbeingaGod-givencommandthatwedoso.Couldit
incorporatesomelevelofaffectionforyourneighbor(moremeaningpeopleyou
comeintocontactwith)?Mostcertainly.Butthatwasnot,andneverwas,the
coreissueorsenseofthecommand,andJesuscertainlydidnotchangeits
meaningfromtheoriginal.
ChristianitylongagoreplacedthesenseandpurposeofGod’s2fundamental
commandmentsthatputanobligationanddutyuponusasHisworshipperstobe
selflessandloyalwhenitcomestoobeyingHimandalsotolookingafterthe
needsofotherhumanbeingswecomeintocontactwithinpractical,tangible
ways.Instead,thisnewerandmisguidedsenseofthecommandsaysthatweare
onlytoholdsomekindofdeeporstronglyfeltemotionalattachmenttobothGod
andneighbor.Thisnewersenseofthosebiblicalcommandshasledusastrayand
intosinaftersinwithoutoureverrealizingit.
We’llcontinuewithAmoschapter1nexttime.