Amos 8: A Ripe Harvest of Judgment

Amos 8 Scripture

Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.

And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.

And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.

Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?

That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.

Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer–sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.

Amos 8 Commentary

Here is, I. A threatening of utter ruin that was now at hand to the people of Israel. 1. God sends a sign to awaken them to a sense of it. He showed the prophet a basket of summer fruit, Amos 8:1. This was designed, (1.) To signify that they were near their summer, that the season of gathering was at hand, and that, as the summer is the last season of gathering, so their harvest should be over, and they should have no after-crop. (2.) To signify that they were like rotten fruit, that could not be kept long; they were ripe for ruin, their iniquity was full, and they would quickly be cast away as offensive. 2. He explains this sign, and tells them that their end had come, Amos 8:2. God himself says it; he will now no more pass by them, as he has done, conniving at their sins, and deferring their punishment. 3. He foretels the sad consequences of this, Amos 8:3. Their songs shall be howlings, the songs of their temple, or rather of their idolatrous feasts; there shall be many dead bodies in every place, which they shall cast forth with silence, for there shall be none to lament them, or to bury them. II. He assigns the cause of this utter ruin. It was their oppression and injustice, and their impious contempt of God and religion, that brought this wrath upon them. 1. They were very oppressive to the poor, Amos 8:4, Amos 8:6. They swallowed up the needy, that is, impoverished them and quite ruined them. They made the poor of the land to fail, that is, they took all possible methods to beggar them. They said, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? They were weary of the holy days, because they might not then work and get money. And the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat? They were in haste to be selling, and could not bear the delay of a few hours. They made the ephah small and the shekel great, that is, they cheated in both the buyer and the seller. They falsified the balances by deceit. They sold the refuse of the wheat, and made people pay dearly for it too. They bought the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, that is, for a trifle; they took all advantages against them, and, if they could not pay them, they made them their slaves. 2. They were very impious towards God (Amos 8:5): When will the new moon be gone? Note, Those have hearts full of the world, and void of the love of God, who are weary of the restraints of a sabbath day and of holy time, and wish them over, because they are a hindrance to them in their worldly business. III. He ratifies and confirms the sentence passed upon them, and shows that it should be irreversible. 1. God will remember their sins against them (Amos 8:7): The Lord has sworn by the excellency of Jacob, that is, by himself, whom Jacob excelled in covenant and in holiness, that he will never forget any of their works. Note, God's judgments are the sure consequences of men's sins, and he will certainly reckon with sinners for all their sins. 2. Their punishment should be universal and very dreadful (Amos 8:8): Shall not the land tremble for this? Yes, certainly it shall. Those that will not tremble at the word of God shall be made to tremble under his rod. And every one that dwells therein shall mourn. The whole land shall rise up wholly as a flood. The destruction shall be like an inundation, which sweeps away all before it. And it shall be cast out and drowned as by the flood of Egypt. It shall be in confusion, like that which Egypt was in when God brought the plagues upon it. 3. It should continue very long (Amos 8:9): "I will cause the sun to go down at noon. I will cloud the heavens, and darken the earth, in the clear day. I will bring darkness upon the land in the daytime, and turn all your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation." This is applicable, (1.) To their temporal state. Their prosperity should be eclipsed, and they should be deprived of all their comforts. (2.) To their spiritual state. The gospel, which is the light of the world, should be taken from them, and they should be left in darkness. 4. It should be a disappointment to them in the things that they most doted on (Amos 8:10): "I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head. I will make it as the mourning of an only son, which is the most bitter and lasting grief." This intimates how dear their worldly possessions were to them, how much they placed their happiness in them, and how unwilling they should be to part with them. 5. They should be deprived of the means of grace, which would be the most sore famine of all (Amos 8:11): "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water only, but of hearing the words of the Lord." This is worse than either famine or pestilence. A famine of bread is a sore judgment; but a famine of the word is a spiritual judgment, and the most dreadful of all others. Observe here, (1.) That a scarcity of the word of God is a very great judgment upon any people. It is mentioned as a great mercy to Samuel's time that the word of the Lord was precious in those days, 1 Samuel 3:1. (2.) That those who despise the gospel, and turn a deaf ear to it, are justly punished with the removal of it. They that would not see shall not see. (3.) That those who have plenty of the word of God preached to them are bound to be very thankful for it, and careful not to provoke God to take it away from them. We know not how to value the plenty of the means of grace till we are deprived of them. 6. They should wander from sea to sea to seek the word and should not find it, Amos 8:12. They shall make long journeys, and take indefatigable pains, to find a prophet to enquire of the Lord, or a book of the law to instruct them, but all in vain. Note, The time may come when those that have carelessly lost their opportunities of getting knowledge may never retrieve them, when those that have forsaken God may seek him and shall not find him. 7. Even their young people should faint for want of the word of God, Amos 8:13. Those who were in the prime of their time for improvement should lose all their strength, and give up their hopes, for want of the benefit of divine revelation. 8. The sin that provoked God to bring all these judgments upon them was their idolatry, Amos 8:14. They swore by the sin of Samaria, that is, by the idol worshipped at Samaria, or by the temple there, or by the calf there. They swore, The Lord lives, and the god of Dan lives. They multiplied their idols, and thought to please all, but they provoked God, and cheated themselves. Therefore shall they fall, and never rise again. Note, Those that set up rivals with God in their affections, or that depend upon any other for that protection and provision which are to be had from God only, will find that that which they thus make their god will fail them, and they will fall, and not be able to rise again.

Amos 8 focuses on the impending judgment upon Israel, using vivid imagery and stark pronouncements to convey the severity and certainty of God's response to their persistent sins. The chapter serves as a powerful warning, highlighting the consequences of injustice, idolatry, and the rejection of God's word. This section of Amos is particularly relevant for SEO, as it encapsulates key themes of justice, judgment, and spiritual famine.

A Basket of Summer Fruit (Amos 8:1-3)

The chapter opens with a symbolic vision: a basket of summer fruit. This seemingly innocuous image carries a profound message. The fruit represents Israel at the peak of its ripeness, but also signifies that the end is near. Just as summer fruit is harvested and consumed, so too is Israel ripe for judgment. Tony Evans notes that this symbolizes the completion of a cycle, from growth to harvest to consumption, indicating Israel's sins have reached their fullness.

God declares that He will "no more pass by them" (Amos 8:2), signaling an end to His patience and forbearance. The consequences are dire: songs of joy will turn into howls of mourning, and death will be widespread, with so many corpses that there will be no one left to properly bury them (Amos 8:3). This paints a grim picture of the devastation to come.

Oppression and Impious Contempt (Amos 8:4-6)

The root of this judgment lies in Israel's social and spiritual corruption. They are condemned for their oppression of the poor and needy (Amos 8:4, 6). Matthew Henry highlights their ruthless exploitation, "swallowing up the needy" and "making the poor of the land to fail." They used dishonest scales and unfair business practices to cheat and impoverish the vulnerable.

Furthermore, they displayed a blatant disregard for God and His laws (Amos 8:5). They impatiently awaited the end of holy days, eager to return to their corrupt business dealings. Their hearts were consumed by worldly gain, leaving no room for the love of God. This reveals a profound spiritual sickness at the heart of Israel's society.

The Certainty of Judgment (Amos 8:7-14)

God ratifies the sentence passed upon them, swearing by His own excellency that He will never forget their works (Amos 8:7). The punishment will be universal and dreadful (Amos 8:8), causing the land to tremble and all its inhabitants to mourn. The destruction will be like a flood, overwhelming everything in its path.

A particularly striking image is the darkening of the sun at noon (Amos 8:9), symbolizing the eclipse of their prosperity and the loss of all comfort. This can be interpreted both temporally, referring to their societal collapse, and spiritually, foreshadowing the removal of the light of the Gospel.

The most devastating consequence, however, is the famine of hearing the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11-12). This spiritual famine is worse than any physical hunger or thirst. Those who rejected God's word will desperately seek it but will not find it. Even the young, in their prime, will faint for lack of spiritual nourishment (Amos 8:13).

The chapter concludes by identifying idolatry as a key provocation for God's judgment (Amos 8:14). They swore by false gods, multiplying their idols in a vain attempt to please everyone but God. As a result, they will fall and never rise again. This serves as a stark warning against placing our trust in anything other than the one true God.

Amos 8 is a somber reminder of the consequences of sin and the importance of justice and righteousness. It calls us to examine our own hearts and societies, ensuring that we are not repeating the mistakes of ancient Israel. The chapter also underscores the preciousness of God's word and the importance of heeding its message before it is too late.

Amos 8 Scripture

View Commentary