The Pulpit Commentary — Amos — Section 123

IV. Gon THE AUTHOB OF TRE PUNIBII'MENT HE PROCURES, " The Lord oommandeth ,. etc. 1. The sin qf man is often a/actor in the accomplishment of God's purpose, it WAR BO with the transportation of Joseph (Gen. xlv. 6, 8; 1. 20), with the death of Christ (Acts ii. 23; iv. 28), and with the affliction of Israel by Assyria (Isa. x, 6-7). The actors are in each C&Be impelled by their own evil motives, aim at their own evil ends, UBe their own evil means, and act alt.ogether of their own free will; and yet, when they succeed, the result is found to serve ~me important collateral interest they think nothing of, and BO to be part of the infinitely good purpose of God. It is thus that God accomplishes bis will by the instrumentality of men, without infringing on their perfect freedom, or being implicated in the sin which, in unconscious furtherance of it, they commit. The Assyrian destroying Israel in an unjustifiable war was at once carrying out God's purpose and sinning against him. 2. God destroys the chosen pt,ople, not aa "Israel," but as "J=b." "Israel," the covenant name, is given them in connection with promises of covene.nt treatment. God blesses them e.s "Israel,. and affiicts them ~ "I~~l,'.' and even decim9:tes ~hem as "Israel," all these, beii:g elements of a gracious d1SC1phne. But destruction 1s not so. It is the penalty of a covenant already broken, and God marks them out for this by the uncovenanted name of "Jacob." Vers. 12-14.-The doomed 1)e()file wAo will not tum. Sin-brings often present gain but it never pays in the end. When the balance is struck, the wrong►doer always find; it on the wrong side of the book. A sinner is one who sets himself against God, and in the nature of things ignorance cannot overreach knowledge, nor weakness overcome omnipotence. Israel had long been under instruction in this matter, and they would see it one day when the knowledge would be too late. Many Scripture maxims are illustrated here. L "BEHOLD, TB ABE OF NOTHING, AND YOtJB WORK OF NOll'GBT." (Ver.13.) 4 'ln a thing of nought;" literally, a" non-thing,"· a phantasm, what bas an appearance of being. and yet is not. 1. Human atrength is nothing. It is nothing in comparison with God's. It is nothing apart from God's. Being derived wholly from God, it has no existence independent ofhi.m. It is, therefore, virtually and practically "a thing of nought;" incapable of being used for any purpose either against him or irrespective of him. 2. Out of nothing nothing come,, Human power being a nonentity, belief in it is delnsion, trust in it is baseless, and expectation from it must be disappointed. Doubly, therefore, and trebly "cursed is he that maketh flesh his arm." 3. Yet it la in thia flonentity that men rejoiu. Sin is at bottom a deification of self. We believe in ourselves--in our own power and knowledge and excellence. We are satisfied with ourselves, expect great things from ourselves, end rejoice in- ourselves (Ps. x. 6 ;· Iii. 7). Only by a work of grace are we disabused of our carnal confidence and won to a higher trust. It is as complementary of our " trusting in the Lord " that we " lean not to our own understanding." IL "WBo CAN BRING A CLEAN TBING Oll"l' OF AN ll'NOLEAB? NoT ONE." (Ver.12.) Israel joined oppression to unrighteousness, and out- of this endeavoured to bring themselves lasting gain. This is likened to an attempt by the husbandman to cultivate the rock. It implies: 1. Utter /11,ff,Jity. The hnsbandman does not attempt impracti- cable things. He knows there is no fertility in a bare rock--no soil for crop, no bed for seed, no furrow for plough; and so he cultivates the good soil, and leaves the rock alone. And no more than till the rock for a harvest need men seek safety by wrong- doing. They cannot find it so. It is not where they seek it. Good cannot come out of evil by natural generation, for it is not in it. 2. LoBB instead of gain. An attempt to i;lough the rock, like every other offence against the nature of things, must be worse than futile. It means lost time, lost labour, and broken implements. Bo with the perversion of justice, and the corruption of the fruit of righteousness. It is evil, and can only lead to evil. It increases the sum total of the wickedness that provokes Divine wrath, and itself creates a new souroe of danger. lll. "TBEBEFOBE LET NO JUN GLORY m MEN." (Ver. 13.) It is the very essence of unreason. 1. It iB a crime. It involves departure from God. The eoul is capable of sustaining but one great attachment at a time. We cannot love both the Father ar.d the world, or " serve GQd and mamw.011," or " make flesh our arm," without our on. vt. 1-14.] THE BOOK OF AMOS. 123