Bible Commentaries
Amós 8

Versículos 1-14

Ahora en el capítulo 8:

Así me ha mostrado el Señor DIOS: y he aquí una canasta de frutas de verano ( Amós 8:1 ).

Así que ahora otra visión, y en esta visión ve esta fruta de verano, albaricoques y melocotones, ciruelas, nectarinas, cerezas.

Él dijo: Amós, ¿qué ves? Dijo, Veo una canasta de frutas de verano. Entonces me dijo el SEÑOR: Ha llegado el fin sobre mi pueblo Israel; No volveré a pasar por ellos nunca más. Y los cánticos del templo serán aullidos en aquel día, dice el Señor DIOS; y habrá muchos cadáveres en todo lugar; y los echarán fuera con silencio ( Amós 8:2-3 ).

Así que la devastación que va a venir. Las canciones de júbilo dentro del templo se van a convertir en aullidos. Cadáveres muertos por todas partes enterrados en silencio.

Oíd esto, oh vosotros que devoráis a los necesitados ( Amós 8:4 ),

Y aquí nuevamente Dios hace la acusación cuando habla en contra de la opresión de los pobres por parte de los ricos en ese momento, "Oíd esto, oh vosotros que tragáis a los necesitados,"

aun para hacer desfallecer a los pobres de la tierra ( Amós 8:4 ),

Aprovecharse de los pobres.

diciendo: ¿Cuándo se habrá ido la luna nueva para que podamos vender maíz? y el día de reposo, para que podamos producir el trigo ( Amós 8:5 ),

La luna nueva era un día de reposo. No se les permitía trabajar en sábado. Así que detestaron la luna nueva. Realmente no les gustaba ver la luna nueva. "¿Cuándo se habrá ido? Quiero vender. Tengo que cerrar la tienda hoy. No quiero cerrar la tienda; quiero obtener ganancias aquí". Y llegaron a donde detestaron esos días de reposo ordenados cuando tenían que cerrar la tienda. Eran tan codiciosos por las ganancias que se molestaron porque tendrían que cerrar en el día de reposo.

¿Quiere decir que la gente podría ser tan ávida de ganancias que querrían estar abiertos los siete días de la semana? Horrible. Con razón Dios trajo Su juicio. "¿Cuándo se habrá ido la luna nueva para que podamos vender el grano? El día de reposo para que podamos sembrar el trigo".

y luego hicieron pequeño el efa ( Amós 8:5 ),

Ahora el efa era una cesta de bushel, pero empezaron a hacer la cesta más pequeña. Todavía te cobro por bushel, pero no estabas recibiendo una medida completa. Así que estaban tomando y recortando el tamaño de la cesta de bushel.

engrandecieron el siclo [que era el peso], y falsearon las balanzas con engaño ( Amós 8:5 ).

Ahora llegó al lugar donde tendrían dos juegos de pesas; uno por el cual comprarían, y el otro por el cual venderían. Sin una oficina nacional de estándares de pesos y medidas, las cosas se volvieron muy caóticas. Porque se estaban aprovechando de la gente. Estaban engañando a la gente. Tendrían los pesos ligeros con los que comprarían su grano, y luego, al darse la vuelta para venderlo, tenían los pesos pesados. O viceversa. Saldos falsos. En los Proverbios dice que son una abominación para el Señor.

para que compremos a los pobres por plata, a los necesitados por un par de zapatos; y vendían la basura del trigo? ( Amós 8:6 )

Quiero decir, realmente estaban estafando a la gente, aprovechándose de la gente, haciendo que la gente se vendiera por su comida. Este tipo de cosas son una abominación para Dios. Aprovecharse de los necesitados y de los pobres es algo que Dios simplemente no tolera.

Juró Jehová por la grandeza de Jacob: Ciertamente nunca me olvidaré de ninguna de sus obras. ¿No se estremecerá la tierra por esto, y se lamentará todo habitante de ella? y se levantará todo como una inundación; y será arrojado fuera y ahogado, como por el diluvio de Egipto. Y acontecerá en aquel día, dice el Señor DIOS, que haré que el sol se ponga al mediodía, y oscureceré la tierra en el día claro; y convertiré vuestras fiestas en luto, y todas vuestras canciones en lamento; y haré cilicio sobre todos los lomos, y calva sobre toda cabeza; y lo haré como el luto de un hijo único, y su fin como un día amargo ( Amós 8:7-10 ).

Now, when God here prophesied that the sun would go down at noon and darken the earth in a clear day, there are those who say that is only a figure of speech. That because of the desolation and devastation of their enemies, that it's like you say, "Oh, the sun really set on me yesterday." You're talking about the gloom and the sorrow that overcame you. There are others who believe that Amos was actually predicting certain eclipses that did take place in Israel there within the next twenty years or so.

Bishop Usher speaks about three eclipses that took place in succeeding years. Each of them on the feast days: one on the Feast of Pentecost, another at the Feast of Trumpets at the following year, and then, and the following year again on the Feast of Pentecost. Thus, making the sun to go down at noon and darkening the earth on a clear day, and turning their feasts into mourning.
In 763 there was an eclipse of the sun which was about twenty-four years after this prophecy.

However, the total eclipse was over Africa and it would not have been a total eclipse there in Samaria. However, we do read of one day which was a feast day, the Feast of Passover, in which it turned dark at noon on a clear day. It could not have been an eclipse, because Passover takes place at full moon, and it's impossible to have an eclipse on a full moon. That was the day that Jesus was crucified.

You remember how it declares that darkness covered the land from the ninth hour onward, sixth hour there was darkness over the land? This could be a prophecy of that darkness of that time of the crucifixion of Christ. The sun to go down at noon and darken the earth on a clear day and turn the feast into mourning, the songs into lamentations, to bring up the sackcloth and all the loins. Baldness, which was a shaving of the head in grief over the dead.

And behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor thirst for water, but of hearing of the words of the LORD ( Amós 8:11):

I believe that we are living in those days where there is a famine for the Word of God. The paradox is that there probably never more Bibles in print in any time in the history of the world than there is now, and more versions, and in more languages. The famine for the Word of God is that people would no longer be hearing the Word of God. It isn't that God isn't any longer speaking. It doesn't mean that the Word of God isn't there. It means that people are no longer hearing the Word of God.

You remember how Jesus over and over again said, "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying"? As He addressed Himself to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, to each church there was that repeated exhortation as He gave His message, then He would say, "He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says." But the truth is, there are many who do not have an ear to hear what God is saying.

They just don't hear the Word of God. It isn't that God isn't speaking; it's just that they can't hear the Word of God. It's just a jumble of words; it just doesn't make sense. They don't have an ear to hear. "God's hand is not short that He cannot save, neither is His ear heavy that He cannot hear, but your sins have separated between you and God" ( Isaías 59:1-2).

You see, the problem is never on God's side. It isn't that God isn't' speaking, it's that we're not listening. It really isn't that God can't hear. Our lifestyles have made it inconsistent for God to respond.

Now because they weren't hearing the Word of God, because there was this famine for the Word of God, notice what the result was.

And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from north even to the east, and they shall run to and fro and seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it ( Amós 8:12).

This restlessness would ensue as they were searching trying to find that which would satisfy them. Look at the restlessness in the world today. How that people are wandering all over the world from sea to sea, from north to the east, wandering around the world, looking for something that will satisfy. If you don't hear the Word of God, if your heart isn't satisfied in God's Word, you're gonna find yourself just blindly searching here and there trying to find something that will fill that void within your life. This restlessness is always the consequence of no longer hearing the voice of God, or the Word of God in your hearts. That void causes the restlessness, and as a result,

The fair virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst ( Amós 8:13).

It doesn't say the old people who are over the hill, and the elderly and decrepit are gonna faint, but the young virgins, the young men, those who are in the prime of strength will find that thirst, and faint as the result of that thirst. Because they don't have anything that will really sustain them and help them. The prime, those that are in their prime cannot really exist apart from the living Word of God. How much we need to hear and to heed the Word of God.

They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan ( Amós 8:14),

Dan era el centro religioso de la parte norte del reino de Israel. Allí es donde Jeroboam hizo un altar y puso un becerro y dijo: "Este es el dios que os libró de Egipto. Este es el dios que adoráis". Y el pueblo de Samaria, jurando por aquel dios de Dan: Tu dios, oh Dan,

vive; y, La manera de vivir de Beerseba; aun ellos caerán, y nunca más se levantarán ( Amós 8:14 ). "