- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on May 7, 2016 11:10:01 GMT -8
Haftara for Par’shah Kedoshim, Amos 9:7-15
The context here is the judgment Amos prophesied on Israel. However withall his denunciations, the prophet gave a message of hope as he prophetically looked forward to the Messianic kingdom with its’ bounty and glory. However to get context we must start with the first verses of the chapter.
Amos 9:1-4 (KJV) I saw the Lord standing upon [or by] the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.
The Lord was at the sanctuary at Bethel amidst the luxury, dissipation and hypocritical worship of His people. He was about to utterly destroy both sanctuary and worshipers. It is a basic Biblical principle that judgement starts in God’s house:
Ezekiel 9:6 (NASB) Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple.
1 Peter 4:17 (NASB) For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Amos 9:7 (NASB) “Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord. “Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor [Crete] and the Arameans from Kir [in Mesopotamia]?
Israel as with other nations will not be spared in judgement. Elohim would destroy every sinful kingdom, including Israel. His chosen nation had no special privilege concerning morality.
Amos 9:8-9 (NASB) “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Nevertheless, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob,” Declares the Lord. “For behold, I am commanding, And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations As grain is shaken in a sieve, But not a kernel will fall to the ground.
From condemnation and punishment of Israel the prophet now transitions to restoration and plenty for Israel in future. I have worked in seed plants where seed is sent through a series of sieves to take out debris and defective seeds. The kernel left in the final sieve is good grain. We need only look at how this prophecy is being fulfilled to see the truth in it. Against all odds, the Jews have been preserved as a people. And when we see the good seed left in the sieve, we get a remarkable number of scholars, Doctors in medicine and other fields, and professional people.
Amos 9:11 (NASB) “In that day I will raise up the fallen booth [shelter, tabernacle] of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old;
The metaphor here of a booth that has fallen down is Sukkot language. Being prophecy from YHVH and being couched in metaphoric terms, this can refer to several things. Obviously God will repair and restore it, and His people will return to land and enjoy once again His rich blessings. Midievel Jewish sages saw this as either referring to the Messianic era or the Third Temple period. Contemporary scholars associate this imagery with the fall of monarchic Judah and exile of the Jewish people.
Historically we see this prophecy has been fulfilled to this point; however it also speaks of things to come. YHVH will raise up the Davidic dynasty in Yeshua when He returns in glory to establish His kingdom over Israel.
Amos 9:13 (NASB) “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.
Harvest will run into planting season in this time of abundance.
Amos 9:15 (NASB) “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
In contrast to his prophecies of judgement and hard times for Israel, the prophet finishes the book with a promise of security and divine protection.
Dan C
Resources: JPS Study TNK, W wiersbe, FB Meyer, Unger, Edersheim, my father and others.
