7<\/strong>. Surely<\/em> ] For<\/strong>, the reason, however, following not in Amo 3:7<\/em><\/span> but in Amo 3:8<\/em><\/span> (to which Amo 3:7<\/em><\/span> is subordinate): ‘I give all these examples of events and occurrences in nature being due regularly to their proper cause, for Jehovah does nothing without communicating His purpose to His prophets, and when He does so the call to declare it is an irresistible one ( Amo 3:8<\/em><\/span>)’: hence when the prophet speaks, and especially when he comes forward with a message such as that contained in Amo 3:2<\/em><\/span>, it may be inferred that it is because he has heard Jehovah’s voice commanding him to do so.<\/p>\n doeth<\/strong> nothing<\/em>, except he have revealed<\/strong> &c.<\/em> ] An exaggeration, of course, of the actual fact; but Amos means naturally nothing of importance, so far as Israel was concerned. Prophets, whose mission it was to guide and advise Israel, appeared at all important crises in the national history.<\/p>\n secret<\/em> ] Heb. sd<\/em>, properly friendly<\/em> or confidential conversation<\/em> ( , which the corresponding word in Syriac is often used to express), Psa 55:14<\/span>: then, on the one hand, friendliness, friendship<\/em> (Job 29:4<\/span>; Psa 25:14<\/span>; Pro 3:32<\/span>, see R.V. marg.<\/em> in these passages), and in a more concrete sense, a secret<\/em> (Pro 25:9<\/span>); on the other hand, a body holding confidential intercourse together, a council<\/em>, or conclave<\/em>, of familiar friends (Job 19:19<\/span>, R.V. marg.<\/em>; Jer 15:17<\/span>). In the latter sense sd<\/em> occurs in two passages illustrating the present one, Jer 23:18<\/span>; Jer 23:22<\/span>, where Jeremiah implies that the true prophets have access to the “council” of Jehovah, and preach the principles which are there approved (cf. Job 15:8<\/span>, R.V. marg.<\/em>; also Psa 89:7<\/span>).<\/p>\n his servants the prophets<\/em> ] An expression otherwise used chiefly by writers of the age of Jeremiah (2Ki 17:13<\/span>; 2Ki 17:23 ; 2Ki 21:10<\/span>; 2Ki 24:2<\/span>; Jer 7:25<\/span>; Jer 25:4<\/span>; Jer 26:5<\/span>; Jer 29:19<\/span>; Jer 35:15<\/span>; Eze 38:17<\/span>; also Zec 1:6<\/span>; Dan 9:10<\/span>).<\/p>\n Surely the Lord God will do – <\/B>For the Lord God doeth<\/P> Nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets – <\/B>So our Lord saith, And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe (Joh 14:29<\/span>; compare Joh 13:19<\/span>). While it is yet a secret counsel within Himself, He admitteth to it His servants the prophets. The same word signifies secret and secret counsel with a friend. So , God revealed to Noah that tie would bring the deluge, and to Abraham and Lot, that He would destroy the cities of the plain, and to Joseph the 7 years famine in Egypt, and to Moses its plagues, and to Moses and Joshua all the chastisements of His people, and to Jonah the destruction of Nineveh, that they who heard of the coming punishment, might eithcr avoid it by repentance, or, if they should despise it, might be more justly punished. And so now the Lord is about to reveal through Amos, His servant and prophet, what He willeth to do to the 10 tribes, that forsaking their idols and turning to Him, they might be freed from the impending peril; which is of the great mercy of God. He foretelleth evil to come, that He may not be compelled to inflict it. For He who forewarneth, willeth not to punish sinners.<\/P> Lap.: So He inflicted not on Egypt any plagues by the hand of Moses, but He first forewarned Pharaoh and the Egyptians by him; nor the sufferings by the Ammonites, Midianites and Philistines, related in the Book of Judges, but He foremonished Israel by Joshua Jos 23:12-16<\/span>; Jos 24:19-20<\/span>; nor did He inflict on the Jews that destruction by Titus and the Romans, but He foremonished them by Christ Luk 19:42-44<\/span> and the Apostles. So neither will He bring that last destruction on the world, without having first sent the prophets and Angels, who, sounding with the seven trumpets, shall proclaim it throughout the world Rev 8:2<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n Amo 3:7<\/span><\/p>\n Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Prophecy: a disclosure of Gods secrets<\/strong><\/p>\n On the argument from prophecy<\/strong><\/p>\n This has been the least understood of all the evidences in support of Christianity. Superior difficulties attend the subject. Not difficulties which stagger our faith, but such as require attention to overcome. Trace out the causes from which the difficulties attending this subject have arisen. The obscurity of the prophecies is generally supposed to have arisen from the metaphorical or figurative language in which they are conveyed. But figurative language is not necessarily obscure; it is the style that always did, and still does, predominate throughout all the East. It is the natural language of all rude and uncivilised nations, and may be made, if a writer is inclined to make it so, as clear and as intelligible as the most literal expressions. The obscurity of prophecies neither did nor does arise from any one peculiarity, property, or principle of language. It is still more evident that it did not arise from anything in the subject to which they allude. For whatever event is capable of being described after it has happened, is equally capable of being described before it has happened, the change of tenses being in this case the only thing required. The obscurity of the prophets can be attributed to nothing else, but to the original intention and plan of their Divine Author. The full evidence of prophecy does by no means appear from the discussion of one or of a few single predictions concerning Messiah, but from the consideration of all the prophecies taken together, dispersed as they arc throughout the Bible. We have the same right to unite them into one body of evidence, that we every day assume, of drawing the character of any eminent person in the records of history, by the general tone of all his actions compared with one another and taken together. The prophecies are not only dispersed in various parts of Scripture, but are in most places connected with some other circumstance or transaction near the time at which they were delivered, and to which and to its immediate consequences they also allude. These events are often so interwoven in the very texture of the prophecy that to separate them requires a superior knowledge of ancient history, and superior powers of discrimination. Besides the predictions of Moses and the prophets, the law itself, the Mosaical and Levitical law forms in its very structure and essence a distinct series of prophecy. The ceremonies of Jewish worship were a shadow of good things to come, whilst the body was of Christ. To extract the prophetical matter out of the Levitical law, and to show what weight it has, as an evidence for Christianity, requires not only sagacity, but in a much higher degree, the greatest sobriety, moderation, and good sense. May not these difficulties suggest some arguments even in favour of the pretensions of prophecy?<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>The evidence of prophecy is by no means absolutely necessary to the proof of a Divine revelation. The working of miracles is of itself sufficient to prove that a teacher came from God. The Divine authority of Moses, for instance, was never foretold by any prophecy, but was grounded on the belief of his miracles alone.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>The evidence drawn from the ancient Jewish history is considerably increased by the obscurity of the prophets, which has been so much complained of. Obscurity, at least before their completion, was in the original intention of their Divine Author. No one, before their com pletion, was able to unravel or understand them, so no one but God was able to work their accomplishment. Other means might co-operate, but the obscurity of the prophecies alone was a sufficient guard and security for reserving their completion in the hands of God Himself. We have shown that it is from a view of the whole, not from single predictions, that our arguments are drawn. Such a view carries with it the force of the strongest circumstantial evidence, which in many cases is more convincing than evidence which is direct. Independent circumstances are facts, not liable to suspicion, unbiassed and invariable. Should an unbeliever insinuate any suspicion of collusion in the first settling of Christianity, his argument would immediately lose its force when applied to the prophecies. It must insinuate a collusion between persons of different countries, who lived many centuries distant from one another, between our first parents, and all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs who succeeded. (W. Pearce, D. D. , F. R. S.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The irrepressibility of moral truth<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Special in its occasion. It is made on account of the abnormal moral condition into which man has fallen,–made in consequence of human sin and its dire consequences.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Special in its doctrines.<\/p>\n Gods message through the prophets<\/strong><\/p>\n God has given to different nations different missions. He has given to Rome the mission of teaching the world the meaning of law; to Greece the meaning of art and philosophy; to the Hebrew race the meaning of religion. He has given this race this message: <\/strong>Tell the world what you can learn of God and His relation to men. The Hebrew people have added nothing to the architecture, the art, the philosophy of life; but they have been a prophetic race–discoverers of God. In this race there were pre-eminently religious men, who saw God more clearly than their fellows, and Gods relation to mankind more clearly, and Gods relation to human events more clearly, and told their fellows what they saw. And, from all their telling, natural selection says the scientist, providence says the theologian–I say the two are the same–elected those that had in them the most vital truth, the most enduring, the most worthy to endure. Thus we have in the Old Testament something like two score of writers, the most spiritually-minded of a spiritually-minded race, telling us what they have discovered concerning God. This is the Bible. It is the gradual discovery of God in the hearts and through the tongues of prophets who were themselves members of a prophetic race. (Lyman Abbott, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The lion hath roared, who will not fear?–<\/strong><\/p>\n The power of looking at facts in the face<\/strong><\/p>\n St. Bernard has described the first stage of the vision of God as the Vision Distributive, in which the eager mind distributes her attention upon common things and common duties in themselves. It was in this elementary school that the earliest of the new prophets passed his apprenticeship and received his gifts. Others excel Amos in the powers of the imagination and the intellect. But by the incorrupt habits of his shepherd life, by daily wakefulness to its alarms, and daily faithfulness to its opportunities, he was trained in that simple power of appreciating facts and causes, which, applied to the great phenomena of the spirit and of history, forms his distinction among his peers. In this we find perhaps the reason why he records of himself no solemn hour of cleansing and initiation. Jehovah took me from following the flock, and Jehovah said unto me, Go, prophesy unto My people Israel. Amos was of them of whom it is written, Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching. Through all his hard life this shepherd had kept his mind open and his conscience quick, so that when the Word of God came to him he knew it, as fast as he knew the roar of the lion across the moor. Certainly there is no habit which so much as this of watching facts with a single eye and a responsible mind is indispensable alike in the humblest duties and in the highest speculations of life. When Amos gives those naive illustrations of how real the voice of God s to him, we receive them as the tokens of a man, honest and awake. (Geo. Adam Smith, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n Verse 7<\/span>. Surely the Lord God will do nothing<\/B><\/I>] In reference to the punishment, correction, or blessing of his people-<\/P> <\/P> But he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.<\/B><\/I>] They are in strict correspondence with him, and he shows them things to come<\/I>. Such secrets of God are revealed to them, that they may inform the people; that, by repentance and conversion, they may avoid the evil, and, by walking closely with God, secure the continuance of his favour.<\/P> <\/p>\n Surely, <\/B>since that, or, forasmuch as, the Lord God will do nothing; usually the Lord doth no great tiring for or against his people, neither brings great judgments upon them for sin, nor bestows great good upon them for their encouragement to duty, <\/P> but he revealeth, <\/B>but he foretelleth the one and the other by his prophets to his people, that they may by repentance prevent the evil threatened, and by constancy in obedience attain the good promised. <\/P> His secret; <\/B>his purpose and determinate counsel, which would never be known aforehand if he did not reveal it. <\/P> Unto his servants; <\/B>who fear the Lord, and do his will in the midst of worst of times; they are holy men of God to whom the Lord revealeth his will. <\/P> The prophets; <\/B>by office called of God to this, and by gifts fitted for this, and by extraordinary assistance carried through this work. <\/P> <\/p>\n 7. his secret<\/B>namely, Hispurpose hidden from all, until it is revealed to His prophets(compare Ge 18:17<\/span>). In a widersense, God’s will is revealed to all who love God, which it is not tothe world (Psa 25:14<\/span>; Joh 15:15<\/span>;Joh 17:25<\/span>; Joh 17:26<\/span>).<\/P> unto his servants<\/B>whobeing servants<\/I> cannot but obey their Lord in setting forth Hispurpose (namely, that of judgment against Israel) (Jer 20:9<\/span>;Eze 9:11<\/span>). Therefore the faultwhich the ungodly find with them is groundless (1Ki18:17<\/span>). It aggravates Israel’s sin, that God is not about toinflict judgment, without having fully warned the people, if haplythey might repent.<\/P><\/p>\n Surely the Lord God will do nothing<\/strong>,…. In the world, in a nation or city; no remarkable event has happened, or shall happen, to the sons of men:<\/p>\n but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets<\/strong>; what he willed and determined to do, which was a secret in his own breast, till revealed; and this generally, and for the most part, he makes known to those that fear and serve him; and especially to whom he employs in public service, as his prophets and ministers, previous to his accomplishment of it: thus he revealed to Noah the drowning of the old world by the flood; to Abraham the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah; and to the same servant and friend of his the affliction of his posterity four hundred years in a strange land, and then to be brought out with great substance; to Abijah the Shilonite the rending of ten tribes from the house of David; to Jeremiah the seventy years’ captivity of the Jews in Babylon; to Isaiah their deliverance from thence, through Cyrus by name; to Daniel the four monarchies, the nature, rise, and fall of them; and to John, the disciple of Christ, all the material things that should come to pass, relating to the church and world, from the first times of the Gospel to the second coming of Christ; which that book is a revelation of that bears that name; see Ge 18:17<\/span>; and so that grand affair, which God has brought about in the world, the salvation of his people by his Son, which was a secret hid in his heart before the world began, this he revealed to his servants before it was effected; not only the scheme of it, but the author of it, whom he very early gave notice of; and who was spoken of by the mouth of all the prophets, from the beginning of the world; declaring who and what he was, the Son of God; that he should be incarnate, and born of a virgin; when he should appear, and where, and in what part of the world; also in what way and manner he should obtain salvation, by his obedience and sufferings; and all the circumstances relating thereunto are most minutely and exactly declared by him. Yea, God reveals unto his saints in common the secret of his purposes, respecting their election, redemption, and regeneration, which is made known in the effectual calling; and of the blessings of his grace in the covenant, and also of his providences; and of his love, grace, and mercy; and of his Gospel, and the mysteries of it; thus he deals with them as his friends, rather than as his servants; see<\/p>\n Ps 25:14<\/span>.<\/p>\n But he had before spoken of the sound of the trumpet; for every excuse was thereby taken away from the Israelites, as God had not only recalled them to the right way by his scourges but also preceded these by his word: and he shows how justly he was displeased with them; hence the Prophet adds another sentence, For the Lord Jehovah will do nothing without revealing his secret to his servants, the Prophets. The Prophet declares in this verse, that God dealt not with the Israelites as with heathen nations; for God punished other people without warning them by his word; he summoned to judgment neither the Idumeans, nor the Ammonites, nor the Egyptians, but executed his vengeance, though he never addressed them. Different was his dealing with the Israelites; for God not only brought on them such punishment as they deserved, but he preceded it by His word, and showed beforehand what evil was nigh them, that they might anticipate it; he indeed gave them time to repent, and was ready to pardon them, had they been capable of being restored. Now then the Prophet aggravates the guilt of the people, because they had not only been chastised by the Lord, but they might, if they chose, have turned aside their punishment; instead of doing so they hardened themselves in their wickedness. <\/p>\n God then will do nothing without revealing his secret to his servants, the Prophets. This ought to be confined to that people, and it ought also to be confined to the punishments of which the Prophet speaks. It is certain that God executes many judgments which are hid both from men and angels; and Amos did not intend to impose a necessity on God, as if he was not free to do any thing without previously revealing it; such was not the Prophet’s design; but his object was simply to condemn the Israelites for their irreclaimable perverseness and obstinacy, that, having been warned, they did not seriously think of repenting, but despised all God’s threatening, and even scorned them. God then will do nothing, that is, “God will not treat you in an ordinary way, as he does with other nations, whom he chastises without speaking to them. They, for the most part, understand not what is done; but God in a paternal manner kindly reminds you of your sins, shows why he resolves to chastise you and forewarns you, that you may have time to seek and ask forgiveness.” <\/p>\n God therefore reveals his secret to his Prophets; that is, “He does not suddenly or unexpectedly punish you, as he might do, and as ye see that he does with respect to others; but he proclaims what he will do, and sends his messengers, as though they were heralds sent to denounce war on you; and at the same time they open a way for reconciliation, provided ye are not wholly past recovery, and perverse in your wickedness. Ye are then doubly inexcusable, if God can do nothing by his word and by the punishment which he afterwards subjoins to his word.” We now comprehend the object of the Prophet. Then foolish is the question, at least unreasonable, “Does God here bind himself by a certain law, that he will do nothing, but what he previously reveals to his Prophets?” For Amos means not this, but only affirms that it was the common method which the Lord adopted in chastising that people. It is certain, that the Prophets did not know many things; for God distributed his Spirit to them by measure: all things then were not revealed to the Prophets. But Amos here only intimates that God did not deal with his chosen people as he did with heathen nations; for these often found God unexpectedly displeased with them, and had no time to reflect, that they might repent. Much more kindly and mercifully has God acted, says Amos, with that people; for God was unwilling suddenly to overwhelm or to surprise them, but has warned them by his Prophets. We see how widely this doctrine opens; but it is enough to understand the Prophet’s design, and to know the purpose to which his discourse ought to be applied. <\/p>\n God then will do nothing without revealing first his secret to the Prophets. He calls it a secret, because men are perplexed when God executes vengeance on them, and stand amazed: but when they are in time warned, then what God designs becomes evident to them, and they know the cause and the source of punishment. Thus then the secret is revealed which was hid from miserable men: and the guilt of the people is doubled, when, after these threatening, they do not repent. <\/p>\n Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.<\/p>\n Ver. 7. Surely the Lord God will do nothing<\/strong> ] i.e.<\/em> hardly anything. He loveth to foresignify, to warn before he wound; and this merely out of his philanthropy. Howbeit sometimes, and in some cases, he is more sudden and still in his revenges; that he may thereby, first, maintain his honour and glory, the eyes whereof are by some sins extraordinarily provoked, as Act 12:23<\/span> . And secondly, to teach men not to continue in sin, no, not for a moment; since they may be presently cut off from all further time of repentance, acceptation, and grace for ever; this made Austin say that he would not be an atheist, no, not one half hour, to gain all the world. See Luk 17:32<\/span> ; Luk 12:20<\/span> . Pharaoh had warning of the first and second plagues, not so of the third; and again of the fourth and fifth, but not of the sixth; and yet again of the seventh and eighth, but not of the ninth. And when neither warning nor no warning would do good, then came that sweeping plague; <\/p>\n “ Tandem prototocos ultima plaga necat.<\/em> ”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But he revealeth his secret to his servants the prophets<\/strong> ] God’s prophets, then, are his menial servants; not his underlings, or inferior hinds but of noblest employment about him. Every faithful minister is servant to the King of heaven (Act 27:23<\/span> , “whose I am, and whom I serve”; this the devil denied not, Act 16:16-17 ), yea, his steward, ambassador, herald (as here), by whom he proclaims war, but first proffers pardon and proposes conditions of peace: a practice usual not only among the people of God, by his appointment, Deu 20:10<\/span> , but also among the heathens, as histories inform us. The Romans had their Lex Faecialis; <\/em> by their heralds they sent to such as had wronged them, Caduceum et Hastam,<\/em> as ensigns of peace and war, that within thirty days they might take their choice; within which time, if they did them not right, the herald presently denounced war against them, casting forth a dart in token thereof. Alexander’s course was as follows, when he sat down before a city, to set up a torch; to show that if they would come in and submit before that torch were burnt out, they should have hearing; Tamerlane hanged out first a white flag, then a red, and lastly a black; and the Turks to this day first make to their enemies some offer of peace, how unreasonable soever it matters not. God’s offers in this kind are all of grace, and for our good. If it were otherwise, what need he give warning? and why doth he not as Absalom did, when, intending to murder Amnon, he spake neither good nor evil to him? Well might the Lord say, “Fury is not in me: O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself. As I live, I desire not the death of a sinner,” &c. If he did, why might he not rush suddenly upon such and confound them at once, as he did the reprobate angels, even in the very act and first moment of their sin? Why comes he first in a soft still voice, when he might justly thunder strike us? and why sendeth he his heralds to proclaim war, but yet with articles of peace and reconciliation open in their hands? Why was he but six days in making tbe world, and yet seven days in unmaking and destroying one city, Jericho? (Chrysost.). Was it not to show that “the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and of great kindness?” Psa 103:8<\/span> . And this he hath commanded his prophets to make known, that the goodness of God may lead men to repentance, Rom 2:4<\/span> . As, if they turn his grace into wantonness, and pervert his patience to presumption, their commission is to declaim against such practices with all authority, Tit 2:15<\/span> , and to proclaim hell fire, in case men amend not. Necessity is laid upon them so to do, and woe be to them if they preach not law as well as gospel; that when they return up their commission they may report the matter, saying, “Behold, we have done as thou hast commanded us,” Eze 9:11<\/span> . True it is, that perverse people question the prophets, and quarrel them for this plain dealing; as Ahab did Elijah for a troubler of Israel, and Amaziah our prophet Amos for a trumpeter of rebellion. But this is as great folly as if some fond people should accuse the herald or the trumpet as the cause of their war; or as if some ignorant peasant, when he seeth his fowls bathing in his pond, should cry out of them as the causes of foul weather.<\/p>\n Surely = [No:] for. Compare Job 31:18. Mic 6:4. The reason follows and is explained. <\/p>\n the Lord GOD. See note on Amo 1:7. <\/p>\n will do = doeth. Hebrew. ‘asah = work, execute (Exo 12:12. Num 5:30; Num 33:4. Deu 10:18; Deu 33:21, &c.) <\/p>\n revealeth. As He did to Abraham, His “prophet” (Gen 20:7) in Gen 18:17, &c., and has since done by His prophets. Compare Gen 6:13. Psa 25:14. Joh 15:15. <\/p>\n secret secret counsel. Hebrew. sod. Compare Job 15:8; Job 29:4. Pro 3:32. <\/p>\n but: Gen 6:13, Gen 18:17, 1Ki 22:19-23, 2Ki 3:17-20, 2Ki 6:12, 2Ki 22:13, 2Ki 22:20, Psa 25:14, Dan 9:22-27, Dan 10:21, Dan 11:2, Joh 15:15, Rev 1:1, Rev 1:19, Rev 4:1, Rev 6:1 – Rev 20:15 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Gen 37:5 – dreamed Gen 40:8 – Do not Gen 41:25 – God Gen 49:1 – Gather Lev 15:1 – Aaron Deu 29:29 – secret 1Sa 3:11 – I will do 1Sa 3:21 – appeared 1Sa 9:15 – the Lord 2Sa 7:4 – that night 1Ki 14:5 – the Lord 2Ki 3:11 – Is there not here 2Ki 4:27 – hid it from me 2Ki 6:9 – thither the Syrians 2Ki 8:10 – the Lord 1Ch 17:3 – word Job 15:8 – the secret Isa 5:9 – General Isa 22:14 – it was Isa 34:16 – Seek Jer 1:10 – to root out Jer 23:18 – counsel Jer 24:1 – Lord Jer 26:5 – my Jer 33:3 – mighty Eze 9:1 – cried Eze 14:2 – General Eze 29:21 – the opening Dan 2:19 – was Dan 2:23 – and hast Dan 2:47 – a revealer Dan 4:18 – but Dan 7:1 – Daniel Hos 5:9 – have Amo 1:2 – The Lord Amo 6:11 – the Lord Mat 13:35 – I will utter Luk 2:26 – it Act 27:10 – I perceive Rom 16:25 – which 1Co 2:10 – God 1Pe 1:12 – it<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Amo 3:7. God will not cause any false alarm, and when He instructs the prophets to sound a warning, there is a cause for it.<\/p>\n Amo 3:7-8. The Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth, &c. As if he had said, You cannot complain of your not being forewarned of these calamities coming upon you, for God hath not done, nor will do any thing, without revealing it to his prophets, and by them to you; so that you have now warning of all that he intends to do, unless you prevent it by an alteration in your behaviour. It may be observed further on this verse, that there was no great revolution in the affairs, either of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, or in those of the neighbouring nations, which the prophets of God did not foretel; in order that the Jews might constantly be reminded of their God, either as a rewarder or punisher. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? As when a lion roars, no one who hears can avoid fearing, so now, God having threatened, all who are made acquainted with the threatening ought to be alarmed and to stand in awe. The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? When God himself speaks, or commands, who will dare to do otherwise than obey? or, what prophet will have courage to refuse or forbear uttering what God reveals to him, and orders him to utter; for if the anger of a lion is to be feared, how much more the anger of God? <\/p>\n 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he {h} revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.<\/p>\n (h) God does not deal with the Israelites as he does with other people: for he always warns them before of his plagues by his Prophets.<\/p>\n A similar inevitable connection exists between two other events. God does nothing to His people unless He first warns them through one of His prophets (cf. Psa 25:14; Jer 23:18; Jer 23:22). [Note: For a list of examples of God doing this, see ibid., pp. 1433-34.] <\/span> Here God meant that He would do nothing by way of covenant-lawsuit judgment without first telling His people. Obviously God does many things without giving a special revelation to His people that He will do them.<\/p>\n Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. 7. Surely ] For, the reason, however, following not in Amo 3:7 but in Amo 3:8 (to which Amo 3:7 is subordinate): ‘I give all these examples of events and occurrences in nature being due regularly to their … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Amos 3:7”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22413\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I.<\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>God and the prophet (or Gods revelations to the prophet). The seventh verse gives a striking picture of the dignity of the prophetic office. God, the Ruler of the earth, is watching the tides of human life. Before God interposes He admits the prophets into His councils and reveals to them what is yet concealed from the world (Gen 18:17<\/span>). Deluge to Noah, etc. The lives of all the prophets of Israel illustrate Amoss words.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>The prophet and the world (or the prophets utterances to the world). The prophet, admitted to the secrets of God, was bound to utter them. He was a daysman between heaven and earth. Aware of danger, he would neither have been a man nor a patriot had he failed to prophesy. God foretold the evil that He might escape the pain of inflicting it. They were reckoned troublers of the land (Ahab to Elijah), yet they persisted in their message. Application. God still reveals His purposes concerning men. The fate of individuals is not known, but the fate of sin and the sinner is clearly revealed. Listen to all warnings. Regard every one who utters them as a friend who may aid you to avert the evil. Do not attempt to silence such warning voices (Act 4:20<\/span>; Act 5:20<\/span>; Act 5:29<\/span>; 1Co 9:16<\/span>). (J. Telford, B. A.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I.<\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>God has made a special revelation to his servants. He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets. In all ages God has selected men to whom He has made communications of Himself. The Bible is indeed a special revelation.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>That the right reception of this special revelation necessitates preaching. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? The idea is, that the men who have rightly taken the truth into them can no more conceal it than men can avoid terror at the roar of the lion. There are some truths which men may receive and feel no disposition to communicate, such as the truths of abstract science, which have no relation to the social heart. But Gospel truth has such a relation to the tenderest affections of the spirit that their genuine recipients find them to be irrepressible. Who can but prophesy? None but those who have not received the truth. (Homilist.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"