"A MUCH-NEEDED HISTORY LESSON" (An Article by Christian Henry) ~ 8/28/25

“Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.” (Amos 2:9-11)

Sometimes, we may forget certain events or qualities of people over time. This is a relatively normal thing that happens as we age. The further we move from an event or person in time, the murkier they become in our recollection years later. For example, in the second grade, I had a teacher I really liked. She was really nice and a really good teacher, and aside from learning cursive (which I only use to sign my name) and her reading Flat Stanley to us, I don’t remember hardly anything else about the class. Her name was Ms. Owens, I think, but I really only remember that because she used to live on the same street as my Aunt Susan. This goes to show how spotty memory can become over time. The big difference in recollection seems to be whether or not the person or event bore a significant influence on our lives.

I can easily remember my AP US history teacher in 12th grade, Coach Clar, even down to certain running jokes he had with the class because: A) I really liked him, B) history is fascinating, and C) he influenced my life a good deal. Something that I don’t feel the same way about is any math class I had in school. Aside from a teacher or two and a general sense of hatred, I can’t recall much of anything from them. This harkens back to my point about memories being based on influence. Had I gotten more out of those classes, perhaps I would look back fondly and reminisce.

In this passage, the Prophet Amos is accusing the nation of Israel of forgetting what God had done for them in the past. The very God that they were now rebelling against was the same God who had formerly delivered them from slavery and was now sustaining them. Even if they weren’t around to see things like the Exodus itself (around 750 years passed between that and Amos’ time, so this is pretty safe to assume), they had no doubt heard stories about it.

We often need to be reminded of the mercies we have received, which should add to our guilt over the sins we have committed. Faithful ministers are a great means of reminding people of God, but it is God who raises them to do so. Sinners' own consciences will witness that they haven’t been shown any grace, and thus they do what they can to lead believers astray. As well, Satan loves corrupting the minds of young people who would look heavenward.

As a way to stave off this forgetful attitude, God uses Amos to give the Israelites a history lesson. He reminds them of God destroying the Amorites when they came out of Egypt. They were the mightiest nation of all Canaan and thus are used to represent the whole people. Here, the benefits which God had bestowed upon the Israelites are mentioned, so that it might appear how great their ingratitude was toward Him. These were men of a vast stature and remarkable strength, and God saw them through anyway.

In Verse 10, Amos alludes to their escape from bondage in Egypt and the forty years’ wandering in the wilderness as another reminder of God’s guiding hand. This period was initially a punishment for fickleness and cowardice against God’s commands. But in reality, God was using this time of “judgment” (of which we have only one or two events recorded in the Book of Numbers), by disciplining and organizing a tribe of restless wanderers into a nation.

Amos then turns from outward mercies to inward, from past to present, and from miracles of power to miracles of grace. God's past mercies live on in those of today, as the mercies of today are the assurance to us that we have a share in the past and vice versa. His miracles of grace are a token that the miracles of His power are not our condemnation. God had, from the time of Moses, raised Prophets and teachers from His people.

He had provided for His people then, and He will continue now.

History books and the like are essential for understanding our society's past. Likewise, one of the most critical elements about the Bible is that it serves as a history book. There are innumerable essential lessons taught in Scripture, but seeing the chronology is crucial to our understanding. Even if not every book is in timeline order, with some light research and study, it’s not challenging to come up with an order of events. We should thank God daily for giving us His written word to remind us of where we came from and the ways in which He has delivered His people in the past.