As a Shepherd Takes Out of the Mouth Amos 3:12

As Amos the “herdsman” prophet continued to share the judgment that was to come upon the children of Israel, he shared God's words as He pronounced, “An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and your palaces shall be spoiled.” In chapter three and verse twelve of his prophesy, Amos continued to describe how the LORD would judge as he employed the example of a “shepherd” rescuing animals out of a “lion's” mouth. We read:

Thus says the LORD; As the shepherd takes 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.

The verse begins, “Thus says the LORD; As the shepherd takes out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear;” Amos began with the words, “Thus says” or “utters, proclaims and declares” “the LORD” which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the one true God”; “As the shepherd” which means “herdsman, grazer, tenderer and special friend” “takes out” or “snatches, delivers, rescues and saves” “of the mouth” which refers to “opening and orifice” “of the lion” or “young lion and king of the beasts” “two legs” or “lower limbs used for walking” “or a piece” which means “severed piece or part” “of an ear” or “the organ used for hearing”. To under stand Amos' example, we must imagine a “shepherd” pulling the “legs” and “parts of ears” of his sheep from a “lion's mouth”.

The verse continues, “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.” Amos added, “so shall the children” which means “the sons, grandsons, and male children of a group” “of Israel” which means “God prevails” and was “the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob” “be taken out” or “snatched away, delivered, rescued and saved” “that dwell” which means “remain, sit and abide” “in Samaria” which means “watch mountain” and was “the region of northern Palestine associated with the northern kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel which split from the kingdom after the death of Solomon during the reign of his son Rehoboam and were ruled by Jeroboam” “in the corner” or “edge, side, quarter and extremity” “of a bed” which refers to “a couch or bier”, “and in Damascus” which means “damask or silk” and was “a metropolis of Damascene, Syria which was situated on the river Chrysorrhoas in a large and fertile plain at the foot of Antilibanus “in a couch” or “a indulgent divan or bed”. Amos' example was the manner the “children of Israel” would be pulled from the luxurious living in “corners of beds” and “couches” in “Samaria” and “Damascus”.

When we think through these words of Amos, we discover how much God cares for the people of Israel. Though they would not listen to or obey Him, they would be extracted by their faithful shepherd. The difficulty would be that Israel who were living in “luxury” would suffer for their insubordination. We must be careful not to live our lives in such a luxurious manner that we forget the first principles of God. Jesus Christ came to save us from that manner of living, and if we forsake our relationship with Him for the sake of the things of this world, we align ourselves with those who sat upon “divans” and “couches”. May we always realize the importance of the most valuable asset we may obtain – a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ His Son and by His Holy Spirit.

Next time Amos tells the people, “Hear, and testify in the house of Jacob ”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.