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Daily Devotions

Amos

Amos 
Day 
Day 36

"Can two walk together, unless they are agreed"

Text: Amos 3:3

A SERIES OF RHETORICAL QUESTIONS

The prophet Amos employed a series of rhetorical questions to drive home an important message.

“Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it?”
Amos 3:3-6

1. The essence of a rhetorical question

The answer is so obvious, no attempt is made to provide it.

2. Imageries employed

a) Two people walking together
Can they walk together unless they are in agreement.
The point: God and Israel as two people walking together.
b) A lion roaring
A lion would not roar unless it has caught something.
The point: The enemy of Israel is compared to a hungry lion.
c) Snares to trap birds
i) Nets put in the air.
ii) Snares on the ground.
The point: Israel was horribly ensnared (but the nation did not seem to comprehend this).
d) The trumpet blown
i) Usually to give warning to the city of impending disaster.
ii) The city dwellers would have every reason to be afraid.
The point: Israel was in danger of being overrun by the enemy but there had been little or no response.
e) Calamity in the city
i) Calamities are not usual.
ii) But if a calamity had occurred, how should it be understood?
The point: The Lord God was the Person who had caused the calamity to occur.

But Israel seemed to be ignorant of how to interpret what God was seeking to communicate to His people.
The calamity of being overwhelmed by the enemy had not been comprehended by the nation!