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NOTES for Amo 3:3

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3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
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Much has been said and written about like-mindedness and disagreements between people, as well as about agreement and disagreement between God and a human being. And yet the problem of like-mindedness, or rather its absence in relationships, whether relationships between people or relationships between a person and God, remains relevant. The core of the problem is connected with the fact that the absence of like-mindedness, as a rule, does not show itself at once. If it showed itself at once, those who disagreed would hardly set out on the road together. It shows itself when companions who have turned out to disagree with one another have already gone far enough from home that returning is no longer possible. Why does this happen?

Of course, problems that arise on the road are often explained by the hardships of the journey, for which one of those walking, or all of them together, turns out to be unprepared. But this is far from the only reason that possible disagreements come to light. More often it happens that, when planning some joint undertaking, future coworkers or fellow travelers do not really understand the motives and intentions of each participant very well. And not because someone is deliberately deceiving someone else. The problem is that we ourselves often poorly understand the true reasons for our own actions. And this is true not only when other people are involved, but also when God is involved.

Of course, if we are religious, this religiosity has its own reasons and motives, and our religiosity, in turn, determines the reasons if not for all, then for very many of our words and actions in relation both to God and to our neighbors. But religiosity in itself is not so much a spiritual reality as a reality of the soul, of the psyche. And religious motivation in itself means only that it does not contradict our religious worldview. But to what extent this worldview itself does not contradict the will of God, to what extent it corresponds to the Torah given by God and to His commandments, remains an open question. Just as the question remains open whether, for all our religiosity, we and God are of one mind or not.

Here, perhaps, only testing our intentions for their correspondence to the commandments can give a more or less unambiguous answer. And only if such testing is not one-time but systematic.

Other notes

 
For Amo 3:1-15
1 Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
9 Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
10 For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
11 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
12 Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.
13 Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hosts,
14 That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
15 And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD.
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Amos again reminds us that God's election is not only a gift, not only grace, but also responsibility for the promises given. 'All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient' - these are the words the sons of Israel spoke when...  Read more

Amos again reminds us that God's election is not only a gift, not only grace, but also responsibility for the promises given. 'All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient' - these are the words the sons of Israel spoke when they made the Covenant with God at Sinai (Exod 24:7). This promise given to God, on the one hand, opened extraordinary possibilities before the people of God, but on the other hand placed upon them the yoke of fulfilling His commandments. This is what was supposed to distinguish Israel from the other nations. Yet it was precisely this burden that the chosen people wanted to throw off, while nevertheless not refusing God's protection.

But the Lord cannot remain indifferent to how His people, in their lack of understanding, are ready to abandon the very essence of the Covenant. Therefore, in order to preserve it, God must require everything that was not given to Him - commandments fulfilled. The appearance in Israel of prophets calling for repentance, for conversion, is a sure sign that the time has come for the people of God to pay their debts.

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For Amo 3:1-4:13
1 Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
9 Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
10 For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
11 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
12 Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.
13 Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hosts,
14 That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
15 And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD.
1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
2 The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD.
4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.
8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.
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Prophecy is often thought of as predicting the future, something like a weather forecast. God allows...  Read more

Prophecy is often thought of as predicting the future, something like a weather forecast. God allows the prophets to look into the future and tell people about it. There is no special meaning visible in such prophecy, except to frighten people. But through Amos, God explains a very different task for prophecy. First of all He reminds them that to be the chosen people is a great honor, but an even greater responsibility. And if that responsibility has been "failed," the fall will be catastrophic. Then the task of prophecy is warning.

The questions in verses 3-6 of chapter 3 are remarkable: they suggest the interconnectedness of events. Prophecy does not appear out of nowhere, not simply from the prophet's insight, but because God has planned to do something and considers it necessary to inform people about it so that they can take part in it in some way, for God created people for cooperation with Him. This is the meaning of verse 7, and verse 8 suggests that there may be many prophets, which is what happens over the next several centuries.

The prophecies of Amos depict the King's anger at subjects who sin. People are able to see the Creator's almightiness and mercy in the beauty and ordered structure of nature; they can also discern God's disagreement with human sin in disasters. The punishment God sends sinners is frightening: He allows everything to go "its own way" - drought, famine, plague, wars... But God has prepared something far greater: "Prepare to meet your God, O Israel" (Amos 4:12)!

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For Amo 3:1-8
1 Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
Hide
“You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities,” says the Lord. It follows that...  Read more

“You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities,” says the Lord. It follows that truly great grace places great obligations upon us. Indeed, if the Lord were indifferent to what we do, it would mean that He simply did not care about us. Is that what we want? Would we really want God not to care about us? If so, then we do not need Him. We should then be honest and admit that life would be easier without Him. But if we want Him to love us, we will have to accept that our conduct matters to Him and that He does not want us to sin. Only then can we call upon His name honestly, knowing that if He intervenes in our life, much will collapse: everything in which there was no place for Him.

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