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Amos – Shepherd Prophet of Judgment (5 of 5)

Focus Text: Amos 9.11-15

From our brief overview of the ministry of Amos, we have seen that he rightly could be called the Shepherd Prophet of Judgment; his pronouncements of doom were frequent, forceful, and sometimes downright frightening. However, lest one get the idea that there is not a glimmer of hope in Amos, we must conclude with a look at the last five verses of his book.

“‘On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ Says the LORD who does this thing. ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,’ Says the LORD your God.” (Amos 9.11-15).

Not only do the last few lines of Amos offer hope to Israel, they also offer hope to the Gentiles. In fact, Amos, speaking for the Lord even mentions the “…Gentiles who are called by My name.” So the hope of the glorious day which Amos predicted was hope not only for Israel but for all the world. When that day came, the day of glorious restoration and blessings, it could be said that “…The tabernacle of David” had been resurrected from ruins never to be destroyed again. However anyone who knows anything about biblical history knows that the literal kingdom of David was never a haven for the Gentiles but rather it was strictly for the benefit of the Jewish nation. Perhaps the fulfillment of Amos’ prophecy is not to be found in the physical throne of David, but rather in the spiritual throne. Let’s pursue that line of thinking.

Within two months of Jesus’ resurrection, Peter declared to an all Jewish audience, that God had raised up Jesus to sit upon David’s throne and this in fulfillment of His promises through the Old Testament prophets (see Acts 2.25-36). As if this is not proof enough, James at the Jerusalem council spoke the following: “Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon [Peter] has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.’” (Acts 15.13b-17). For the Bible-believer, James forever settled the question regarding the throne and tabernacle of David and how it was restored!

Perhaps we are sometimes prone to accuse teachers and preachers of being too negative; maybe like Amos they have to speak some negative things. However, all of Amos’ words of judgment are eclipsed by his glorious vision of the Gospel era and the blessing that are attendant therein!

Questions:

1. What is unusual about Amos’ prophecy, especially as it relates to the Gentiles?

2. What peculiar blessings, if any, did David’s kingdom offer the Gentiles?

3. What did Peter in Acts 2 say about the throne of David? Who was/is sitting on it?

4. In Acts 15, what was the controversy at hand? What did it have to do with James’ application of Amos 9.11-15?

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

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