He's there too!

“In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.” (Amos 9:11-15 ESV)

I frequently write about Jesus in the books of the Bible. Here, we look at verses from the Book of Amos. I do believe the Old Testament book of Amos is essential for the understanding of the gospel. I say this because Amos was written with all of God’s people in mind. While Amos 1:2–2:3 includes judgments against the nations surrounding Israel, the bulk of the book is directed at Israel, including Judah.

The restoration of all the nations called by God’s name in Amos 9:11–15  refers to all nations, including Israel, as those once judged are ultimately blessed under a new affiliation. We are blessed under our adoption through Christ through the New Covenant.

If we look at verse 11, Amos prophesies, “In that day,” Amos is depicting the deliverance of Israel. This some teachers say this verse is referring to the Lord’s Day, the coming of Christ. “I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old.” The booth represents the dynasty of David. It is the coming of Christ who rebuilds what Amos sees as destroyed. Jesus is the greater “Son of David” who restores David’s dynasty.

In verse 12, Amos speaks of “Edom” a place that was the subject of divine judgment; however, Amos tells Israel that the remnant of Edom, along with “all the nations who are called under my name,” will be brought under the redemption. The world will be redeemed by the Christ. Our Lord restores all things. Here, we also see a reference to unconditional election. Only those called by God, “called under my name,” those who hear God’s name will be brought under the new kingdom of Christ Jesus.  Amos foresees the Lord will take hold of the remnant of Edom and all nations, bringing the elect into a new covenantal relationship.

New Testament quotations from Amos refer to both of these groups.

When spoken by  Stephen in Acts 7, the words of Amos anticipate the covenant family of Israel as the audience. Eight chapters later in the Book of Acts 15, James references the book of Amos in terms of what God is saying to all the families of the earth, the Gentiles. Amos has something to say to ancient Israel as well as to the whole world—even to us today.

In verse 14, we read the words “restoring the fortunes.” A phrase such as this is similar to the phrase “turn the captivity of my people.” This is a common language or a type of phrase in covenantal lawsuits. If you look at Jer 29:14, “I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” or Ezekiel 16:53 “I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in their midst,” and in Hosea 6:1 “Come, let us return to the Lord;  for he has torn us, that he may heal us;  he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.” you can see similar language.

It is Amos who wrote, "They shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.” Rebuild, plant, drink, eat. In this verse, Amos tells of the reversal of earlier futility curses. Amos notes the breaking of the covenant in 5:11. “I will restore” is a recurring phrase in prophetic covenantal lawsuits. The covenantal lawsuit refers to the Revelation of God as judge and jury over His people, and this type of language refers to the people's violation of God’s covenant with them. Oddly enough, God presented His words through poetic means, not legal arguments. One thing for sure is that Amos’s use of poetics increases God’s relationship with the whole world.

Amos ends this piece of scripture with God reminding Israel of His mercies and grace, "I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them.” Amos is telling us God maintains his covenant with David, and “the land I have given them” is a reminder of the Abrahamic covenant as well.

Amos is a foretelling of Christ through the sovereign work of God. It is about the restoration of the line of David in Christ. About the coming of a new covenant with the Lord and the restoration of all God’s people to God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Every book of the Bible, in one fashion or another, points to Christ. Jesus told us the entire Bible was about Him. In various verses throughout the NT, Jesus tells us the OT is about Him. In Matt 11, John 5:36, John 5:39-40, John 5:45-46, Luke 24:44-45, just to name a few, Jesus tells us the Bible is about Him, so either He is a megalomaniac, or it is about Him. Thrust me He is no megalomaniac, He is God. The more you study the Bible, the more you will find Christ in the OT. The more you mature in Christ, the more you will start to find Christ everywhere.

Peace and Grace