Amos 3:1-15
Israel was a family which God had chosen for Himself from among all the families of the earth. "Therefore . . .", continues the LORD, to show that His choice carried with it the strictest obligations. Let us say it once more: the closer the relationship, the greater the responsibility (read Matthew 11:20-24). Identical faults will be assessed differently according to whether committed by a stranger, by a servant or by a son.
God prepares to visit His people in judgment. However, nothing will be done without prior warning. The lion’s roar is the most effective alarm signal for cattle. Amos, the herdsman from Tekoa, knew it full well and seeks to turn the people from their indifference. "Publish . . . Hear ye . . .," he cries. But God is also going to speak with another voice to arouse the people from their slumber and from their hard-heartedness. Amos’s whole prophecy is filled with allusions to an earthquake which was to occur two years later (Amos 1:1 end; Amos 2:13-16; Amos 3:14-15; Amos 6:11; Amos 9:1; Amos 9:11, etc. . . .).
May we, who by grace belong to God’s heavenly family, pay attention to all the ways in which our Father warns us.