Restoration and Blessing (9:11-15)

Introduction:

Over the past eleven messages, as we’ve studied the book of Amos, the Lord has given to us an amazing reality of who he is with the relation to his covenant promises and his hatred for sin. We have seen how God, the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present one, who has no rival, nor does he answer to anyone, but, deals with what appears to us as tension between his covenant promises and his necessary judgment on sin without any internal divine struggle or conflict. So before we look at this morning’s final message, let’s review where we’ve been…we’ve seen:

The Lord is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.

The Lord is a universal God and all nations and peoples are responsible to obey His commandments.

The greater the privilege, the greater the responsibility and the accountability.

The sin of nations and individuals, if unrepentant, must be punished.

The Lord does not accept syncretized and fruitless worship.

The riches of this world can be a snare (they will ruin us if we secure them wrongly, look at them wrongly, or use them wrongly).

The seeking of God must be accompanied by the seeking of good.

The vertical sin of idolatry is followed by the horizontal sin of unrighteousness.

The only real safety and security is found in God (our confidence regarding the future should not be based upon material wealth, who’s in charge politically, military might, physical strength, church membership, observance of religious rituals, etc., but upon God. We should worship and obey Him and then trust Him for safety and security).

The true man of God must faithfully deliver God’s message (he must not fear criticism or seek praise. He must have one concern, pleasing the One who sent him).

God knows his remnant, his true church, the true Israel. Though they may be scattered abroad over the whole earth, he will bring them safely home.

This is where we pick up this morning in our final message in Amos, as the covenant promises of God will bring about for the remnant, both Restoration and Blessing.

Text: Amos 9:11-15

Amos 9:11–15 ESV

11 “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, 12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this. 13 “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. 14 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. 15 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.

Main Idea: Because the all-knowing God knows his remnant, we can know with certainty that all will end well.

Background:

To properly understand this passage, Amos shows us a contrast between the mighty edifice of Israel that God would smash to the ground (v. 1), and the fragile, torn tent of David (v. 11) that would be repaired. This is a reminder that Israel’s well-being depends on the line of David, the line which the northern kingdom had rejected as king. God has committed himself to bless his people, and eventually the world, through the family of David. In that context, Israel’s fortunes would be restored. The abundance described in vv. 13–15 stands in stark contrast to the ruin and destruction that fell on Israel after God repeatedly warned them, appealing to them to come to repentance. Again, the point is that God does not intend for judgment on Israel to be final, but to be a tool through which blessing may ultimately come, for both Jew and Gentile alike.

I. David’s Booth (11-12)

The significance of these verses was used by Peter in the first Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, which we shall review shortly.

A. David’s Dynasty Restored (11)

(11) 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,

In that day - Possibly “the day of the Lord.” This phrase has been used through Amos and other of the prophets to declare God’s day of judgment, but in this instance is here depicted as the time of Israel’s deliverance (Zeph. 1:7 note below).

(the day of the Lord from Zeph 1:7) This term occurs frequently in the Old Testament prophets. It can refer to any specific time when the Divine Warrior, the Lord of Hosts, is glorious in victory: against Babylon through the Medes (Is. 13:1–14:27), against Egypt through Babylon (Ezek. 30:2–4), or against Israel through Assyria (Is. 10:5, 6, 20, 24). This day of the Lord’s vengeance against the wicked is also depicted as the time of Israel’s deliverance (Is. 34:2–35:10), when the Lord decisively defeats all of Israel’s opposition (2:2, 9; 3:8–20; Joel 3:14–16). It is also the day of final judgment (Amos 5:18–20). See notes Ezek. 7:7 and Amos 5:18.

booth of David that is fallen - The “booth” represents the dynasty of David that, to the eyes of the prophet, is as good as fallen. But the dynasty of David will be rebuilt, ultimately pointing to Jesus, the greater Son of David, through whom the dynasty of David will be eternally reestablished (Matt. 1:1; Acts 15:16, 17).

B. Purpose of Restoration (12)

(12) that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this. -

that (preposition of purpose)

Edom and all the nations - Though subject to divine judgment (1:11, 12), a remnant of Edom will be brought under the redemptive kingship of David’s Son. Edom, and indeed all the nations, will benefit from coming under the dominion of this future King (Ps. 2:8).

who are called by my name, - clearly shows that God’s remnant of his people includes the gentiles who will also be called by his name.

C. New Testament Significance (Acts 15)

You will remember that as the book of Acts opens, Jesus is about to leave his disciples and gives them this commission:

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

With this commission, the apostles began in Jerusalem, moved out to Judea and Samaria (because of the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7), but it wasn’t until Acts 13 that we begin to see the focus change to the ends of the earth.

It was Paul and Barnabas who were first commissioned to the mission field (end of the earth) in Acts 13, and so the background to the significance of these verses in Amos is found as Paul and Barnabas were returning from this first missionary journey at the end of Acts 14…

Acts 14:24–15:5 ESV

24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples. 1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

As a result, a council of godly men, the elders, gathered to discuss the issue, thus forming the first Jerusalem Council. After much discussion, James speaks, giving the decision of the council, and note that he uses as the basis for their decision, our portion of scripture (vss. 11-12) from Amos…

Acts 15:13–21 (ESV)

13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’ 19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

The significance of this decision cannot be overstated, since it declared the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant and showed that it was always God divine purpose that both Jew and Gentile would be a part of his covenant community, the true church! There is no separate plan for the Jew and Gentile…

With this restoration of the Davidic dynasty, through Jesus the Messiah, his son, will ultimately come…

II. Restoration Blessings (13-15)

A. Agricultural Blessings (13)

(13) “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.

A prediction of abundance, indeed more than abundance, follows the prophecies of disaster and desolation. The culmination of the Lord’s redemptive work through David’s greatest son, the Messiah, is portrayed in terms of endless cycles of fruitfulness that are reminiscent of Eden but surpass it (cf. Joel 3:18).

B. Building Blessings (14)

(14) 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.

This wording shows a permanence of blessings, like our phrase, “putting down roots”.

I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel - Lit. “turn the captivity of my people,” a recurring phrase in the prophetic covenant lawsuits (Jer. 29:14; Ezek. 16:53; Hos. 6:11).

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. - These blessings reverse the earlier futility curses from Amos 5:11

Amos 5:11 ESV

11 Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

C. Land Blessings (15)

(15) 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.

I will plant them - The Lord promises lasting safety for His people, as a fulfillment of God’s covenant with David, which promises an eternal kingship (v. 11; 2 Sam. 7:10). This will be fulfilled by David’s greatest son, Jesus Christ, who will guarantee redeemed Israel’s permanent blessedness.

the land that I have given them - See note on Gen. 13:15. The phrasing brings our attention back to God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 12:1, 7; 13:14–17; 15:18; 17:8).

I believe here that this physical Promised Land is but a type of the New Israel’s life in Christ;

It points forward to the heavenly Jerusalem yet future…this was eluded to in the book of Hebrews...

Hebrews 11:13–16 ESV

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Hebrews 12:22–24 ESV

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

These passages make it clear that none of God’s remnant will ever miss the Promised Land.

Eternal inheritance, 1 Pet. 1:3–5

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The covenant land promise finds final fulfillment in the new heavens and the new earth, Rev. 21:1-7…

Revelation 21:1–7 ESV

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

says the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim). - note the intimacy of this restoration, it is God who resides over this renewed Israel, with ultimate authority, ownership, and covenant fulfillment.

So What?

Do we understand that it has always been a part of God’s covenant plan that the true Israel of God would be made up of redeemed Jews and Gentiles from all nations?

Do we remember, that this world has nothing for us, it is a part of the curse of sin, and that a new land is prepared for God’s covenant people, a land without sin, and complete with infinite blessings?

Are you a member of God’s covenant people?