Amos , Sarah Barry
JUDGED BY A HIGHER STANDARD
Passage: Amos 2:4~16  
Key verse: 4b
4 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Judah,(A)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law(B) of the Lord
and have not kept his decrees,(C)
because they have been led astray(D) by false gods,[a](E)
the gods[b] their ancestors followed,(F)
5 I will send fire(G) on Judah
that will consume the fortresses(H) of Jerusalem.(I)”
Judgment on Israel
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.(J)
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.(K)
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.(L)
8 They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.(M)
In the house of their god
they drink wine(N) taken as fines.(O)
9 “Yet I destroyed the Amorites(P) before them,
though they were tall(Q) as the cedars
and strong as the oaks.(R)
I destroyed their fruit above
and their roots(S) below.
10 I brought you up out of Egypt(T)
and led(U) you forty years in the wilderness(V)
to give you the land of the Amorites.(W)
11 “I also raised up prophets(X) from among your children
and Nazirites(Y) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.(Z)
13 “Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.(AA)
14 The swift will not escape,(AB)
the strong(AC) will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.(AD)
15 The archer(AE) will not stand his ground,
the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
and the horseman(AF) will not save his life.(AG)
16 Even the bravest warriors(AH)
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.
Cross references
- Amos 2:4 : 2Ki 17:19; Hos 12:2
- Amos 2:4 : S Jer 6:19
- Amos 2:4 : S Eze 20:24
- Amos 2:4 : Isa 9:16
- Amos 2:4 : S Ex 34:15; S Dt 31:20; S Ps 4:2
- Amos 2:4 : S 2Ki 22:13; S Jer 9:14; S 16:12
- Amos 2:5 : S 2Ki 25:9; S 2Ch 36:19
- Amos 2:5 : Am 3:11
- Amos 2:5 : S Jer 17:27; S Hos 8:14
- Amos 2:6 : S Am 1:3
- Amos 2:6 : S Joel 3:3; Am 8:6
- Amos 2:7 : S Lev 18:21; Am 5:11-12; 8:4
- Amos 2:8 : S Ex 22:26; Dt 24:12-13
- Amos 2:8 : Hos 7:14; Am 4:1; 6:6
- Amos 2:8 : Hab 2:6
- Amos 2:9 : Nu 21:23-26; Jos 10:12
- Amos 2:9 : S Isa 10:33
- Amos 2:9 : S Ps 29:9
- Amos 2:9 : S 2Ki 19:30; S Job 18:16; S Eze 17:9
- Amos 2:10 : S Ex 6:6; 20:2; Am 3:1
- Amos 2:10 : S Dt 8:2
- Amos 2:10 : S Dt 2:7
- Amos 2:10 : S Ex 3:8; S Nu 21:25; S Jos 13:4; Am 9:7
- Amos 2:11 : Dt 18:18; Jer 7:25
- Amos 2:11 : S Jdg 13:5
- Amos 2:12 : Isa 30:10; Jer 11:21; Am 7:12-13; Mic 2:6
- Amos 2:13 : Am 7:16-17
- Amos 2:14 : S Job 11:20
- Amos 2:14 : S 1Ki 20:11
- Amos 2:14 : Ps 33:16; Isa 30:16-17
- Amos 2:15 : S Eze 39:3
- Amos 2:15 : S Ex 15:21; Zec 10:5
- Amos 2:15 : Ecc 9:11
- Amos 2:16 : Jer 48:41
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Source:  BibleGateway
1. They have rejected the law of the Lord (4-5)
God roars with anger at man's inhumanity to man in the Gentile world; but he judges his own people by a higher standard--his revealed word. The people of Judah did not obey God's word because they had been led astray by false gods. They would burn with the fire of God's wrath.
2. Forgotten grace (6-16)
The sins of northern Israel were even more flagrant. Injustice and blatant immorality were rampant (6b-8). The Lord had brought them out of Egypt and fed them in the desert. He had given them the land of the Amorites (Canaan). He had also given them prophets and spiritual leaders, but they would not let the prophets speak God's word, and they would not let the holy men keep their vows. The Lord would crush them as a loaded cart crushes whatever falls beneath its wheels. No one would escape God's wrath.
Prayer: Lord, forgive my sins. Help me to remember your grace with a thankful heart, and diligently obey your word.
One Word: Remember his grace; keep his word