Amos 9:9-15 sits inside this longer paragraph.
1I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said, “Strike the tops of the pillars, that the thresholds may shake; and break them in pieces on the head of all of them; and I will kill the last of them with the sword: there shall not one of them flee away, and there shall not one of them escape. 2Though they dig into Sheol, there my hand will take them; and though they climb up to heaven, there I will bring them down. 3Though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out there; and though they be hidden from my sight in the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it will bite them. 4Though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. I will set my eyes on them for evil, and not for good. 5For the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, is he who touches the land and it melts, and all who dwell in it will mourn; and it will rise up wholly like the River, and will sink again, like the River of Egypt. 6It is he who builds his rooms in the heavens, and has founded his vault on the earth; he who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth; Yahweh is his name. 7Are you not like the children of the Ethiopians to me, children of Israel?” says Yahweh. “Haven’t I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? 8Behold, the eyes of the Lord Yahweh are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the surface of the earth; except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” says Yahweh. 9“For, behold, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet not the least kernel will fall on the earth. 10All the sinners of my people will die by the sword, who say, ‘Evil won’t overtake nor meet us.’ 11In that day I will raise up the tent of David who is fallen, and close up its breaches, and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old;
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that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations who are called by my name,” says Yahweh who does this.
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“Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the one treading grapes him who sows seed; and sweet wine will drip from the mountains, and flow from the hills.
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I will bring my people Israel back from captivity, and they will rebuild the ruined cities, and inhabit them; and they will plant vineyards, and drink wine from them. They shall also make gardens, and eat their fruit.
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I will plant them on their land, and they will no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them,” says Yahweh your God.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv9–15 He afterwards adds, For, lo, I will command, etc.…
He afterwards adds, For, lo, I will command, etc. The Prophet here confirms the former sentence; and hence I conclude that the second part of the preceding verse is ironically expressed; for if he had promised pardon to the Israelites, he would have gone on with the same subject; but, on the contrary, he proceeds in another direction, and says, that God would justly punish the Israelites; for the event would at length make it known, that among them not even a grain would be found, but that all would be like chaff or refuse: Lo, he says, I will shake among the nations the Israelites as corn is shaken in a sieve: a grain, he says, shall not fall on the earth; as though he said, “Though I shall scatter the Israelites through various places that they may be dispersed here and there, yet this exile shall ever be like a sieve: they now contend with me, when any grain has fallen. The event then shall show, that there is in them nothing but chaff and filth; for I will by sieving cleanse my whole floor, and nothing shall be found to remain on it.” If one objects and says, that there were some godly persons in that nation, though very small in number. This I admit to be true: but the Prophet speaks here, as in many other places, of the whole nation; he refers not to individuals. It was then true, with regard to the body of the people of Israel, that there was not one among them who could be compared to grain, for all had become empty through their iniquities; and hence they necessarily disappeared in the sieve, and were like chaff or refuse.
But it must be observed, that God here cuts off the handle for evasion, for hypocrites ever contend with him; and although they cannot wholly clear themselves, they yet extenuate their sins, and accuse God of too much severity. The Prophet then anticipates such objections, “I will command,” he says, “and will shake the house of Israel as corn is shaken.” It was a very hard lot, when the people were thus driven into different parts of the world; it was indeed a dreadful tearing. The Israelites might have complained that they were too severely treated; but God by this similitude obviates this calumny, “They are indeed scattered in their exile, yet they remain in a sieve; I will shake them, he says, among the nations: but not otherwise than corn when shaken in a sieve: and it is allowed by the consent of all that corn ought to be cleansed. Though the greater part disappears when the corn, threshed on the floor, is afterwards subjected to the fan; yet there is no one but sees that this is necessary and reasonable: no one complains that the chaff thus perishes. Why so? Because it is useless. God then shows that he is not cruel, nor exceeds moderation, though he may scatter his people through the remote regions of the earth, for he ever keeps them in a sieve.
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He afterwards adds, And fall shall not a grain on the earth They translate צרור, tsarur, a stone, but צרר, tsarer is to tie, and hence this word means what is collected or, binding, as when the children of Jacob had their money tied in their sacks, they said, ‘Behold my binding;’ so also now it is taken for the solid grain. God then intimates that he would not be so rigid as not to moderate his punishment, so as to spare the innocent. I have already said that though there would be still a remnant among the people, yet what the Prophet says is true as to the whole body; for it had nothing either sound or pure. But this objection might be made: It is certain that many faithful worshipers of God were taken away into exile with the wicked; they then fell on the earth as useless chaff or refuse; but God denies that this would be the case. To this I answer, that though the Lord involves his servants with the ungodly when he executes temporal punishment, he is yet ever propitious to them; and it is certain, that however hardly they may be dealt with, they yet do not expostulate; they groan, indeed, but at the same time they acknowledge that they are mercifully treated by the Lord.
But another thing must also be remembered, — that though the Lord would not have dealt so severely with his people, had they been like the few who were good, yet not one of them was without some fault. Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, were indeed like angels among men; and it was indeed a miracle, that they stood upright in the midst of so much impiety; they were yet led into captivity. When they approached God, they could not object, that they were punished beyond what they deserved. Worthy, indeed, was Jeremiah of heavier punishment; and so was Daniel, though an example of the highest and even of angelic integrity. God then could have cast them away as refuse: it is nevertheless certain that they were wheat; and the Lord shook them in the sieve like the chaff, yet so as ever to keep them gathered under his protection; but at the same time in a hidden manner: as, for instance, the wheat on the floor is beaten together with the chaff, this is common to both; no difference can be observed in the threshing. True is this, and the case is the same when the wheat is being winnowed. When therefore the wheat is gathered, it is, together with the chaff, to be sifted by the fan, without any difference; but the wheat remains. So also it happened to the pious worshipers of God; the Lord kept them collected in the sieve. But here he speaks of the people in general; and he says that the whole people were like refuse and filth, and that they vanished, because there was no solidity in them, no use to be made of them, so that no one remained in the sieve. That God then preserved his servants, was an instance of his wonderful working. But the denunciation of punishment, here spoken of, belonged to the outward dealings of God. As then the people were like refuse or chaff shaken and driven to various places, this happened to them justly, because nothing solid was found in them. It now follows —
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv9, 11, 12, 13, 14 Meaning, that none of his should perish in his…
Meaning, that none of his should perish in his wrath.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv9–15 Amo 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I…
Amo 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as [corn] is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
Ver. 9. For lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel] It is not without God’s command and good leave that evil spirits and men can sift the saints, as Satan desired to have done Peter. He desired it, as a challenger desireth one of the other side to combat with; so he begged leave to sift Job, and so he tempted David to number the people, but it was by God’s permission. Up therefore and pray, that ye enter not into temptation, Luk 22:31; Luk 22:46, or, that ye may come clear out of it, and more than conquerors, even triumphers. The enemy is stinted; yea, Christ will tread him under your feet shortly, Rom 16:20.
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And I will sift the house of Israel among all nations] The ten tribes among the Assyrians (who were emperors of the whole East), and whither since are they scattered, whether into China, Tartary, West Indies, or other countries, is not known. The whole twelve tribes (those also that once "instantly served God day and night," Act 26:7), are now woefully dejected and dissipated; being cast out of the world, as it were, by a common consent of nations, and generally slighted and hated. The Romans permitted other nations to call themselves Romans after they had conquered them; but so they would not suffer the Jews upon any terms to do; lest there should be some blot stick to the glory of the Romans by that odious and sordid people. The Pope useth them as spunges, the Turk as slaves.
Like as corn is sifted in a sieve] Or, by a fan, to the same sense as that, Zec 13:9, for as here a sieve, so there fire serveth to denote affliction with the use of it; sc. to purge God’s people, specially of those two troublesome choke weeds, high-mindedness and earthly mindedness: cribratione Dei non perditur sed purgatur frumentum, saith Zanchy, God’s good grain is not lost, but made clean by the sifting they suffer.
Yet shall not the least grain (Heb. stone) fall upon the earth] As the chaff and dust shall; for "what is the chaff to the wheat?" saith the Lord, Jer 23:28. Improbi nobiscum esse possunt in horreo, sed non in area The wicked are able to be with us in the storehouse but not on the theshingfloor. (Augustine). Christ hath his fan in his hand, and will surely discriminate, Mat 3:12; he will take out the precious from the vile, he will drive the chaff one way and the wheat another; and take care that not the least grain of weighty wheat, that had good tack in it (as a stone hath, though but a little stone), shall be lost. He will turn his hand upon the little ones, and secure them, Zec 13:7.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv9–15 For, lo: as this confirms what the 8th verse…
For, lo: as this confirms what the 8th verse promiseth, so it requireth a very diligent and full attention of us.
I will command, or give a charge to all nations whither these exiled persons shall come, and they shall observe the charge, it shall as surely be done as it is spoken.
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I will sift the house of Israel among all nations; though Assyrians and other nations be the means and instruments, yet God’s hand is principal; whilst they would toss and scatter Israel with violence, yet God will hold the sieve, and guide their hands, and set bounds to their violence.
Like as corn is sifted in a sieve, by a skilful and careful husbandman, who designs to separate the chaff from the corn; to preserve this, to tread the other under foot.
Yet shall not the least grain; though covered under much chaff, though tumbled and tossed with the greatest violence, and without any regard to it, yet the smallest and least regarded good grain shall not be lost or destroyed with that fire which consumeth the chaff.
Fall upon the earth, i.e. perish, or be lost; so the phrase 1Sa 26:20; 2Sa 14:11; 1Ki 1:52. Here is a promise of preservation as great and wonderful, and as hardly comprehended, as was the threatened punishment.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v11 To him to whom all the prophets bear witness…
To him to whom all the prophets bear witness this prophet, here in the close, bears his testimony, and speaks of that day, those days that shall come, in which God will do great things for his church, by the setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah, for the rejecting of which the rejection of the Jews was foretold in the foregoing verses. The promise here is said to agree to the planting of the Christian church, and in that to be fulfilled, Act 15:15-17. It is promised,
I. That in the Messiah the kingdom of David shall be restored (Amo 9:11); the tabernacle of David it is called, that is, his house and family, which, though great and fixed, yet, in comparison with the kingdom of heaven, was mean and movable as a tabernacle. The church militant, in its present state, dwelling as in shepherds' tents to feed, as in soldiers' tents to fight, is the tabernacle of David. God's tabernacle is called the tabernacle of David because David desired and chose to dwell in God's tabernacle for ever, Psa 61:4. Now, 1. These tabernacles had fallen an gone to decay, the royal family was so impoverished, its power abridged, its honour stained, and laid in the dust; for many of that race degenerated, and in the captivity it lost the imperial dignity. Sore breaches were made upon it, and at length it was laid in ruins. So it was with the church of the Jews; in the latter days of it its glory departed; it was like a tabernacle broken down and brought to ruin, in respect both of purity and of prosperity. 2. By Jesus Christ these tabernacles were raised and rebuilt. In him God's covenant with David had its accomplishment; and the glory of that house, which was not only sullied, but quite sunk, revived again; the breaches of it were closed and its ruins raised up, as in the days of old; nay, the spiritual glory of the family of Christ far exceeded the temporal glory of the family of David when it was at its height. In him also God's covenant with Israel had its accomplishment, and in the gospel-church the tabernacle of God was set up among men again, and raised up out of the ruins of the Jewish state. This is quoted in the first council at Jerusalem as referring to the calling in of the Gentiles and God's taking out of them a people for his name. Note, While the world stands God will have a church in it, and, if it be fallen down in one place and among one people, it shall be raised up elsewhere.
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II. That that kingdom shall be enlarged, and the territories of it shall extend far, by the accession of many countries to it (Amo 9:12), that the house of David may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, that is, that Christ may have them given him for his inheritance, even the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession, Ps. ii. 8. Those that had been strangers and enemies shall become willing faithful subjects to the Son of David, shall be added to the church, or those of them that are called by my name, saith the Lord, that is, that belong to the election of grace and are ordained to eternal life (Act 13:48), for it is true of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews that the election hath obtained and the rest were blinded, Rom 11:7. Christ died to gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad, here said to be those that were called by his name. The promise is to all that are afar off, even as many of them as the Lord our God shall call, Act 2:39. St. James expounds this as a promise that the residue of men should seek after the Lord, even all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called. But may the promise be depended upon? Yes, the Lord says this, who does this, who can do it, who has determined to do it, the power of whose grace is engaged for the doing of it, and with whom saying and doing are not two things, as they are with us.
III. That in the kingdom of the Messiah there shall be great plenty, an abundance of all good things that the country produces (Amo 9:13): The ploughman shall overtake the reaper, that is, there shall be such a plentiful harvest every year, and so much corn to be gathered in, that it shall last all summer, even till autumn, when it is time to begin to plough again; and in like manner the vintage shall continue till seed-time, and there shall be such abundance of grapes that even the mountains shall drop new wine into the vessels of the grape-gatherers, and the hills that were dry and barren shall be moistened and shall melt with the fatness or mellowness (as we call it) of the soil. Compare this with Joe 2:24, and Joe 3:18. This must certainly be understood of the abundance of spiritual blessings in heavenly things, which all those are, and shall be, blessed with, who are in sincerity added to Christ and his church; they shall be abundantly replenished with the goodness of God's house, with the graces and comforts of his Spirit; they shall have bread, the bread of life, to strengthen their hearts, and the wine of divine consolations to make them glad-meat indeed and drink indeed - all the benefit that comes to the souls of men from the word and Spirit of God. These had been long confined to the vineyard of the Jewish church; divine revelation, and the power that attended it, were to be found only within that enclosure; but in gospel-times the mountains and hills of the Gentile world shall be enriched with these privileges by the gospel of Christ preached, and professed, and received in the power of it. When great multitudes were converted to the faith of Christ, and nations were born at once, when the preachers of the gospel were always caused to triumph in the success of their preaching, then the ploughman overtook the reaper; and when, the Gentile churches were enriched in all utterance, and in all knowledge, and all manner of spiritual gifts (Co1 1:5), then the mountains dropped sweet wine.
IV. That the kingdom of the Messiah shall be well peopled; as the country shall be replenished, so shall the cities be; there shall be mouths for this meat, Amo 9:14. Those that were carried captives shall be brought back out of their captivity; their enemies shall not be able to detain them in the land of their captivity, nor shall they themselves incline to settle in it, but the remnant shall return, and shall build the waste cities and inhabit them, shall form themselves into Christian churches and set up pure doctrine, worship, and discipline among them, according to the gospel charter, by which Christ's cities are incorporated; and they shall enjoy the benefit and comfort thereof; they shall plant vineyards, and make gardens. Though the mountains and hills drop wine, and the privileges of the gospel-church are laid in common, yet they shall enclose for themselves, not to monopolize these privileges, to the exclusion of others, but to appropriate and improve these privileges, in communion with others, and they shall drink the wine, and eat the fruit, of their own vineyards and gardens; for those that take pains in religion, as men must do about their vineyards and gardens, shall have both the pleasure and profit of it. The bringing again of the captivity of God's Israel, which is here promised, may refer to the cancelling of the ceremonial law, which had been long to God's Israel as a yoke of bondage, and the investing of them in the liberty wherewith Christ came to make his church free, Gal 5:1.
V. That the kingdom of the Messiah shall take such deep rooting in the world as never to be rooted out of it (Amo 9:15): I will plant them upon their land. God's spiritual Israel shall be planted by the right hand of God himself upon the land assigned them, and they shall no more be pulled up out of it, as the old Jewish church was. God will preserve them from throwing themselves out of it by a total apostasy, and will preserve them from being thrown out of it by malice of their enemies; the church may be corrupted, but shall not quite forsake God, may be persecuted, but shall not quite be forsaken of God, so that the gates of hell, neither with their temptations nor with their terrors, shall prevail against it. Two things secure the perpetuity of the church: - 1. God's grants to it: It is the land which I have given them; and God will confirm and maintain his own grants. The part he has given to his people is that good part which shall never be taken from them; he will not revoke his grant, and all the powers of earth and hell shall not invalidate it. 2. Its interest in him: He is the Lord thy God, who has said it, and will make it good, thine, O Israel! who shall reign for ever as thine unto all generations. And because he lives the church shall live also.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv9–15 For, lo, I will command,.... What follows; which is…
For, lo, I will command,.... What follows; which is expressive of afflictive and trying dispensations of Providence, which are according to the will of God, by his appointment and order, and overruled for his glory, and the good of his people:
and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as corn is sifted in a sieve; this is to be understood of spiritual Israel, of those who are Israelites indeed, who are like to corns of wheat, first die before they live; die unto sin, and live unto righteousness; grow up gradually, and produce much fruit; or like to wheat for their choiceness and excellency, being the chosen of God and precious, and the excellent in the earth; and their whiteness and purity, as clothed with Christ's righteousness washed in his blood, and sanctified by his Spirit; and for their substance and fulness, being filled out of Christ's fulness, and with all the fulness of God, with the Spirit and his graces, and with all the fruits of righteousness; and for weight and solidity, not as chaff driven to and fro, but are firm and constant, settled and established, in divine things; and yet have the chaff of sin cleaving to them, and have need of the flail and fan of affliction; and this is the sieve the Lord takes into his hands, and sifts them with; whereby sometimes they are greatly unsettled, and tossed to and fro, have no rest and ease, but are greatly distressed on all sides, and are thoroughly searched and tried, and the chaff loosened and separated from them; and sometimes the Lord suffers them to be sifted by the temptations of Satan, whereby they are brought into doubts and fears, and are very wavering and uncomfortable, are sadly harassed and buffeted, and in great danger, were it not for the grace of God, and the intercession of the Mediator, Luk 22:31;
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yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth; or, "the least stone" (p); which is in the spiritual building, and laid on the rock and foundation Christ; or the least corn of wheat, so called because of its weight, solidity, and substance. The meaning is, that the least true Israelite, or child of God, who is the least in the kingdom of heaven, and has the least share of grace and spiritual knowledge, that is even less than the least of all saints, shall not be lost and perish; though they fall in Adam, yet they are preserved in Christ; though they fall into actual sins and transgressions, and sometimes into gross ones, and from a degree of steadfastness in the faith, yet not totally and finally, or so as to perish for ever; no, not a hair of their head shall fall to the ground, or they be hurt and ruined; see Sa1 14:45; for they are beloved of God with an everlasting love, ordained, by him to eternal life, adopted into his family, justified by his grace, and are kept by his power, according to his promise, which never fails; they are Christ's property, given him of his Father, to whom he stands in the relation of Head and Husband; are the purchase of his blood, closely united to him, and for whom he intercedes, and makes preparations in heaven. The Spirit of God is their sanctifier and sealer; he dwells in them as their earnest of heaven; and the glory of all the divine Persons is concerned in their salvation; hence it is that not one of them shall ever perish.
(p) "lapillus", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Munster, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Cocceius; so Ben Melech.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 The least grain - Though tumbled and tossed with…
The least grain - Though tumbled and tossed with the great violence, yet the smallest, good grain, shall not be lost or destroyed.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv9–15 Verse 9. I will sift the house of Israel…
Verse 9. I will sift the house of Israel among all nations] I will disperse them over the face of the earth; and yet I will so order it that the good shall not be lost; for though they shall be mixed among distant nations, yet there shall be a general restoration of them to their own land.
The least grain] צרור tseror, little stone, pebble, or gravel. Not one of them, howsoever little or contemptible, when the time comes, shall be left behind. All shall be collected in Christ, and brought into their own land.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv11–14 Amo 9:11. In that day — In this and…
Amo 9:11. In that day — In this and the following verses, to the end of the chapter, we have a most consolatory conclusion of this prophecy in sundry evangelical promises, after so many very severe and sharp menaces. The phrase, in that day, signifies here the same as afterward, or, after this, for so St. James interprets it when quoting this very verse, Act 15:16. And there are other places of Scripture where then, or in that day, signifies afterward. Will I raise up the tabernacle of David — This promise seems, at least in the first place, to be intended of the return of the Jews from the land of their captivity, their resettlement in Judea, rebuilding Jerusalem, and attaining to that height of power and glory which they enjoyed in the days of the Maccabees. This restoration was an event so extraordinary, and the hope of it so necessary to be maintained in the minds of the Jewish people, in order to their support under the calamity of their seventy years’ captivity, that God was pleased to foretel it by the mouth of all his prophets. And though we suppose the prophecy before us to appertain chiefly to the kingdom of Israel, yet a promise of a future restoration was no less proper and necessary, in order to their encouragement, to be annexed to God’s threatenings against them: because it was his purpose to restore Israel in general, that is, the whole twelve tribes, and to make them one nation, as they were before their unhappy division. The edict of Cyrus was general, giving liberty to all the posterity of Jacob, wheresoever dispersed, to return to Judea. And many of the ten tribes certainly did return, though the main body of those who returned consisted of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. This prophecy, however, must also be extended to the days of the Messiah, and to the calling of the Gentiles to the knowledge of the true God: and so St. James expounds it, Act 15:16; for this was, emphatically speaking, raising up the tabernacle of David, both in the person of Christ, who is frequently styled David, and the seed of David in the prophets, and also in respect to what peculiarly distinguished David and Israel in God’s sight, namely, their having the knowledge of the true God, and worshipping of him alone.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv9–15 For lo! I will command! - Literally, “lo! see,…
For lo! I will command! - Literally, “lo! see, I am commanding.” He draws their attention to it, as something which shall shortly be; and inculcates that He is the secret disposer of all which shall befall them. “And I will sift the house of Israel among all nations.” Amos enlarges the prophecy of Hosea, “they shall be wanderers among the nations.” He adds two thoughts; the violence with which they shall be shaken, and that this their unsettled life, to and fro, shall be not “among the nations” only, but “in all” nations. In every quarter of the world, and in well-nigh every nation in every quarter, Jews have been found. The whole earth is, as it were, one vast sieve in the Hands of God, in which Israel is shaken from one end to the other. There has been one ceaseless tossing to and fro, as the grain in the sieve is tossed from side to side, and rests nowhere, until all is sifted.
Each nation in whom they have been found has been an instrument of their being shaken, sifted, severed, the grain from the dirt and chaff; And yet in their whole compass, “not the least grain,” no solid grain, not one grain, should “fall to the earth.” The chaff and dust would be blown away by the air; the dirt which clave to it would fall through; but “no one grain.” God, in all these centuries, has had an eye on each soul of His people in their dispersion throughout all lands. The righteous too have been shaken up and down, through and through; yet not one soul has been lost, which, by the help of God’s Holy Spirit, willed truly and earnestly to be saved. Before Christ came, they who were His, believed in Him who should come; when He came, they who were His were converted to Him; as Paul saith, “Hath God cast away His people? God forbid! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin - God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew - At this present time also there is a remnant, according to the election of grace” Rom 11:1-2, Rom 11:5.
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Rib.: “What is here said of all, God doth daily in each of the elect. For they are ‘the wheat” of God, which, in order to be “laid up in” the heavenly “garner,” must be pure from chaff and dust. To this end He sifts them by afflictions and troubles, in youth, manhood, old age, wheresoever they are, in whatsoever occupied, and proves them again and again. At one time the elect enjoyeth tranquility of mind, is bedewed by heavenly refreshments, prayeth as he wills, loveth, gloweth, hath no taste for ought except God. Then again he is dry, experienceth the heaven to be as brass, his prayer is hindered by distracting thoughts, his feet are as lead to deeds of virtue, his “hands bang down,” his “knees” are “feeble” Heb 12:12, he dreads death; he sticks fast, languishes. He is shaken in a sieve, that he may mistrust self, place his hope in God, and the dust of vain-glory may be shaken off. He is proved, that it may appear whether he cleave to God for the reward of present enjoyment, or for the hope of future, for longing for the glory of God and for love of Himself. God suffereth him also to be sifted by the devil through various temptations to sin, as he said to the Apostle, “Simon, lo! Satan hath desired you, to sift you as wheat” Luk 22:31. But this is the power of God, this His grace to the elect, this the devil attaineth by his sifting, that the dust of immoderate self love, of vain confidence, of love of the world, should fall off: this Satan effecteth not, that the least deed which pertaineth to the inward house and the dwelling which they prepare in their souls for God, should perish. Rather, as we see in holy Job, virtues will increase, grow, be strengthened.”
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv9–14 Ground, to be mixed with the good corn. ---…
Ground, to be mixed with the good corn. --- Israel shall be purified in captivity. (Calmet) --- Though many perished, God still preserved his Church. (Worthington)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv9–15 sift--I will cause the Israelites to be tossed about…
sift--I will cause the Israelites to be tossed about through all nations as corn is shaken about in a sieve, in such a way, however, that while the chaff and dust (the wicked) fall through (perish), all the solid grains (the godly elect) remain (are preserved), (Rom 11:26; compare Note, see on Jer 3:14). So spiritual Israel's final safety is ensured (Luk 22:32; Joh 10:28; Joh 6:39).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Amo_9:9-10 carry further the thought of 8b. The judgment…
Amo_9:9-10 carry further the thought of 8b. The judgment has a disciplinary purpose, to separate the pure from the corrupt; the pure will be preserved, the corrupt destroyed. This teaching is in accord with the philosophical conceptions of the times; the prophet does not consider the possibility of a righteous man being cut off, while an ungodly person might escape.
I will — Better, I am about to (see on Amo_2:13).
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Command — The divine executioner (Amo_6:14).
Sift — R.V. margin, “cause to move to and fro,” as the grain in the sieve is shaken back and forth.
House of Israel — All, good and bad alike.
Among all nations — Among which the Israelites were to be scattered in exile. That experience would test the loyalty of the people, just as the sifting process tests the character of the grain. Grain [“kernel”] — Literally, pebble. In view of the figure of the sieve it seems best to interpret the word figuratively of the solid, sound grain of corn. Not even the smallest sound kernel will be allowed to fall to the ground and be trampled under foot; carefully it will be preserved, to be used according to the wishes of the husbandman. Thus the righteous kernel among the exiles will be preserved for God’s own use; only the godless chaff will perish. Some interpret the word literally, pebble, or little stone. The pebbles are kept in the sieve while the good grain is allowed to fall through, to be gathered and preserved; so the wicked will be retained in exile, while the pious will be restored. In either case the thought is that the fate of the righteous will not be the same as that of the wicked; the former will be preserved for a brighter future.
The sinners — Not the righteous, who have been separated by the sifting process.
By the sword — Of the enemy. A figure of violent death, whatever the means.
The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us — For the second verb, now obsolete in the sense required here, R.V. reads “meet us.” This is undoubtedly the sense of the passage but to justify this translation two slight changes in the verb forms may be necessary.
Evil — Misfortune or calamity. The prophet has in mind especially the self-secure sinners who, relying upon their membership in the chosen race (Amo_9:7; Amo_3:2), or upon their religious zeal (Amo_5:21 ff.), fancy that the judgment cannot touch them (Amo_6:3; compare Mic_3:11; Isa_5:19).
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv9–15 9. The nation must go into exile (Amo_4:2 f.,…
9. The nation must go into exile (Amo_4:2 f., Amo_5:27 &c.); it must even be shaken to and fro among the nations, as in a sieve: but no sound grain of corn will fall to the ground and be lost. The dispersion of Israel in all directions is compared by the prophet to the movement of a sieve, in which the solid grains, though violently shaken about, are retained and preserved, while chaff and dust fall through the meshes to the ground. The least grain is lit. a pebble, appar, fig. for a solid grain, though the word is not elsewhere so used. Preuschen (Z.A.T.W[201] 1895, p. 24) supposes the reference to be to the pebbles left behind in the sieve (kirbâl), as still used in Syria for cleansing the winnowed corn.
[201] .A.T.W. … Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv9, 11, 13 (9, 10) Sift.—Literally, shake to and fro. That which…
(9, 10) Sift.—Literally, shake to and fro. That which is not chaff shall be preserved and dispersed as seed. The race shall live, though the kingdom be destroyed. This peculiar judgment is threatened in Lev_26:33; Deu_28:64. (Comp. Hos_9:17.) The prediction is very remarkable, as pointing to the indestructible vitality of the race, and its wide diffusion among all nations.
Prevent us.—Better, assail us.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv9–15 For, lo! He explains how and why the whole…
For, lo! He explains how and why the whole nation is not destroyed. I will sift. Israel is to be dispersed among the nations, tried and winnowed among them by affliction and persecution, that the evil may fall to the ground and perish, and the good be preserved. The word rendered "sift" implies "to shake to and fro;" and this shaking shall show who are the true Israelites and who are the false, who retain their faith and cleave to the Lord under all difficulties, and who lose their hold of true religion and assimilate themselves to the heathen among whom they dwell. These last shall not return from captivity. The least grain; Hebrew, tseror, "pebble;" so the Vulgate, lapillus; Septuagint, suntrimma," fragment." It is used in 2Sa_17:13 of small stones in a building; here as hard groan in distinction from loose chaff (Keil) The solid grain, the good wheat, are the righteous, who, when the chaff and dust are cast away, are stored in the heavenly garner, prove themselves of the election, and inherit the promises (Isa_6:13; Eze_20:38; Mat_3:12) Fall upon the earth; i.e. perish, be lost. (1Sa_26:20)
Sifting and salvation.
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If any prediction could convince the reader of the Old Testament that the prophets spoke and wrote under a supernatural inspiration, surely this prediction must possess this virtue. The history of Israel, not only in times immediately following upon those of Amos, but throughout the centuries which have since elapsed, is just a fulfilment of this language. How picturesquely and forcibly is the truth presented under this similitude, so natural as employed by one familiar with all the processes connected with husbandry!
I THE PROVIDENTIAL SIFTING APPOINTED FOR THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL.
1. It has been determined by the Divine Ruler and Lord. "I will command," says Jehovah. Men may trace the history of the Jews with the design of showing that all the events which have occurred to that people are explicable upon ordinary principles, that Israel drops into its place when marshalled by the enlightened philosopher of history. But beneath all such theory there is an explanation which satisfies the intelligence of the thoughtful and devout student of God"s Word: the Lord has ordered it.
2. It has taken place in different lands, and throughout lengthened Periods."among all the nations," was the expression of the inspired prophet. The successive invasions of Palestine, the conquest of Israel and then of Judah, the captivity into the East, the settlements in Assyria and in Persia, the partial restoration to the land of promise, the subjection of Palestine to successive conquerors, and its subjugation by the Romans, the dispersion among the Gentiles, the scattering of the sons of Israel amongst the nations, alike in the East and the West, these are but some of the more salient points in a history the most remarkable, the most romantic, and yet the most painful, in the Annals of mankind.
3. It has been ordained for a purpose of a moral and beneficial character.Sifting is for the purpose of separating the chaff and refuse from the pure grain. A process of sifting, winnowing, tribulation (in the literal meaning of that word), has been going on throughout the ages. Even yet the purposes of God are very partially accomplished, for the process is continued; nor is there any sign of its immediate termination.
II THE DIVINE PRESERVATION OF THOSE SUBJECTED TO THIS TRIAL. Not a grain shall drop out of sight and perish. It is a wonderful paradox sifting and salvation, trial and protection, scattering and gathering, alike experienced. Yet the marvellous story of the chosen people supports to the letter this ancient representation. It is the simple, actual, literal truth.
1. This protection is apparent in the preservation of the Israelites daring theOriental captivity. This was even made to minister to the religious purity and enlightenment of a nation previously inclined to fall into idolatrous worship.
2. We recognize it equally in the preservation and the national or tribaldistinctness of the Jews in the ages which have elapsed since the destruction of Jerusalem. The corn has been sifted, but the grain has not been lost. "Whom he scattereth he shall gather.
3. There is a fulfilment of this inspired declaration in the individualconversions to God which have from time to time taken place among those who have been trained among the unbelieving and rebellious. As a nation Israel has never ceased to endure chastening. But members of the community, individual sons and daughters of Jacob, have again and again been seen to turn unto the Lord whom their fathers grieved by their ingratitude and insensibility. Precious grains have thus been preserved and gathered into the garner and saved.
4. Such cases are an earnest of a more complete fulfilment of theprediction. So such is the assurance of the Christian apostle Israel shall be saved. T.
HOMILIES BY A. ROWLAND
Ver. 9.
The winnowing of God.
lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth." Introduction: The free use made by Amos of all the scenes in nature. We may learn from the text three lessons.
I THAT AMONG THOSE CALLED BY A RELIGIOUS NAME THERE EXISTS A GREAT DIVERSITY OF CHARACTER. "I will sift as corn is sifted." If corn were gathered as manna was pure, unmixed with deleterious or useless elements no sifting would be needed. But it grows with other growth, thistles, poppies, darnel, etc., and it seems impossible to keep the field perfectly clear. In the physical, as in the moral, world the false grows beside the true, and the evil beside the good; and God"s own law is, "Let both grow together until the harvest." Indeed, during their growth it is difficult to distinguish these. You may mistake tares for wheat, fool"s parsley for the garden herb, poisonous fungi for edible mushrooms, and so forth, and only discover your error by serious or even fatal consequences. The mystery of the coexistence of good and evil, then, runs through nature. It is seen in character. "All are not Israel who are of Israel," or are called by that sacred name. Let us now exemplify this from a comparison of the times of Amos with our own.
1. Idolaters were among the prophets hearers. They had deliberately turned from Jehovah. They held that it was a wise policy on the part of Jeroboam I to prevent the people going to Jerusalem. They were convinced that the calves at Bethel gave a centre to their national life; and therefore, from motives political and worldly, many of them said, "These be thy gods, O Israel." Knowing as they did the history of their fathers, and the laws and ceremonies of the Mosaic institutes, they sinned against the light. Yet they still called themselves "Israel," and they were not marked out by external sign from the true people of God. No brand was on their foreheads, no curse fell on their homes, no fire of judgment overwhelmed them with destruction; but they were amongst the sleek, successful men of Samaria. In this Christian land, and in our Christian congregations, may still be found those who have forsaken God and made unto themselves other gods. Sometimes, for example, a man deifies wealth. His thoughts are concentrated on it, and his full energies are directed to its attainment. To claims made on his generosity he turns a deaf ear; over scruples about the forsaking of righteousness and mercy he rides roughshod. If at last he succeeds he says, "It is my power, and the might of my hand, that has wrought this." Yet prayerless, godless, as such men are, they still call themselves by the Christian name.
2. Amos spoke to others who were simply indifferent to religion. They considered that the questions debated between the true and false prophets were professional questions, with which they had no personal concern. Worshipping neither the calves nor Jehovah, their wish was to glide quietly through life, winning for themselves such enjoyment as was possible. Describe the attitude of many towards religion in our day occasionally attending worship, knowing nothing of the meaning of it, and taking their chance as to the unseen future. They are known, not to us, but to God.
3. Some in the days of Amos had the character as well as the name of Israel. " They dared not, could not, go up to Jerusalem. But their families were instructed in the Scriptures. They thought of the old days when Jehovah was universally acknowledged as the Lord, and, like Jacob, they prayed in an agony of supplication, "I will not leg thee go, except thou bless me." These belonged not only to the "kingdom" but to the "house" of Israel, on which God would have mercy. (See the promise to this effect, distinguishing between the "kingdom" and the "house," in ver. 8.) Such are still to be found. In business, because of their integrity and charity, their name is as ointment poured forth. In the homes, as instructors of their children, they are preparing blessings for the world. In the sanctuary their praises wing their way to heaven, and in prayer they are princes "having power with God." Now, these differing characters were and are mingled, as are the tares and wheat. They are even united, as are the chaff And the corn, and therefore the day of sifting and separation must come. It has not come yet. When corn is ripening and flowers are blossoming it is useless to send in the weeders. When the reapers are busy their scythes must cut down all growths alike. There is no time then for separation, but it comes at last. You see a heap of winnowed corn in the granary the weeds have been burned, the straw is gone, and all the chaff is scattered. So Israel was to be scattered by persecution, war, and captivity; but not one grain of God"s wheat should fall upon the ground. (Text.)
II THAT THERE ARE TESTING TIMES IN WHICH SUCH DIVERSITY ASSERTS ITSELF. The earth is here represented as a great sieve, in which Israel should be ceaselessly tossed, that the evil might be lest and the good saved. The process is still carried on. There are testing times here, and there will be a testing time hereafter.
1. Preaching, for example, sometimes so disturbs conscience, that on self-examination the man sees what is true and false in his character. Many a hearer has thus been led to ask, "Am I as the chaff which the wind driveth away?
2. Affliction is a sieve for testing character. Job was an example of this. His distresses revealed him to himself and to his friends; and not a grain of wheat (of that which was worth preserving) was lost. Show how this is still true of the afflicted. Illness, bereavement, losses, etc., lead to serious thought, and while they sometimes destroy unfounded hopes, they give more confidence in that "hope which is the true anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast.
3. Temptation is a revealer of character. Compare the text with our Lord"s words, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." What a revelation to Peter of his weakness and presumption was his denial I Illustrate by the story of the two house, built, the one on the rock, the other on the sand. (Mat_7:24-27) Thus we may test ourselves. If the opportunity offers itself to gratify some passion secretly, without the least risk of detection, is the reply, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" or is the opportunity gladly seized to enjoy "the pleasures of sin for a season"?
4. Persecution tests character. It is easy to deceive ourselves when all our associations are religious. But let these be changed for worldly, sceptical, or immoral surroundings, and the reality of our religious life is proved. Then, either we say, "We must obey God rather than man," and our character is ennobled by the struggle, or the old prayer is omitted, the old Bible neglected, and the old influences blotted out of memory. All such tests as we have mentioned are sent in mercy, to lead to self-examination, and, if need be, to repentance; but Christ draws the veil of the future, and tells us further of a day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, and:
5. When the judgment of God, according to equity, will be declared. You may escape all other trials, but you will not escape that. Affliction may leave you untouched. Amidst persecution and temptation your reputation may be unscathed. But death will scatter all delusions, and from it, and from that judgment to which it leads, there is no escape (see ver. 3, "And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel," etc.). On that day there shall be "the manifestation of the sons of God;" the secret life will be commended, and the quiet service recompensed. With others the vain show will be over, the veil of outward respectability rent asunder, and the words will be heard, "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity!" Then there will come the separation, as between the sheep and the goats, the tares and the wheat, the corn and the chaff. Men may have met in the same church, heard the same gospel, lived in the same home, yet above the portal of heaven is this inexorable law, "And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, but they that are written in the Lamb"s book of life." Still the words hold good, "Whosoever believeth on him shall not parish, but have everlasting life;" "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" "Among thy saints may I be found," etc.!
III THAT OVER THE TESTING PROCESS GOD WATCHES AND RULES SO THAT NOTHING TRUE AND NOTHING GOOD MAY BE LOST. "For, lo, I will command yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth". (comp. Mal_3:3) Our text is true in a much broader sense than that in which we have attempted to deal with it.
1. In changes amongst the nations, where there seems little but confusion and unrest, God rules. He is testing and purifying his own people. Not a grain of his purpose will fall to the earth. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Word shall not pass away.
2. Movements take place in ecclesiastical life. One system makes room for another. The Old Testament economy with its ceremonies, the apostolic Church with its simplicity, the mediaeval Church with its superstitions, etc., all were changed, yet of all the praises and prayers offered through past ages not a grain fell to the earth.
3. In dogmatic theology changes are still going on. Formularies and phrases die out, but the truth in them is not lost. Christ lives and reigns still, and "of his dominion there shall be no end." That which is saved by God is "the grain," that which has life in it; and planted in the earth, it shall be developed in new forms of strength and beauty.
CONCLUSION. Therefore, amidst the wreck and the fall of much that seems precious, let your hearts as Christian men be quiet from fear of evil. Have trust in God, who commands and controls, and believe that amidst all his cares you are not forgotten, amidst all these perils you will be safe.
Because good is stronger than evil, and Christ is mightier than our adversary, the words of his promise are true to all believers, "They shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. A.R.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv9, 11, 13 I will sift the house of Israel among all…
Amo_9:9
I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall net the least grain fall upon the earth.
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Winnowing
The winnowing of corn was effected in various ways. Sometimes by the mere operation of the wind blowing through the barns where it was thrashed,--when the worthless chaff was separated and dispersed. Which similitude well expressed the character and condition of the ungodly, who are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. As the action of the wind is very uncertain, the shovel was early used by agriculturists. The sieve and fan were, however, very soon invented and brought into use. Now, machines save much manual toil, and speedily and more effectually, answer the end proposed. The security of the true grain, amidst the winnowings to which in Divine wisdom it is exposed, is affirmed in our text.
I. They that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution. Never can we be sufficiently grateful for the quiet and toleration we enjoy in this favoured island. Yet a degree of persecution winnows the Church at the present day. The finger of reproach is still pointed against the youthful convert, etc.
II. Severe temptations winnow characters. Temptations are as various as our circumstances, ages, or peculiar situations in life. It may be some time before the particular trial, well adapted to reach our case, may occur. Poverty has proved a snare to many; prosperity to more. There are temptations which chiefly affect the mind.
III. Adverse occurrences may be considered as the sieve by which Israel is sifted. Personal adversity tries the character. Relative afflictions winnow our families. The Church has her winnowing times. At the period of death, the last and greatest extremity, the character is sifted as corn is sifted in a sieve. But the Lord commands His loving-kindness in the day of our trial, and in the night is our song to the God of our life. In conclusion, take a retrospect of all the way which the Lord our God has lcd us these many years in the wilderness. Various haw, been the sifting occurrences of our lives. Anticipate the period when we shall be finally sifted, and separated alike from the husks of our own imperfections and frailties, and the chaff of all carnal and ungodly associations. (W. Clayton.)
Divine silting
I will sift the house of Israel.
I. It is a Divine sifting. The Oriental mode of sifting illustrates the Divine method.
1. The primary reference is to the Jews.
2. Then to the Church of God as a whole.
3. Also to individual members of the Church.
II. The manner of sifting. As corn is sifted.
1. The sifting suggests a mixed condition of character and condition. The mixed condition of things in the Church of God necessitates a sifting process. And the mixed experience of individuals necessitates various Divine siftings. Happy would a Church, family, or individual be, if it could be said to be altogether wholesome grain and pure.
2. The sifting of corn must be done prudently and patiently. Some grains require a finer sieve than others.
3. Sifting discriminates between chaff and corn. It does not create either chaff or corn, but makes each manifest. So all deceits and mere appearances are exposed by Gods siftings. There is no such thing as permanent concealment of character in the moral world.
4. The sifting is thorough. There is an individual discrimination as well as a Church sifting. Each grain is severely subjected to this sifting.
III. The means whereby the divine sifter sifts the house of Israel.
1. By the manifold changeful experiences of life.
2. A faithful ministry is a Divine sieve by which the great Husbandman sifts the grain.
3. Temptations of the devil.
IV. The design of the divine siftings of life. There is then a call to submission, gratitude, patience, hopefulness, and searching inquiry. (Anon.)
The sieve
This prophecy is originally applicable to the long-afflicted seed of Israel. And how terribly has it been fulfilled. Apply to the spiritual Israel. Two things to remember--the sifting and the saving.
I. the sifting. God has ordained that this side Jordan there shall be no rest for His people as to their outward circumstances. As long as the wheat lies on the threshing-floor the flail must be kept in motion. The Church of God since its institution has never been perfectly pure. The Church has shared in the imperfection of everything else that is human. Then, wheresoever and whensoever God has a Church, it is sure to be in the sieve. Take this fact in reference to the Church at large. Illustrate from the history of the persecutions of the Christian Church. Other sieves besides persecution have been used. There is the sieve of heresy. The uprising of new infidelities acts as a test to the Church. At divers times the public mind exhibits a strong tendency towards unbelief. One wave rolls up black with superstition, and the next is pale with infidelity. The mind of man oscillates like a pendulum between believing a lie and believing nothing. Another sieve is that of providential examination by public opinion and sense of justice. You must never expect that any professing Church of God will be for a long time flourishing if it abide exactly in the same state. Whenever our Churches run for years in the same rut, little good is done. We must expect often to hear that the ship of Christs Church is in a storm. Purification will be the result of agitation. Certain sieves in which you and I shall be.
1. The preaching of the Word. Wherever the Gospel is faithfully preached, it acts as a discerner of spirits.
2. Temptation. The daily temptations of the shop, the house, the field, the street, yea, even the Church of God, are the discoverers of sincerity, the detectives of delusion, the exposers of hypocrisy, and the beacons of wisdom.
3. The trials of life. There are temptations in prosperity. That is a sieve which few men can pass. Few men can endure long-continued, undisturbed prosperity. Capuau holidays ruined Hannibals troops. Adversity acts in the same sifting manner.
4. Inward conflicts. There are times with us when everything in us is salted with fire.
5. The hour of death has often served as a touchstone by which formality has been revealed.
6. And what a test the day of judgment will be!
II. The saving. A few comfortable words. Sifting is not a pleasant experience. The farmer sifts his wheat because it is precious. And our trials, changes, catastrophes, and afflictions are no proof of want of affection on the part of the Most High, but the very contrary. The farmer does not mean to destroy the grain when he puts it into the sieve. God will chasten, but He will not destroy. The promise of the text is, There shall not the least grain fall to the ground. He who holds the sieve watches with an observant eye, and acts with an unlimited power. The least corn of wheat He keeps His eye upon. Much sifted, but not lost; much tempest-tossed, but not shipwrecked; much put into the fire, but never consumed. Blessed be God for all that. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Divine sifting
When the Lord sends a soul- stirring message through His servant Amos, He avails Himself of an agricultural figure. I will sift the house of Israel.
I. It is a divine sifting. The Oriental method of sifting illustrates the Divine method.
1. The primary reference is to the Jews.
2. To the Church of God as a whole.
3. To individual members of the Church.
II. The manner of sifting. As corn is sifted.
1. The sifting suggests a mixed condition. The mixed experience of individuals necessitates various Divine siftings.
2. The sifting of corn must be done prudently and patiently. Some grains require a finer sieve than others. And often one sifting is not sufficient.
3. Sifting discriminates between chaff and corn. It does not create either chaff or corn, but makes each manifest. There is no such thing as permanent concealment of character in the moral world.
4. The sifting is thorough. Every grain is sifted. There is an individual discrimination as well as a Church sifting. Each grain is severely subjected to this sifting.
III. The means whereby the divine sifter sifts the house of Israel.
1. By the manifold changeful experiences of life.
2. A faithful ministry is a Divine sieve. Such was the ministry of Amos.
3. Temptations of the devil are sieves through which the enemy desires to destroy good grain.
IV. The design of the divine siftings of life. To purify unto Himself a peculiarly holy people. Whatever the manner and means of sifting this is the design. If these things are so there is a call to--
(1) Submission,
(2) Gratitude,
(3) Patience,
(4) Hopefulness,
(5) Yea, searching inquiry. (Henry Smith.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v11 Amo_9:11. The booth] The fallen shepherd, hut (not the…
CRITICAL NOTES.]
Amo_9:11. The booth] The fallen shepherd, hut (not the palace), indicating the feeble condition of the family and nation. Wall up] the rents; the two divided nations should become one. Raise up] Enlarge and finish the building as of old (2Sa_7:11-16).
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Amo_9:12. They] God’s people possess Edom, the enemies of the Church, as the gift of God: some, “the remnant of Edom and of all the heathen that are or shall be called by My name, shall possess Me, the Lord.” There shall be a grand future restoration.
Amo_9:13.] The land shall be blessed. The plowman overtakes the reaper. One harvest shall scarcely be gathered before preparation shall be made for another; a fulfilment of Lev_26:5. Eminences themselves shall drop down in rich juice of grape.
Amo_9:14.] The kingdom shall be prosperous; fallen cities rebuilt; vines planted and enjoyed no longer by the enemy. Reviving activity would be seen everywhere.
Amo_9:15.] All this perpetual. Plant] Firm and lasting establishment of them; trees not torn up, but firmly rooted and eternally flourishing in joy and peace (Jer_32:41). This is a beautiful type of the building up, enlargement, and establishment of the Christian Church through Christ. In Him earth will become an Eden, and the Lord will again dwell with a holy people.
HOMILETICS
THE FALLEN TABERNACLE REARED AND ENLARGED.—Amo_9:11-12
The book which began with dreadful judgments ends in sublime visions. The prophet has bewailed the sins of different cities and denounced the wrath of God against them. Now we find him predicting blessings for the heathen. The funeral dirge is turned into a song of mercy. The prophet is rewarded for faithful service, and is comforted with the thought, that after the destruction of ungodly elements, Divine grace shall rear, enlarge, and prosper a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. Amo_9:11-15 might be taken together as including the vision, but we shall treat them separately. From Amo_9:11-12, we get a description of the restored tabernacle.
I. The fallen tabernacle shall be reared up. “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David.”
1. Raised from its fallen condition. It was not a magnificent palace, but “the fallen but.” It had been rent and ruined by divisions and wars. Sin will cause any kingdom to decay and any Church to fall. It impoverishes royalty, impairs human dignity, and throws into the lowest condition. But Divine grace can build up and beautify what sin has pulled down. In the human heart, the Christian Church, and the heathen world God is building up a holy temple for the perpetual residence of His Spirit (Eph_2:22).
2. Repaired in its breaches. “And close up the breaches thereof.” Sin breaks down moral barriers, creates divisions in the family and the fold. God sets up new stones in the walls, heals divisions, and unites men in love and loyalty to himself.
3. Completed in its original design. “I will build it as in the days of old.” God will finish and complete the building according to its ancient grandeur in the days of David and Solomon (2Sa_7:11-16); and in harmony with his purpose. The kingdom of David is a type of the kingdom of Christ, the Son of David. The Christian Church may be reduced in circumstances, and almost ruined in prospect; but that is no reason for despair. The humble cot, the shattered tent, may be raised to greater worth and adorned with greater beauty than the temple of old. “Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time is come.”
II. The fallen tabernacle shall be greatly enlarged. “That they may possess the remnant of Edom,” &c. Formerly the Church was confined in narrow limits, but now it shall spread itself over all nations.
1. The Edomites, near neighbours, yet bitter enemies, shall become peaceful citizens.
2. The heathens, the Gentiles, should be called. The prophet pronounced woe upon these nations at first, but now he speaks of them as called by the name of Jehovah. The most desperate and the most distant may be converted to Christ. We should be glad at the conversion of others, and remember that the promise is unto us and our children, and as many as the Lord our God shall call. There is a bright vision for the future. God is daily increasing the number of his people. Jew and Gentile shall be called, enrolled in one family, and be distinguished by one name. “Ask of Me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”
THE SPIRITUAL GLORY OF THE RAISED TABERNACLE.—Amo_9:13-15
Behold, the days come, there are more blessings in store yet. From the fulfilment of Amo_9:11-12, shall result abundance of produce in the land, Amo_9:13, great prosperity in the nation, and perpetual duration of the kingdom [Keil].
I. The land shall be blessed with the greatest fertility. No more curse, nor failing crops. We have in this scene—
1. Earnest activity. The seedsman, the ploughman, and the reaper are all engaged in their special duties.
2. Abundant crops. So rich and productive is the land, that the mountains drop down sweet wine, and all the hills melt (Joe_3:18).
3. Wonderful rapidity. The harvest lasts unto the vintage, and the vintage continues to the seed-time. There is one continuous produce, one perpetual round of toil and success.
II. The inhabitants shall enjoy the greatest privileges. As the land of Israel shall be no more smitten with drought, so the citizens shall enjoy the rich benefits of their peaceful labour.
1. Joy would be restored. “I will bring again the captivity of my people.” Misfortune and misery should once more be turned into prosperity.
2. Freedom would be reclaimed. “They shall build the waste cities.” Delivered from the fear of the enemy, they are active for God. Men are captives, and only made free in Christ. In the gospel Christian Churches are chartered with liberty of worship and action. Hence they build waste places, and inhabit them with renewed blessings.
3. The fruits of labour would be enjoyed. Wicked men toil for others, and not for themselves. The Jews would no longer sow and others reap. They would build cities, plant vineyards, and make gardens, and enjoy the fruits of their efforts. “My servants shall build houses and inhabit them, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.”
4. Perpetual security would be granted. They would be no longer a homeless, wandering people. God would fix them, perpetually establish them in the land. When God plants, man cannot uproot or destroy. “I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and my whole soul.”
HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES
Amo_9:12. The restoration was not to be for themselves alone. No gifts of God end in the immediate object of his bounty and love. They were restored in order that they, the first objects of God’s mercies, might win others to God; not Edom only, but all nations upon whom God says my name is called [Pusey].
The call of the Gentiles.
1. The call of a remnant as in Edom; so Scripture everywhere speaks of the converted as a residue.
2. The call of those specially related to God. Those who sincerely invoke his name and seek his covenanted mercy (Act_15:15-17).
Amo_9:13. Mountains. Symbols of barrenness, idolatry, and difficulty of cultivation set forth the fertility and fulness of the Christian Church.
Amo_9:15.
1. The prosperity of the Church. “I will plant them.”
2. The security of the Church. “Saith the Lord thy God.”
3. The perpetuity of the Church. “They shall no more be pulled up.”
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 9
Amo_9:11-15. Future days. Nothing good bursts forth all at once. The lightning may dart out of a black cloud; but the day sends his bright heralds before him, to prepare the world for his coming [Hare].
The brightest day has not yet dawned, the widest conquests have not yet been achieved. Is not the Church challenged to nerve herself for greater effort, and to array herself in a more imposing habit? “Put on thy strength, O Zion, put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem!”
“O! scene surpassing fable, and yet true,
Scene of accomplished bliss, which who can see,
Though but in distant prospect, and not feel
His soul refreshed with foretaste of the joy?”
HOMILETIC COMMENTARY
ON
OBADIAH
INTRODUCTION
THIS book consists only of twenty-one verses, and is the shortest in the Bible.
The Author. Obadiah (Servant of Jehovah) is a proper name frequently met with, but little is known concerning our Author. Some identify him with the pious courtier in the palace of Ahab (1Ki_18:3); some with the overseer of the workmen in 2Ch_34:12; but the silence of Scripture is in significant contrast with the anxiety of men to know something of him.
The Time. “In all probability the prophecy was delivered between the year B. C. 588, when Jerusalem was taken by the Chaldeans, and the termination of the siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar. During this interval, that monarch subdued the Idumeans and other neighbouring nations” [A. Elzaz]. The contents of the book and its relation to the prophecy of Jeremiah seem to confirm this view.
The Book. “The subjects of the prophecy are the judgments to be inflicted upon the Idumeans on account of their wanton and cruel conduct towards the Jews at the time of the Chaldean invasion, and the restoration of the latter from captivity. The book may therefore be fitly divided into two parts; the first comprising Oba_1:1-15, which contain a reprehension of the pride, self-confidence, and unfeeling cruelty of the former people, and definite predictions of their destruction; the latter Oba_1:17-21, in which it is promised that the Jews should not only be restored to their own land, but possess the territories of the surrounding nations, especially Idumea” [Elzaz].
The style is original and fresh. “Vividness, connectedness, power, are characteristics of it. As it begins so it continues and ends. It has no breaks, nor interruptions. Thought follows on thought, as wave rolls upon wave, but all marshalled to one end, marching on, column after column, to the goal which God hath appointed for them. Each verse grows out of that which was before it, and carries on its thought. The cadence of the words in the original is a singular blending of pathos and strength. The pathos of the cadence consists in a somewhat long-sustained measure, in which the Prophet dwells on the one thought which he wishes to impress; the force, in the few brief words in which he sums up some sentence” [Pusey]. “Among all the prophets,” says one, “he is the briefest in number of words; in the grace of mysteries he is their equal.”
“The reason why the book occupies its present unchronological position in the Hebrew Bible is supposed to be the connection between the subjects of which it treats and the mention made of ‘the residue of Edom,’ at the conclusion of the preceding book of Amos” [Elzaz]. “The chronological position of Obadiah illustrates an important truth concerning God’s dealings with mankind, viz. that he never executes a judgment, or inflicts a punishment, on a nation or individual, without having given some previous warning as to the hateful character and dangerous consequences of the sins for which the judgments are inflicted. He did not denounce his judgments on Nineveh by Nahum, before he had given warning to Nineveh by Jonah; and he did not denounce his judgment upon Edom by Jeremiah, before he had given warning of the approaching visitation by Obadiah” [Wordsworth].
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v9 (See Scofield "Psa 72:1").
sift
(See Scofield "Psa 72:1").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v11 The Kingdom of Messiah Established
The Kingdom of Messiah Established
v. 11. In that day, in the great Messianic period to which the entire Old Testament looks forward, will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, the monarchy and family of David, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old, so that the kingdom of the true Son of David, of the Messiah, would once more be secure, established forever,
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v. 12. that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen which are called by My name, rather, "upon whom My name is called," that is, all those whom He had chosen from all the people of the earth, saith the Lord that doeth this.
v. 13. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed, by spreading it broadcast. So fruitful would the land be that the ripe grain would be cut while the plowman was still preparing the soil for the seed, and the harvest of grapes would be so plentiful that it would take till seeding-time to tread out the grapes. And the mountains shall drop sweet wine, so that new wine would be continually dripping from them, and all the hills shall melt, dissolving themselves in blessings.
v. 14. And I will bring again the captivity of My people of Israel, all those who accept the deliverance from the powers of evil being assembled in the congregation of the Lord’s people, and they shall build the waste cities, being secure in their citizenship, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them.
v. 15. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord, thy God. Thus the prophet, in the conclusion of his book, under the type of Israel restored to its land, pictures the peace and prosperity of the true spiritual Israel, of the Church of the New Testament, in which every congregation is a garden of His mercy, and the streams of His love come down in the preaching of the Gospel, in order to bring peace to the hearts of poor sinners throughout the world.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv9, 11, 13, 14 the house of Israel
the house of Israel
Here "house" represents the people. AT: "the people of Israel" (See: Metonymy)
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I will shake the house of Israel ... as one shakes grain in a sieve, so that not the smallest stone will fall to the ground
The picture here is of grain falling through the sieve and stones being kept out. The idea is that Yahweh will remove all of the sinful people from Israel. (See: Simile)
sieve
a surface with many small holes that allow small things to pass through and keep larger things from passing through
All the sinners of my people will die by the sword
Here "sword" represents their enemies. AT: "Enemies will kill all the sinners of my people" (See: Metonymy)
Disaster will not overtake or meet us
Experiencing disaster is spoken of as disaster could overtake or meet someone. AT: "We will not experience disaster" or "Bad things will not happen to us" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
command
nation
grain
people of God
sword
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv9, 11, 12, 13, 14 9:9-10 Even the Lord’s most severe judgment is just.…
9:9-10 Even the Lord’s most severe judgment is just. Only the sinners are destroyed, but not one true kernel will be lost; God will save the righteous, who are faithful to him.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.