Salvation Oracles (Amos 9:10-15). By David Buck

After reading Amos, chapter nine verses ten through fifteen, I have come to the conclusion that this scripture is fit to be classified as a salvation oracle. I was able to come to this conclusion by recognizing that this message came directly from God and was addressed to the people of Israel to comfort them by making a promise of deliverance and restoration after He had just pronounced judgment on them for their sinfulness. Here God promised Israel, that sometime after their destruction, He would restore them to their own land, never to be uprooted again. The imagery in chapter nine is one of destruction and death to Israel in Amos 9:1-10. Then one of restoration and return to God in Amos 9:11-15. The response that God expected from Israel after this judgment and restoration was a response of repentance and rededication to Him. This oracle stands out in the book of Amos because the rest of the book is all about God’s judgment on Israel and its neighbors for their sinfulness. Only in the last five verses of the entire book of Amos can you find a salvation oracle. From reading this story I am reminded of God’s grace, mercy, and loving-kindness. God did not owe it to Israel to restore them and deliver them from the sinful state in which they had gotten themselves into. He could have just placed judgment upon them and allowed them to be destroyed, never to exist again. He could have very well done the same to us, but thanks be to Him for his redemption of sinners!