BIG IDEA:
RESTORATION TO THE PROMISED LAND AND REVERSAL OF FORTUNES CHARACTERIZE FUTURE MILLENNIAL BLESSING
INTRODUCTION:
Gary Smith: This final promise of hope contains two salvation oracles that introduce positive promises about Israel’s “day” of restoration: Verses 11–12 discuss the coming day when the kingdom of David is restored, while verses 13–15 deal with the restoration of the land. The first paragraph focuses on first-person action that God will do, while the second describes what will happen to the fertility of the land when God pours out his abundant blessing on it. Ruins, desolation, and breaches are replaced by building, planting, and possessing the land to demonstrate the great reversal that will take place in the future.
M. Daniel Carroll R.: This final section of the book of Amos has two parts, 9:11–12 and 9:13–15, which are introduced respectively by in that day and behold, days are coming. Both conclude with reference to Yahweh’s speech (a saying of Yahweh, v. 12; says Yahweh your God, v. 15).
Allen Guenther: As the winds of judgment die down and the waters recede, a few chastened survivors appear (9:8b-9). The prophetic voice comes to those few survivors with the word that help is on its way (9:11-12). The hope for reconstruction lies not in the survivors’ strength, in number, nor in history, but in God alone. This restored people will experience the full complement of blessings promised within the covenant but previously experienced only in limited measure (9:13-15).
Tchavdar Hadjiev: From the ashes of partial destruction (vv. 8–10) suddenly a new age of restoration emerges. The transition is abrupt and unmotivated. There is no mention of repentance, pursuit of justice or Israel’s seeking the Lord that can explain the different divine handling of the nation. What follows is an expression of the sheer mercy of God, given to a still-undeserving people.
Billy Smith: First-person verbs mark this final passage in Amos as divine speech. It completes the book on a positive note, a note radically different from most of what precedes it. For that reason and others, interpreters commonly assign the final pericope to the disciples of Amos after the fall of Judah in 587 B.C. Many interpreters, however, conclude that this final message is from Amos. S. Paul, for example, concluded that arguments for a late date for Amos 9:11-15 based on linguistic and ideological grounds are “seriously open to question.” Wendland also supports the integrity of 9:11-15, saying that to dismiss it in any way is to miss “the essential thrust of the prophet’s message.…it represents the striking consummation of a thematic potential that was already planted much earlier in the prophecy…(i.e., 5:4, 6, 14 and 15) but also by its very structure subtly prefigures the tremendous physical and spiritual reversal to come.”
The message of hope and restoration following repeated oracles of doom may be startling to some, but the typical pattern of oracles in the other eighth-century B.C. prophets is that of hope for salvation following oracles of judgment. Hosea 1:2-9 is a message of judgment followed by a message of hope in 1:10 – 2:1. Hosea 2:2-13 is a message of judgment followed by a message of hope in 2:14-23. This pattern of alternate messages of judgment and salvation is visible throughout the prophecies of Hosea. Micah 1:3-16 is a message of judgment followed by a message of hope in 2:12-13. A similar pattern of judgment in Mic 3:8-12 is followed by a message of salvation in 4:1-5. The messages of Isaiah 1-5 alternate between judgment and salvation.
Furthermore, there are words of hope throughout Amos before this point; so this final oracle of salvation is but a melody produced from those earlier notes (cf. 3:2,12; 5:3-6,14-15; 9:8-10). Our God always manifests his grace as greater than all our sin. God’s sending Amos to condemn Israel’s sins in itself indicates that God had not given up on his people. Messages threatening judgment were aimed at Israel’s redemption, not their destruction. Reference to Israel’s chosenness (3:2) suggests a permanent relationship already established. God’s threat of punishment for their sins meant that with the privilege of being chosen came the responsibility of maintaining a proper relationship with God.
I. (:11-12) RESTORATION OF THE KINGDOM OF DAVID
A. (:11) Jewish Impact – Rebuilding Davidic Kingdom
“In that day
I will raise up the fallen booth of David,
And wall up its breaches;
I will also raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it
as in the days of old;”
John Goldingay: Yahweh does not specify when “that day” (v. 11) will be, but at least he is saying that on “that day” a time of blessing will replace the time of destruction (contrast 2:16; 8:3, 9, 13).
Trent Butler: Amos addressed his message to Israel, the Northern Kingdom. But his claim has always been that God “roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem” (Amos 1:2). The final promise thus centers in the Jerusalem tradition of David, not in the northern tradition of Jeroboam.
Allen Guenther: The Davidic kingdom is designated as a booth. The word originally referred to the temporary shelters erected during the Feast of Booths, commemorating God’s gracious care during their precarious existence in the years of wilderness wanderings (Lev. 23:42-43; cf. Neh. 8:14-17). The term could also refer to overnight shelter (possibly a light tent) on the battlefield (1 Kings 20:12, 16). Here it would probably point to the dynasty of David as promised by the Lord (2 Sam. 7:11-16, 27), existing as a fragile reality in its current disobedience [Tabernacles, p. 396].
Walter Kaiser: “Their” refers to the two kingdoms of the divided monarchy (cf. Ezek. 37:15-28). This points forward to the reunification of the ten Northern and two Southern tribes. The broken places (lit.: breaches) refers to the many sources and occasions of conflict between the two kingdoms.
Tchavdar Haadjiev: The prophecy avoids the more widespread expression ‘house of David’ in favour of the unique image of the booth (sukâ). The word refers to a temporary shelter made of branches (Neh. 8:15–16), erected by people working in the fields (Isa. 1:8) to provide protection from the sun and rain (Isa. 4:6; Jon. 4:5). It is also used as a synonym of the ‘tent’ where the ark of the Lord is housed (2 Sam. 11:11). Since this is a term related to agriculture, its main point here is to convey the simplicity of the new community into which the house of Jacob (v. 8) has been transformed. It stands in contrast to the rich houses and strongholds of the Israelite elite (3:13–15; 5:11; 6:8; Hubbard 1989: 239–240). The other significant contrast is with the ‘booth of your king’ in 5:26, the only other place where sukâ is used in Amos. There it has cultic connotations and is part of the description of Israel’s idolatrous worship. The contrast becomes even more meaningful once we appreciate the fact that the booth in Amos 9 refers to Jerusalem primarily as a centre of worship, the city of the temple (Goswell 2011: 250–256; cf. Radine 2010: 199–210). The raising of the booth, then, is a rejection both of the idolatry and of the injustices of the old Israel and an embrace of worship that is acceptable to God.
To sum up, what God restores in the booth of David is a worshipping community of people living in their restored cities, symbolized and led by the Jerusalem temple. The Northern monarchy is dismantled (7:9) and replaced by the Davidic dynasty.
James Mays: Here [booth] is a metaphor for the kingdom of David and the point of the image is shelter. The promise looks back to the remembered security of national life under the umbrella of David’s rule and announces that freedom from fear of foes will be established again by the revival of the Davidic kingdom. Yahweh will free the nation from the enemies round about, working as he once did through the political instrumentality of Davidic rule. The oracle is spoken in a time when the kingdom has fallen. It is like a city whose walls are breached and whose buildings are ruins. Indeed, the halcyon period of David belongs to the “days of old”, a past distant in time and different in conditions. The expression is redolent with nostalgia and yearning for a time that memory has idealized, and appears in laments, prayers, and prophecies that hearken back to days thought of as the time of salvation (Isa. 51:9; 63:9, 11; Micah 7:14, 20; Mal. 3:4; Pss. 77:5; 143:5; Lam. 1:7; 5:21). Perhaps the verb “build” reflects the influence of Yahweh’s promise to David (II Sam. 7:5, 7, 13, 27). In any case the promise is a poignant formulation of Judean hopes nourished by the theology which regarded the political achievements of David as the acts of Yahweh.
Alec Motyer: The raising up of the booth of David signifies the bringing in of the perfect royal Mediator, the king who will be everything that was ever wished for in a royal priest. This very much fits in with the use of booth (RSV pavilion) in Isaiah 4:5, 6, where, overshadowed by the cloud and fire signifying God’s own presence, it will provide a place of refuge and refreshment. Isaiah 32:1, 2 links this with the reign of the Messianic king. The conjunction of these three lines of thought concerning the booth of David is that by the act of God a king will reign whose mediatorial work will be fully acceptable to the Lord and whose presence will bring safety and refreshment to his people.
B. (:12) Gentile Impact – Remnant of Foreign Nations Grafted In
“‘That they may possess the remnant of Edom
And all the nations who are called by My name,’
Declares the LORD who does this.”
John Goldingay: The result of the restoration (v. 12) will be not only that Israel is one under David once more but that the restored Davidic people will rule over the entire area that Amos surveyed at the beginning of his book (1:3 – 3:2).
Fellowship Bible Anne Arbor: Note the use of Amos 9:11-12 in Acts 15:16-18. James understands Amos to allow the present age of calling out the Gentiles after which (“after this”) the Lord will reestablish the house (monarchy/rule) of David. It is therefore consistent that since there will be Gentiles “called by My name” that the Gentiles do not need to come into Israel through circumcision. The works of the law are not required for salvation.
http://www.fellowshipbibleannarbor.org/BibleStudies/collegesundayschool/Sum2005/AmosOutline.pdf
M. Daniel Carroll R.: The phrase a saying of Yahweh adds a note of finality to this prediction of a new social vision. It is followed by who does this, forming a unique combination in the Old Testament. The presence of the participle ʿōśeh could remind the reader of the hymnic passages of 4:13 and 5:8 (cf. 4:12). If this is a legitimate intertextual allusion, then these closing words of 9:11–12 assure that the Creator and the One who in the past has acted in history and who will soon intervene in judgment will surely accomplish this vision of reversal and restoration. No human agent is mentioned. This is solely Yahweh’s initiative.
Allen Guenther: The language of possessing the remnant of Edom implies conquest with the focus on people rather than territory. Only here in the OT are Gentiles designated as a remnant. This remnant of the future consists of those peoples who shall identify themselves as worshipers of the Lord. Israel will yet become a light to the nations (cf. Isa. 19:18-25; 49:5-7). Israel’s restoration will be even more glorious than the Davidic kingdom because it enfolds that remnant of the Gentiles which are called buy the Lord’s name.
II. (:13-15) LAND PROSPERITY / RESTORATION / SECURITY —
ABUNDANT, UNPARALLELED AND PERMANENT
A. (:13) Prosperity — Time of Abundant Harvests
“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD,
‘When the plowman will overtake the reaper
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
When the mountains will drip sweet wine,
And all the hills will be dissolved.’”
Trent Butler: Words do not adequately paint the picture of blessing. A farm metaphor fails. Reaping will not be complete before plowing begins for a new crop. New seeds will be sown before the grape harvest is turned into wine. The crop is so abundant it cannot be harvested before it is time to start another. Everywhere, grapes will appear. Their product will flow down the hills like rivers so people can quench their thirst without the bother of harvesting and squeezing out the juice.
Thomas Constable: In contrast to the images of judgment that Amos had painted throughout this book, days were coming when these terrible conditions would be reversed. The land would become so productive that farmers planting seed for the next harvest would push reapers of the same fields to finish their work so they could plant the next crop. Normally the Israelites plowed their fields in October and the reaping ended in May, but in the future reaping would still be going on in October because of the huge harvests. Wine-makers would similarly push the farmers to plant more vines. The grape harvest took place in August, and farmers planted new vines in November. Harvests would be so abundant that the gathering of one crop would not end before it was time to begin the new crop. The mountains would be so full of fruitful grapevines that they could be described as dripping with sweet (the best) wine. All the hills would be dissolved in the sense of flowing down with produce, perhaps even washing the soil away with grape juice. This verse pictures the reversing of the curse that God pronounced on the earth at the Fall (Gen. 3:17-19). Instead of drought and famine (1:2; 4:6-8) there would be abundant harvests (cf. Lev. 26:3-5; Deut. 28:4-5, 8, 11-12). Even though these may be hyperbolic images, the point is clear.
M. Daniel Carroll R.: What a powerful word of hope for a people who had experienced hunger, drought, and the ruination of crops (4:6–9)! The enjoyment of this gift of lavish provision will not be limited to indulgent, indifferent, powerful elites (6:4–6). What a contrast, too, to the image of thirst in 8:13!
James Mays: Such fertility is the manifestation of Yahweh’s benediction, the sacrament that the people live within the sphere of the covenant and enjoy the light of their God’s favour (cf. Lev. 26:5).
Billy Smith: Four participles define four agricultural activities in Amos 9:13: plowing, reaping, treading, and planting. Plowing began the agricultural year after the first rains in October-November. Reaping ended the agricultural year in April-May. Usually a gap of six months separated these two activities. Here a compression of time has the one plowing overtaking the one reaping. It is a picture of harvests so abundant that the gathering of one crop will not be finished before time to begin the next crop.
The next part of the verse has the grape treader close on the heels of the planter. Pressing grapes was an activity performed during the months of August-September, and planting was a job for November-December. Again, a time lapse usually separated these two activities. Here a compression of time has their work overlapping. This picture of vigorous activity reflects the abundance of a new era.
B. (:14) Restoration — Time of Rebuilding, Growth and Productivity in the Land
- Possessing the Promised Land
“Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel,”
Gary Cohen: Thus God announces that in the end time the children of Israel, once scattered by Him into Assyrian or Babylonian slavery, will be freed and will return to the promised land. This always has been the dream of the Jewish people, and one of the medals of the modern state of Israel has a motto that reads, “We shall remain free men.” (See Deut. 30:1-5.)
- Preparing the Land for Ongoing Growth and Productivity
a. Rebuilding the Cities
“And they will rebuild the ruined cities
and live in them,”
Gary Cohen: Recall that in 722-721 B.C. the Northern Kingdom people were driven out of their cities by the Assyrians. In 606-586 B.C. the Babylonians drove the people of Judah out of their cities. In 168 B.C. the Jews were again suffering as the Syrians drove them out of their cities; in A.D. 66-72 the Romans drove them out; in A.D. 134 the Romans under Hadrian again drove them out; in the eighth century the Muslims conquered them; in the eleventh century it was the Turks; in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries it was the European Crusaders; also in the thirteenth century there were the papal persecutions.
In the fourteenth century the Jews were expelled from Paris by Philip the Fair (1306) and from Germany when they were blamed for the “Black Death” plague (1398). In the fifteenth century they were expelled from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella (1492—the same year in which God opened the New World wherein they could flee to safety), and from Portugal (1498). In the sixteenth century the Jews were ordered by Russia’s Ivan the Terrible to be “baptized or drowned” (1563).
In more recent times the Jews continued to be persecuted. In the nineteenth century they were driven out of Romania (1866, 1870, 1873). At the start of this century they were persecuted in Austria and Germany (1900). Mobs attempted to slaughter all of the Jews in Hebron (1929). Hitler drove the Jews out of the European cities and murdered six million of them in a satanic attempt at genocide (1939-45). Under the British mandate (1917-1948) European Jews who survived the holocaust of Hitler were severely limited concerning entry into Palestine. Even today many would again cast the Jews out of their newly rebuilt cities.
Only in light of the above-listed chronicle of suffering and exile can one even come close to comprehending the grandeur and the hope that the precious promises of God found here in Amos offer to Israel.
b. Replanting the Vineyards and Gardens
“They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.”
M. Daniel Carroll R.: The renewal envisioned in 9:11–15 is a reversal of the various dimensions of judgment; it will be political, social, economic, ecological, and religious. Six verbs with the people as the subject follow. The activities of building, dwelling, planting vineyards, drinking wine, and making gardens and eating their fruit respond to Israel’s recent scarcities (4:6–9) as well as to the imminent destruction of its cities (e.g., 3:11; 4:3; 6:9–11). This description also reverses the judgments of 5:11 (cf. Lev 26:16; Deut 28:30, 38–40), except that this promise of security and prosperity is directed at everyone, not at the ones who have taken advantage of the vulnerable.
C. (:15) Security — Permanent Possession of the Promised Land
“‘I will also plant them on their land,
And they will not again be rooted out from their land
Which I have given them,’ Says the LORD your God.”
M. Daniel Carroll R.: The soon-to-arrive day and days of doom (2:16; 4:2; 5:18–20; 6:3; 8:3, 9, 11, 13) will be replaced by a day and days of renewal. The mercy extended earlier on two occasions (7:1–6) rematerializes with great force and permanence. . .
As had v. 14, this verse begins with a first-person verb with Yahweh as its subject. He declares that he will plant the people. The reoccurrence of the verb plant (nṭʿ) from 9:14 connects the two verses and provides continuity even as it presents a contrast between human planting and harvesting and Yahweh’s planting and the impossibility of removal in the future. That they will not be uprooted again is a guarantee that another exile does not lie in their future, a promise reinforced by the closing speech formula.
Warren Wiersbe: In contrast to God’s destroying the Israelite house of false worship, God will raise up the “hut” of David, thereby assuring a bright future for the people of Israel and Judah. Like a rickety shack, David’s dynasty was about to collapse. From the Babylonian Captivity to this present hour, there has been no Davidic king ruling over the Jews; and though a Jewish nation has been restored, they have no king, priest, temple, or sacrifice. But one day, the Lord will restore, repair, and rebuild the dynasty of David and establish the kingdom He promised. When Jesus Christ comes again, the breach between Israel and Judah will be healed, and there will be one nation submitted to one King. God will bless the land and the people, and His people shall live in peace and security. It will be a time of peace and prosperity to the glory of the Lord.
Amos ends his prophecy with the wonderful promise that Israel shall be planted, protected, and never again pulled up from her land “says the Lord your God.” Your God! What a great encouragement for the Jews to know that, in spite of their unbelief, their God will be faithful to His covenant promises.