Catholic Commentary on Amos 3

“Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7)

Israel's Punishment Announced

Hear this word the LORD has spoken against you, Israel, against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: you only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins. Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything? Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared - who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken - who can but prophesy?

The Catechism identifies the prophetic disclosure of divine plans as the expression of God's respect for human freedom: he warns before he acts, giving opportunity for response (CCC 702).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, you only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins. Election is not exemption; it is heightened accountability. The family chosen above all other families is held to a higher standard, not a lower one. Privilege carries weight. The chosen people who misread their election as protection from consequence have misread the covenant.

Prayer

Lord God, let us receive our election as greater accountability, not exemption from it. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

3
Witnesses against Israel
1 Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
 
2 “Only you have I known * 3:2 Or chosen
from all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.”
 
3 Can two walk together
without agreeing where to go?† 3:3 Or without an appointment to meet
4 Does a lion roar in the forest
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion growl in his den
if he has caught nothing?
5 Does a bird land in a snare
where no bait has been set?
Does a trap spring from the ground
when it has nothing to catch?
6 If a ram’s horn sounds in a city,
do the people not tremble?
If calamity comes to a city,
has not the LORD caused it?
 
7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing
without revealing His plan
to His servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared-
who will not fear?
The Lord GOD has spoken-
who will not prophesy?
 
9 Proclaim to the citadels of Ashdod
and to the citadels of Egypt:
“Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;
see the great unrest in the city
and the acts of oppression in her midst.”
 
10 “For they know not how to do right,”
declares the LORD.
“They store up violence and destruction
in their citadels.”
 
11 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:
 
“An enemy ‡ 3:11 Or An adversary will surround the land;
he will pull down your strongholds
and plunder your citadels.”
 
12 This is what the LORD says:
 
“As the shepherd snatches from the mouth of the lion
two legs or a piece of an ear,
so the Israelites dwelling in Samaria will be rescued
having just the corner of a bed
or the cushion of a couch.§ 3:12 Or so will the Israelites be snatched away, those who sit in Samaria on the edge of their beds and in Damascus on their couches
 
13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,
declares the Lord GOD, the God of Hosts.
14 On the day I punish Israel for their transgressions,
I will visit destruction on the altars of Bethel;
the horns of the altar will be cut off,
and they will fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house
along with the summer house;
the houses of ivory will also perish,
and the great houses will come to an end,”
declares the LORD.

*3:2 3:2 Or chosen

†3:3 3:3 Or without an appointment to meet

‡3:11 3:11 Or An adversary

§3:12 3:12 Or so will the Israelites be snatched away, those who sit in Samaria on the edge of their beds and in Damascus on their couches

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