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Amos 3:3-8
“A lion has roared” (Amos 3:8) concludes the section that began with “The LORD roars from Zion” (Amos 1:2). The Lord, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5), has roared against Israel to take heed. When a lion roars, anyone within hearing distance should change the direction of his path, especially if that lion is very close! Amos 3:3-6 contains seven consecutive questions: Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it? After the first one (verse 3), the remaining three pairs of questions comprise a sequence of “before” and “after” illustrations: » When a lion roars (verse 4), he is warning others of his presence; there is still time to escape. When a young lion cries out of his den, however, he is content because he has killed and eaten. It is too late to escape. » Birds cannot fall into a snare when there is no trap (verse 5), but the trap always springs when one walks into it. » The trumpet warns of approaching danger (verse 6), but it cannot sound if the watchman is already dead and the city has fallen. The Lord has done what He warned He would do. While the threat is being made, one can still escape, but once judgment begins, it is too late. When a lion spies his prey, he will try to kill it. When the divine Lion roars, the people need to shake off their complacency because His roar means He is about to spring into action! He means what He says about living His way of life, and He follows through when we depart from it. Some people, like birds, unwittingly stumble into trouble. Oblivious to everything around them, they fall into traps, like being swindled by con men or crafty deceivers. God's people are often just like birds, naively going to their destruction, unmindful of the dangers around them. In other words, God is warning: “Don't be a birdbrain!” We must think about the direction we are heading. In His mercy, God always warns His people of coming calamity, either through His prophets (Amos 3:7) or through escalating disasters that lead to His ultimate judgment. Unlike the other six questions, Amos 3:3 stands alone without a second question following it: “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” It pictures a couple who have arranged to meet and do something together; they have a date. In the language of the Bible, this metaphor depicts a covenant. God considered His covenant with Israel to be a marriage (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:8, 14). Could the silent second question be: “Can a marriage be restored if the bill of divorce has already been issued?” God chose to withdraw Himself from Israel because, over time, He found He had nothing in common with her. Since they disagreed about almost everything, they could no longer walk together. But in Amos' day, the divorce was not yet final; God and His people could still reconcile. But there came a point in Israel's history when it was too late. The die had been cast. Repentance was no longer possible. The trumpet blew, the trap sprang, the lion pounced. Through Amos, God is warning our nations today that similar, devastating calamities lie just ahead, and escape from them is still possible. As yet, the lion has not pounced. It is not too late!
John W. Ritenbaugh and Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Prepare to Meet Your God! (Part Three)
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