The Plowman, The Treader, The Mountains and Hills Amos 9:13

After bringing about the judgment upon the people of Israel, the LORD promised through Amos the prophet that he would “raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen”, and He would “close up the breaches thereof” and “build it as in the days of old”. This would allow Israel to “possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by” His “name”, and in chapter nine and verse thirteen of his prophesy, Amos shared about “the plowman, the reaper, the treader of grapes, the sower and the mountains” where we read:

Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

The verse begins, “Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed;” Amos began with the word, “Behold” or “see, look, observe and take account”, “the days come” which means “the periods or divisions of time enter, lead or carry in”, “says” or “utters, declares and proclaims” “the LORD” which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing or becoming One and is the proper name for the one true God”, “that the plowman” or “the one who cuts or fabricates the ground” “shall overtake” which means “draw near to, approach and draw near” “the reaper” which refers to “the one who harvests or cuts grain”, “and the treader” or “the one who marches, walks or threshes” “of grapes” which means “the cluster of grapes or wine” “him that sows seed” which literally means “the one who draws, drags, seizes, proceeds or scatters offspring, descendants, posterity” and figuratively means “fruit, plant or seedtime”. When the LORD begins His restoration, those who “plowed” would “draw near” to those who “reaped”, and those who “marched upon grapes” would be approached by those who “scattered seeds”.

The verse goes on to say, “and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.” Amos continued, “and the mountains” or “the hills or hill country” “shall drop” which means “drip, distill and discourse” “sweet wine” or “pressed out grape juice”, “and all the hills” or “the total of little hills” “shall melt” which means “shall soften, dissolve and dissipate”. God would affect even the mountains and hills within Israel in their restoration.

When we meditate upon these words of Amos, we understand there was to be a day of restoration for the people of Israel after the judgment of the LORD came upon them. This would result in such an abundance of vintage harvest they would hardly gather in their crops before “preparing of the next” ones would arrive. “Plowmen” would trample upon those who “reaped”, and those who “sowed seeds” would be hurried by those who were “marched upon” the “grapes”. In other words, there would be great abundance in God's restoration. When Jesus Christ saves someone, their old life is replaced by a new one - “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The LORD is in the restoration business, and when He comes into a person's life, reaping of the fruit of one's life becomes abundant and all things become new.

Next time Amos shares about “bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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