Throughout lockdown, Prophecy Today UK’s parent ministry Issachar Ministries has been hosting webinars on the theme of ‘Living in Babylon’, exploring what today’s believers can learn from Israel’s experience in exile. Unsurprisingly, these have included significant discussion about what the Lord is doing in these days and what his word is to his people.
In a recent breakout group, two people shared the same verse in connection with current events. Amos 9:9 reads "For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground."
This article summarises my subsequent meditations on this passage and seeks to apply them with respect to the Lord’s purposes in the coming days.
The Context
Amos was one of the earliest Literary Prophets. A contemporary of Joel and Hosea, he recorded his burden occurring in "the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel." Through him and other contemporary prophets the Lord began to remind Israel of the terms of his covenant with them, and the consequences of them failing to adhere to it (Lev 26:1-46).
Amos' sincere warnings went unheeded, even when reinforced later by Isaiah and Jeremiah. The people's stubbornness which caused them to "mock the messengers of God, despise his words, and scoff at his prophets", finally came to a head when "the wrath of the Lord arose against his people", because "there was no remedy" for their unbelief (2 Chron 36:14-17).
Amos pointed out first that if God was to act righteously in judging the neighbouring nations, he had to use the same standard towards his own people. His core burden is expressed from the start of chapter 3 and climaxes in 9:8-10. Chapter nine begins with a vision of the Lord commanding, "Strike the doorposts, that the thresholds may shake, and break them on the heads of them all. I will slay the last of them with the sword." This passage records his determination to devastate his wayward people; "I will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good."
We should note however that Amos did not conclude with this message of woe, but with one of hope. He promises that judgment will immediately be followed by a time of repairing and rebuilding. The imagery used and his reference to the tent of David identify this time as the Messianic Kingdom which will be established when Jesus returns. Subsequent prophets added to the biblical understanding of this Kingdom - when the Lord rules from Zion, lions and lambs will lie down together; swords will become ploughs.
Before that day however, we are warned of great upheavals on the earth. Joel, for instance, stated that when the Lord finally "brought back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem", he would "also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat." In preparing the Gentiles for that day, God will command them to "beat their ploughs into swords, and their pruning hooks into spears" (Joel 3:1-17).
Amos did not conclude with his message of woe, but with one of hope, promising that judgment would immediately be followed by a time of repairing and rebuilding.
A Promise to the Faithful Remnant
Even though Amos was speaking over 150 years before the fall of Jerusalem, v8 has a finality about it. Assuring them he is watching their sinful nation, the Lord declared, "I will destroy it from the face of the earth." He continued, "Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob”, thus indicating that a faithful remnant will survive all that is to come.
It is this commitment which is the theme of v9. The Lord restates his intention, "I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve." As an agricultural community they would have been familiar with the process of winnowing grain, where a sieve was used in the third and final stage.
This severe warning is followed with a profound promise to those in Israel who fear him, "Yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground." This promise therefore was not to the whole nation, but to those who were clinging to the Lord whilst the majority were doing what was right in their own eyes.
Previously Elijah had had to be assured that there were 7,000 in the whole of Israel who had not taken the knee to Baal nor kissed this pagan god (1 Kings 19:14-18). Have you noticed that this faithful company is described as those who would be left after the Lord brought judgment upon Israel? They alone would survive the swords of two kings and one prophet, as reflected in Amos 9:10 where the Lord states "All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword."
The promise of Amos 9:9 was directed at those who remained faithful in the midst of a rebellious community. It assured them that no matter how hard the shaking, not even the least genuine believer would be lost in the process.
The people of Israel have been through many severe shakings since then, and there is yet another to come. Both Joel and Zechariah promised that the Lord would gather all the nations against Israel. On this occasion however, Israel will look unto him whom they pierced, and Jesus will slay his and their adversary with the breath of his mouth (Zech 12:9-14; 2 Thess 2:3-12).
Applying the Past to the Present
Christians struggle with applying the Lord’s words to Israel in our situation. We commonly want to appropriate them for ourselves, cutting them loose from their primary context of informing Israel of his purposes in their collective life. This could be a residue of the Replacement Theology which has plagued the churches for centuries.
Whilst the use of ‘promises boxes’ has thankfully declined, how many of us underline a verse in the Old Testament, saying something like "The Lord has given me a promise". I suggest there is a more helpful way to understand our Father's words to Israel and their relevance to our lives today.
In Psalm 103 we are told, "He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the children of Israel" (Ps 103:6-9). This indicates that Moses had a better understanding of their God than the people did. Paul told Timothy that the Hebrew scriptures "are able to make you wise for salvation" (1 Tim 3:10-17), but how do they do this? Could it be that the more mature a believer becomes, the more he or she understands the ways of our God, discerning his divine character behind his actions?
From Genesis to Revelation the Bible is far more than a record of the works of our Creator. It is an inspired record of his relationship with mankind throughout history. Not every incident is recorded, but he has hand-picked key moments to enable us to appreciate his character more fully under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-15; 1 John 2:24-27).
The promise of Amos 9:9 assured the faithful that no matter how hard the shaking, not even the least genuine believer would be lost in the process.
The Lord Knows Those Who Are His
What, then, do we learn about his character and his ways in Amos 9? Primarily that the Lord is a God of righteousness who administers justice on the earth now. Secondly, whilst we often misrepresent his judgments as anger, they are usually inspired by a desire to refine those who believe in him so that they might be ready to live in his presence.
In Amos and elsewhere, this is seen through his purpose of preparing the faithful remnant in Israel for the reign of their Messiah. For this to be fulfilled, the unbelieving chaff amongst them had to be blown away. Elsewhere the parallel image of the refiner’s fire (Isa 4:2-6; Zech 13:7-9, 14:1-7; Mal 3:1-6) emphasises the removal of the dross from the hearts of those who believe.
Space precludes studying the scriptures which assert that those who believe upon Jesus will also have a part in his Messianic Kingdom. But if Israel is to be purified in preparation for his return, can we as his Bride expect not to be?
Many believers are sensing that the Lord has moved the world into a new phase of history. There is a growing expectation that long-predicted troubles will quickly increase. No longer can Christians, especially in the West where we have been free from persecution for three centuries, expect not to suffer for Christ. There is a growing sense that our Father's intention in allowing global rebellion to increase is to purify his Church prior to his Son's return.
In the parable of the wheat and tares, Jesus promised that at the right time the tares would be taken out of his kingdom first and burned (Matt 13:24-30, 36-43). In Amos 9:9 God assured the faithful in Israel that when the whole nation was shaken in a sieve, not even the weakest of them would be overlooked. With the same confidence Jesus assured his disciples that after the unrighteous are removed, all "the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." He concluded, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
