Normally people become uncomfortable when they hear about God’s justice and punishment of sin. In many churches God’s love is emphasized in such a way that people are surprised to read about the Lord’s plans to destroy sinful nations. But we must be thankful that the Lord God is like this. When we read about the atrocities that have been done in history—the genocides in Rwanda, the prison camps in North Korea and China, the treatment of believers in Somalia and Afghanistan. At a more personal level, when we sit down with those who have been abused and mistreated, we can comfort ourselves and them with the good news that God is just and he will punish sin. The good news is that the Lord God cares about the people whom he has made. No matter what happens or where something takes place, God knows about it, and one day there will be perfect justice.
God’s justice is not something of which we must be ashamed. It is good news; the kings of the earth, the governments of the world—everyone will be held accountable for their actions. Yet the good news does not end there. We are not just thankful to the Lord that he is a judge who will punish sin, we are also thankful that he is perfectly just.
In the seventh oracle, Amos turns his attention to Judah. For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment
(Amos 2:4). This oracle is very similar to the previous ones, but the one big difference, of course, is that it is no longer pagan nations who are being spoken to but God’s own covenant people. That is why the crime is also somewhat different. Not a crime against humanity, but transgression of God’s law. The people of Judah had the privilege of special revelation—they had certainty about what God wanted from them and how they were to worship him. They knew more about God than any other nation; he dwelled in their midst. But they still chose to ignore him and follow the lies of their fathers.
By mentioning Judah (and Israel), the Holy Spirit confirms to us that the Lord is an impartial judge. He does not ignore the sins of his people. Being part of the covenant community, having knowledge of God’s law and the mark of circumcision in your flesh, these things will not excuse you from God’s justice. Judah is guilty before the Lord, and therefore Judah will also face God’s wrath. The Lord God who judges is perfectly just.
3 Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.