No Hiding in Carmel or in the Sea Amos 9:3

As Amos the “herdsman fig-picking” prophet continued to share about the pending judgment that was to come upon Israel, he referred to those who would attempt to escape God's punishment. Amos told them, even “though they dig into hell, there shall my hand take them” and “though they climb up to heaven, there will I bring them down”. In chapter nine and verse three of his prophesy, Amos shared how those who attempt to hide “in the top of Carmel” or “in the bottom of the sea” shall fail in their efforts. We read:

And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out there; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, there will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:

The verse begins, “And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out there;” Amos began with the words, “And though they hide themselves” which means “even if the people of Israel conceal themselves and lay hidden” “in the top” or “in the head, summit, upper part, chief, total, height, front and beginning ” “of Carmel” which means “garden land” and was “a mountain on the Mediterranean coast of northern Israel just below Haifa”, “I will search” or “devise and expose” “and take them out there” which means “get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire and take them away from there”. Though the people within Israel attempt to hide themselves in the “summit” of mount Carmel, God would seek them out and expose them.

The verse goes on to say, “and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, there will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:” Amos continued with the words, “and though they be hid” which means “though the people of Israel are concealed and hidden” “from my sight” or “from God's eye” “in the bottom” which refers to “the ground or floor” “of the sea” which means “a large body of water which was specifically the Mediterranean Sea ”, “there will I command” or “give and lay charges to” “the serpent” which means “the snake”, “and he shall bite them” which literally means to “strike or sting” and figuratively means “to oppress, vex or lend to usury”. Some of the people may have the idea they could escape the LORD's judgment by going to the “bottom of the Mediterranean Sea”, however, their efforts shall fail because God will use the “snake” to carry out His punishment.

When we meditate upon these words of Amos, we see once again there is no place to hide from God. He is omnipresent, and though the people of Israel might attempt to escape His judgment, they would fail. Jesus Christ came to the world to “seek and to save that which was lost”, and when a person believes he or she may somehow avoid the LORD, they are mistaken. We should learn, there is no place to hide from God, and the sooner we realize His pursuit of us and believe in His Son Jesus Christ, the sooner we shall escape the pending penalization to come.

Next time we begin the final chapter of Amos' prophesy and see how Amos saw “the Lord standing upon the altar”, 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.