Picking up where we left off, in my last post, we have four more nations that God is not pleased with.

Judgment Against the Ammonites

¹³ Here is what Adonai says: “For the people of ‘Amon’s three crimes, no, four—I will not reverse it – because they ripped apart pregnant women just to expand their territory, ¹⁴ I will set fire to the wall of Rabbah, and it will consume its palaces amid shouts on the day of battle, amid a storm on the day of the whirlwind.

The Ammonites were located east of the Jordan River between Syria to the north and Moab to the south. Their ancestral territory did not extend all the way west to the Jordan, so they were in constant conflict with the tribes of Reuben and Gad to extend their border westward and gain control of the desirable region of Gilead, where the two Israelite tribes lived. The sin of the Ammonites was the viciousness and brutality of their attacks, without pity even for pregnant women. Ammon’s capital city, Rabbah (see Deut. 3:11), is present-day Amman, Jordan.

¹⁵ Their king will go into exile, he and his princes together,” says Adonai.

When the Ammonites conquered a nation, they deported the leadership and imported people from elsewhere into the area. This was both a way to defuse any tendency toward rebellion and to homogenize their diverse empire.

Judgment Against Mo’av’s (Moabites)

2 ¹ Here is what Adonai says: “For Mo’av’s three crimes, no, four – will not reverse it – because he burned the bones of the king of Edom, turning them into lime; ² I will send fire on Mo’av, and it will consume the palaces of K’riot. Mo’av will die with turmoil and shouting, along with the sound of the shofar. ³ I will cut off the judge from among them and kill all his princes with him,” says Adonai.

Moab was Ammon’s neighbor to the south, perhaps included here because Moab and Ammon were both descended from Lot through his daughters (Genesis 19:37–38). The fact that Moab’s sin was against neither Israel nor Judah, but its southern neighbor Edom, demonstrates that these judgments are based not on ethnicity but on the universal justice of God.

Judgment Against Y’hudah’s (Judah’s)

Unlike the other nations, Judah is not judged for inhumanity to others but according to a higher standard, the law of the Lord, which they had sworn with a blood oath to keep (Exodus 24:8).

⁴ Here is what Adonai says: “For Y’hudah’s three crimes, no, four – I will not reverse it – because they rejected Adonai’s Torah and haven’t observed his laws, and their lies caused them to fall into error and live the way their ancestors did; ⁵ I will send fire on Y’hudah, and it will consume the palaces of Yerushalayim.

All the Gentile nations are accused of crimes against humanity, but Judah is charged with unfaithfulness to its covenant with God as described in the law.

Judgment Against Isra’el

⁶ Here is what Adonai says: For Isra’el’s three crimes, no, four – I will not reverse it – because they sell the upright for silver and the poor for a pair of shoes, ⁷ grinding the heads of the poor in the dust and pushing the lowly out of the way; father and son sleep with the same girl, profaning my holy name; ⁸ lying down beside any altar on clothes taken in pledge; drinking wine in the house of their God bought with fines they imposed.

Up to this point, the people of Isra’el would applaud Amos’s denunciations. But now he turns to them, and their applause will quickly turn to indignation! Israel would be punished because they oppressed the righteous and the poor, they committed terrible forms of immorality, they kept pledged clothes overnight, and they became drunk in the temple with wine purchased with money gained by extortion and bribery.

⁹ “I destroyed the Emori before them; though tall as cedars and strong as oaks, I destroyed their fruit above and their root below. ¹⁰ More than that, I brought you up from Egypt, led you forty years in the desert,so that you could have the Emori’s land. ¹¹ I raised up some of your sons to be prophets, other young men of yours to be n’zirim. People of Isra’el! Isn’t that true?” asks Adonai. ¹² But you gave the n’zirim wine to drink and ordered the prophets, ‘Don’t prophesy!’

Next, God recites His past mercies for Isra’el – He destroyed the Amorites, who dwelt like cedars and oaks in the land of Canaan. He saved Isra’el out of the land of Egypt and raised up … Nazirites to exhibit to them lives of separation. But they corrupted the Nazirites and commanded the prophets not to prophesy^.

¹³ “Enough! I will make all this crush you, just as a cart overloaded with grain crushes what’s under it. ¹⁴ Even the swift won’t be able toflee; the strong won’t be able to use their strength, the warriors won’t save themselves. ¹⁵ Archers won’t be able to stand, the fastest runners won’t save themselves, those on horses won’t save themselves. ¹⁶ On that day, even the bravest warriors will throw off their weapons and flee,” says Adonai.[1]

Consequently, God would crush them, prevent their escape, and cause their defeat by the Assyrians. Even the mighty men will not be able to deliver themselves, and flight shall perish from the swift.

In a professional setting, you might be witnessing unethical behavior where colleagues overlook honesty for personal gain, just like the injustices detailed in ‘Amos, rather than turning a blind eye, model integrity yourself. This week, if you see unethical practices, speak up respectfully or suggest a team ethics training session where everyone can discuss best practices. Leading by example not only upholds God’s call for righteousness but also creates an environment where your colleagues can feel empowered to follow suit, fostering integrity in the workplace.

In our next post, we will continue to learn more about the Prophecy of ‘Amos.

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[1] Amos 1:13 – 2:16.