Shall Not the Land Tremble for This Amos 8:8

The people of Israel had certain individuals within their country who would take advantage of the “poor and needy”. This did not go unnoticed by God, and He “swore” “by the excellency of Jacob, surely I will never forget any of their works”. In chapter eight and verse eight of the “herdsman, fig-picking” prophet Amos' prophecy, we see the LORD question, “shall not the land tremble for this?” We read:

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

The verse begins, “Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwells therein?” Amos began with the words, “Shall not the land” or “will the country, territory, district and region” “tremble” which means “quake, rage, quiver, be agitated, exited an perturbed” “for this, and every one mourn” which means “every person shall lament and bewail” “that dwells therein” or “abides, sits and inhabits within it”. The LORD rhetorically asked whether the “land” of Israel would not “quiver and quake” because of this evil, and the result would be that every person would “lament and bewail” when it did.

The verse continues, “and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.” Amos added, “and it shall rise up” or “ascend, climb, go up, depart, shoot fort and spring up” “wholly as a flood” or “completely as rivers, streams or brooks”; “and it shall be cast out” which means “to expelled, put or thrust away, be tossed and divorced” “and drowned” “sunk, subsided, collapsed, caused to settle, irrigated, drunk and watered”, “as by the flood” which refers to “the light, heavenly luminaries, day-break, dawn and morning light” “of Egypt” which means “land of the Copts” and was “the country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows”. The “quaking” of judgment was not to stop with the “trembling” alone, but it would cause “flooding” that would “toss and drown” people like when the Nile river in Egypt floods over its banks.

When we think through these words of Amos, we discover how ominous the judgment of the LORD can be. Though the wicked people who took advantage of others thought themselves immune to God's judgment, we see they were not. It sometimes appears that people are getting away with evil and wickedness today, and yet, the LORD Jesus sees all. He is patient, merciful and gracious, and He desires for all who practice evil to turn from their wicked ways and repent. If they do, salvation is ready and available, however if they do not, woe be to those who suffer “trembling, bewailing and lamentation” for the judgment to come.

Next time Amos tells how God “will cause the sun to go down at noon” which makes the “land dark”, 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.