How does Amos 1:10 connect with God's covenant promises to Israel? Verse in Focus “So I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre to consume its fortresses.” (Amos 1:10) The Covenant Backdrop • Genesis 12:2-3—God promises Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.” • Deuteronomy 32:9-10—Israel is “the LORD’s portion,” the people He guards “as the apple of His eye.” • The covenant guarantees that God personally safeguards Israel and repays nations that oppress her. The Broken Brotherhood • 1 Kings 5:1-12—Tyre’s King Hiram had once entered a “covenant of brotherhood” with David and Solomon, supplying cedar and skilled labor for the temple. • Amos 1:9—Tyre “broke their covenant of brotherhood” by delivering “a whole community of captives to Edom.” • The betrayal violated both human loyalty and God’s promise in Genesis 12:3; what Tyre did to Israel, God now does to Tyre. God’s Judgment as Covenant Faithfulness • Protective Justice—By sending fire on Tyre, the LORD proves He keeps His word to curse those who curse Abraham’s offspring. • Public Testimony—Surrounding nations witness that Israel’s God defends His covenant people (Joel 3:1-8). • Foreshadowing Restoration—If God is this precise in judging violators, He will be equally precise in restoring Israel (Jeremiah 31:35-37). From Verse to Promise Tyre’s downfall in Amos 1:10 is more than isolated punishment; it is a living demonstration that every facet of God’s covenant with Israel still stands—every blessing, every warning, every protective clause—steady and literal, right down to fire on foreign fortresses. |
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