What is the meaning of Amos 2:6? This is what the LORD says Amos introduces the charge with the prophet’s familiar formula, marking the words as the very voice of God. • The authority is divine, not human—compare Jeremiah 1:4 – “Now the word of the LORD came to me.” • Prophets do not speak on their own impulse (2 Peter 1:21); therefore the declaration carries full covenant weight (Deuteronomy 29:29). • Hearing God’s word obligates response; Hebrews 1:1-2 reminds us that God has always spoken decisively, now culminating in Christ. For three transgressions of Israel, even four This phrase stacks numbers to show sin that is overflowing and complete. • The same pattern is used for surrounding nations (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 13; 2:1) to reveal that Israel, though privileged, is equally guilty. • Proverbs 30:15-16 employs a similar escalating formula to emphasize excess. • The point: Israel’s rebellion is not a one-time lapse but an entrenched lifestyle (Psalm 78:17-19). I will not revoke My judgment God’s patience has a boundary; His verdict stands firm. • Numbers 23:19—“God is not a man, that He should lie… Has He said, and will He not do it?” • Malachi 3:6—“I, the LORD, do not change,” underlining that announced judgment will proceed unless genuine repentance intervenes (Jeremiah 18:7-8). • Ezekiel 18:30 shows the same judicial certainty coupled with a call to turn back. Because they sell the righteous for silver The first specific charge: commodifying lives for profit. • Joseph’s brothers sold him for twenty shekels (Genesis 37:28); Judah later betrays Christ for thirty pieces (Matthew 26:15). • God’s law forbids perverting justice against the innocent (Exodus 23:7-8; Deuteronomy 27:25). • Zechariah 11:12-13 echoes the insult of valuing a person’s life at a cheap price. • The “righteous” here are those who should have been protected by the courts (Isaiah 10:1-2). And the needy for a pair of sandals The second charge shows shocking triviality: people traded for the cost of footwear. • Amos 8:6 repeats the indictment, linking it to dishonest scales and Sabbath violations. • Proverbs 22:22-23 warns against robbing the poor because the LORD will plead their case. • Isaiah 3:14-15 pictures leaders grinding the faces of the poor—exactly what Amos exposes. • Micah 2:2 describes coveting and seizing property; the sandal imagery may hint at legal transactions (Ruth 4:7-8) twisted to dispossess the helpless. summary Amos 2:6 delivers God’s unwavering verdict against Israel’s persistent, overflowing sins, spotlighting economic exploitation that treats the innocent and poor as merchandise. The LORD, whose voice the prophet conveys, announces judgment that will not be rescinded. Israel’s covenant privilege heightens, not lessens, accountability. God’s heart for justice, evident from Genesis to the Gospels, demands reverence for every image-bearer and warns every generation that indifferent oppression invites His righteous response. |
    |