Amos begins his prophecy by condemning the nations that surround Israel. Each time the prophecy begins with the same refrain. It’s almost like a song. The literal Hebrew rendering of this chorus would be, “for three sins and for four…” But this idiom probably means “again and again.” 1:3 says, “The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and I will not turn back my anger.” Verse 6 says, “The people of Gaza have sinned again and again, and I will not turn back my anger.” Verse 9 says the same thing about Tyre, and then comes Edom, Ammon, and Moab. Each passage begins with the exact same phrase.
If Amos were a popular singer, he would have received a rousing round of applause. Everyone was in favor of God judging their evil neighbors. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, was especially alienated from the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The next chorus would have aroused and even greater response. “The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not turn back my anger.” The crowd would have exploded with cheers! Then, however, dead silence would fall as Amos, sang the last verse in 2:6. “The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not turn back my anger.”
It’s so wonderful to see people get what they deserve! Right? It’s not that way with God. He does not take pleasure in the destruction of the wicked, rather, he delights in forgiving sinners! Jesus referred to those who pointed with delight at the sins of others while ignoring their own sins. It was displeasing to God. He deeply dislikes us playing God. Using the similar Hebrew phrase about “turning away His anger, “ God tells us in Proverbs 24:17-18 “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.” The force of this proverb includes the idea that joy at the fall of others turns God’s attention from them to you. This is what Amos was telling Israel. In fact God used one of the most wicked of these surrounding nations as his instrument of Judgment on Israel.
Chuck
God says, “…I will not turn back my anger.” Amos 2:6