Resource > Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable) >  Amos >  Exposition >  III. Visions that Amos saw chs. 7--9 >  C. Two more visions of impending judgment chs. 8-9 >  2. The Lord standing by the altar ch. 9 > 
The God who would punish 9:5-6 
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These verses describe the great God who would judge the Israelites. The section closes, "Yahweh is His name"(v. 6). What precedes that clause is a revelation of His person (name).

9:5 The judge is sovereign Yahweh who controls and leads armies, both heavenly armies of angels and earthly armies of soldiers. As sovereign, He is the one to whom all people and nations are responsible, not just Israel. He is the one who simply with a touch can cause the earth to melt, a figure that recalls the effect on ice when a human finger presses on it. He has the power to alter the course of human affairs as well so everyone mourns, if that is His choice. He causes the earth and human affairs to rise and fall, to ebb and flow, like the waters of the mighty Nile River.

9:6 He built His dwelling place in the heavens as a vaulted dome over the earth. He calls for the waters to leave the seas, rise up and form clouds, and pour down on the land. Since He has this control over the whole planet it is impossible to hide from Him or to escape His powerful hand. His name is Yahweh, the covenant keeping God whose sovereignty covers the universe (cf. 5:8).



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