In That Day

In that Day Amos 9:11-15

Resurrection v. 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. The booth of David refers to the tabernacle or tent. It is a symbol of the temporal and something eternal would be raised up (Heb 9:11-14) (v.15) never again be uprooted. The contrast is that God would smash to the ground the temple of Israel (v. 1), but the fragile, torn tent of David (v. 11) would be repaired. The reminder that well-being depends on the line of David. God has committed himself to bless his people, and eventually the world, through the family of David (2 Sam. 7:15–16; Ps. 72:17. God will take something that has been ruined, something that no longer exist, something that is dead and “raise” it to life. Something that cannot be done God will do, “I will”. The raising of David’s tent would be the resurrection of Jesus. This is a remarkable prediction, and deserves to be carefully weighed by us. It is certain that the Prophet here refers to the advent of Christ; and of this there is no dispute. This passage of the Prophet cannot be otherwise explained than of the Messiah: for the restitution of David’s family was not to be expected before his time. As then the Prophet here declares, that a Redeemer would come, who would renew the whole state of the kingdom, we see that the faith of the Fathers was ever fixed on Christ; for in the whole world it is he alone who has reconciled us to God: the only hope would be, when the redeemers who had been promised would appear. After having shown then that the people had no hope from themselves, for God had tried all means, but in vain and after having denounced their final ruin, he now subjoins, “The Lord will yet have mercy on his people, for he will remember his covenant.” How will this be? “The Redeemer shall come.” (Calvin)

Reconciliation v. 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.

Edomites came from the line of Esau and were rejected while Jacob or Israel was chosen as God’s people (Genesis 25:30,36, Rom 9:6-13). They are opposed to Israel (1:9-12). They were the harshest of enemies. Here Edom is probably representative of the Gentiles in general. This refers to a New Testament event of the Gentiles (nations) coming to faith (Acts 9:15, 10:34,35, 11:15-18, 15:6-19) and being included in the covenant of Abraham (Gal 3:23-29). It is spoken of by James at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:15-17). James argued, since it speaks of a people “called by my name” and those called by God’s name are in a saving relationship with him. Amos looked to a time when God would claim a people for

himself from among the Gentiles. Here the great promise of God spoken through Amos began to be fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled in the salvation of the Gentiles. All of this is by God’s hand He is the one who planned to include the Gentles and made a way for it to happen (Eph 3:1-13). James understand the passage to indicate that in the messianic reign inaugurated by Jesus’ resurrection (when David’s fallen tent is raised), “all the nations” (i.e., Gentiles) would become included in God’s blessings, as God had promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:3). David's dynasty will include people from every tribe and nation. All nations will be brought under the dominion of the Davidic Kingship. By these words the Prophet shows that the kingdom under Christ would be more renowned and larger than it had ever been under David. Since then the kingdom had been greatest in dignity, and wealth, and power, in the age of David, the Prophet here says, that its borders would be enlarged (Calvin).

Renewal13 "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. Amos had spoken of the barrenness that would occur to the land (4:7-9) Now that will be reversed. God will restore the fertility of the land to its pre-curse state. There shall be such a plentiful harvest every year, and with so much to be gathered in, that it shall last all summer, even till autumn, when it is time to begin to plow again; and in like manner the vineyard shall continue till seed-time, and there shall be such abundance of grapes that even the mountains shall drip sweet wine into the vessels of the grape-gatherers, and the hills that were dry and barren shall be moistened and flow with wine (Henry). Here is a beautiful poetic image of a land like the Garden of Eden—with productivity that is free from the curse (Gen. 3:17–19, Rev 22:3) and with greater abundance than anything currently known. Not just the fruitfulness of a renewed land of Israel but the renewal of the whole earth in a future age (cf. Rom. 8:19–21) (ESV). This must certainly be understood of the abundance of spiritual blessings in heavenly things, all the benefit that comes to the souls of men from the word and Spirit of God. 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 faith in Christ, and nations were born at once, when the preachers of the gospel were experiencing success in their preaching, then the ploughman overtook the reaper (Henry). “All shall succeed one another, so that no day should be void of grain, wine, and gladness.” And they shall not follow only on one another, but shall all go on together in one perpetual round of toil and fruitfulness. There shall be one unceasing inpouring of riches; no break in the heavenly husbandry; labor shall at once yield fruit; the harvest shall but encourage fresh labor. The end shall come swiftly on the beginning; the end shall not close the past only, but issue forth anew. Such is the character of the toils of the Gospel. All the works of grace go on in harmony together; each helps on the other; in one, the fallow-ground of the heart is broken up; in another, seed is sown, the beginning of a holy conversation; in another, is the full richness of the ripened fruit, in advanced holiness or the blood of martyrs. (Jerome).

Restoration 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. God had told them that because of their sin they would not live in the houses that they had built or drink the wine from the vineyards that they had planted (5:11-12), but now through a time of purging they will be restored in abundance (Deut 4:25-31, 30:1-10, Ps 51:7-17, Prov 28:13). The future restoration included the land, its cities, and the return of God's people. God promised to bless the land with an unprecedented prosperity. God would reverse the calamity. The promise is in contrast to loss described (5:11, 16-17; 3:9). It is a time of great prosperity something like Israel has never known before. It will be a time of supernatural material blessings on Israel. This blessing will far surpass any past experiences. 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 (Henry) These things seem indeed to be quite contrary, the one to the other, — that the people, spoiled of all dignity, should be driven to a far country to live in miserable exile, and that they should also be scattered into various parts and oppressed by base tyranny; — and that at the same time a most flourishing condition should be promised them, and that such an extension of their kingdom should be promised them, as had never been previously witnessed. Lest then their present calamities should fill their minds with fear and bind them fast in despair; God gives them hope by saying that the Israelites shall return from exile. (Calvin).

Return 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.

God declares that his grace would outweigh the sins of the people; as though he said, “However unworthy the people are, who dwell in this land, my gift will yet be effectual: for I will not regard what they deserve at my hands, but as I have given them this land, they shall obtain it. (Calvin).They will be firmly planted and forever planted. Believers shall take such deep rooting in Christ as never to be rooted out of it. God’s spiritual Israel shall be planted by the right hand of God himself upon the land assigned them. 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. 2. Its interest in him: He is the Lord thy God, who has said it, and will make it good. (Henry) Where there is a future there is hope.

None shall pull them out of Christ’s hand; John 10:29-30. None shall separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:39, they shall be sure of continual supplies of sap and safety, being kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, 2 Peter 1:3. (Trapp). We see a promise of lasting security for God's people. This promise was an aspect of God's covenant with David (2 Sam 7:10), David's future son would be the Israelites' security against further uprooting from their homeland, never again. The promise is made that once the restoration of God's people has reached its culmination, they never need fear exile again. (Joel 3:20). (Thirdmill). Why will the true believer not be uprooted? Because of the person and work of Christ. He has permanently redeemed us from our sins by his sacrificial death for our sins (Heb 9:11-14, 26–28; 10:1–21) Jesus entered as high priest into the heavenly sanctuary and presented himself as an offering before God on our behalf. Thus he entered into the superior place by a superior sacrifice for the sake of believers Christ’s sacrifice is superior because the single offering of himself is sufficient for all his followers and for all time (Heb. 9:25–26). This is the basis of eternal redemption, the paid release from the oppression of sin (Luke 1:68; 2:38; Mark 10:45; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 1:18). He imputed his righteousness unto us, so we are now righteous in God’s sight (Rom 5:18-21)

It is a tension between the Now and the Not yet. We are planted by Christ and will be preserved in Christ. We eagerly await his return to be with him forever (Heb 9:23-28). Paul knew the tension (2 Cor 5:6) We are citizens of Heaven (Phil:3:15) We are fellow citizens with all true believers and members of God’s household (Eph 2:19). As citizens of heaven we are living as aliens and strangers in the world (1 Pet 2:11). We are not of this world, we do not belong to it nor should we seek the things of it (John 17:14-18). This is not your home don’t live as it is. Don’t mind the things of earth, seek the things above (Col 3:1), set your mind on the things above (Col 3:2) store your treasures above (Matt 6;19), We are ambassadors of heaven and must live like citizens of it (2 Cor 5:20, Eph 6:20). This tension is expressed in the Life of Abraham and the saints of the Old Testament (Heb 11:8-16). Their existence in Canaan was foreign to them, but he obediently went where God had called them to go (v8). But even while there he was looking ahead for the Not Yet a city whose design and builder is God (v10).