“¹¹In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and closeup the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it asin the days of old: ¹² That they may possess the remnant of Edom, andof all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeththis” (Amos 9:11-12).

Amoswas not originally a prophet. He was a herdsman and a gatherer of sycamorefruit (7:14). He lived inTekoa, a village about 5 miles South of Bethlehem. One day when he wasshepherding his flock, the LORD said unto him: “Go, prophesy unto my people Israel”(Amos 7:15).

AlthoughHe lived in the South, and had no training as a prophet, Amos was to become aprophet in the North.

Thatwas in the middle of the 8^th century BC, about 750 years beforeChrist was born. It was during the reign of Uzziah king of Judah in the South, and of Jeroboam II king of Israelin the North.

Therewas relative peace between the Northern Kingdomand the Southern Kingdom during this time. And Israel was also enjoying a periodof respite from foreign interference. The superpowers Egypt, Babylonand Assyria were all rather weak at this time.

But Israelwas facing another danger. She was facing the internal danger of deadformalism. She was “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”(2 Tim 3:5). She was zealous in outward acts of religion, and even desired theday of the Lord like the foolish virgins in our Lord’s parable (5:18). But her heart was far fromthe Lord. She was a stranger to the true Gospel. And that resulted in manyproblems such as idolatry and social injustice. Amos would preach against theseand other sins.

Amosbegins his prophecy with a roar of the lion (v. 2). This is the roar of thelion of Judah.He roars from Zionwhere his throne among men was. Amos records 8 roars. Six of these are directedagainst the enemies of God’s people. The first roar was directed against Damascus (v. 3); the second against Gaza(v. 6); the third against Tyrus (v. 9); the fourth against Edom (v. 11); the fifth against Ammon (v. 13)and the sixth against Moab(chap 2, v. 1).

Now,if you have a map of ancient Palestine,one of the things that you must do is to locate all these cities in the ordergiven. How are the cities arranged? If you trace the cities, you will quicklyrealise that they are arranged like a whirlpool leading to Israel! The seventh roar isdirected against Judah andthe eighth against Israel!

God’speople must know God is holy and just. His judgement is fair and impartial.Therefore, Israelherself will not escape the judgement of God when she sins against God. Infact, the next part of this prophecy (chapters 3-6) is made up of five sermonsof condemnation against Israel;and then the remaining of the book, from chapter 7 to verse 10 of chapter 9,contains five visions portraying the destruction of the nation. It is only inthe concluding portion of this prophecy that we have a positive word ofprophecy and promise about the restoration of Israel.

Inthis study, as part of our series on the Great and Precious Promises of God, wemust consider the famous promise of Amos found in this climax of his prophecy.In particular, we want to look at verses 11-12—

¹¹ In that day willI raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breachesthereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days ofold:  ¹² That they may possessthe remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saiththe LORD that doeth this.

Youmay realise that this is both a prophecy and a promise. This is a famousprophecy because it was quoted by James the Lord’s brother at the firstassembly of elders and apostles at Jerusalem.The quotation of James may be found in Acts 15:16-17.

Let’sconsider this promise under three heads. First, it is needful for us tounderstand what this promise is not about. Secondly, let’s consider what it isabout. Thirdly, let us consider how we should respond to this promise.

1. What this Promise is Not About?

The LORD says through Amos:

¹¹ In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, andclose up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will buildit as in the days of old:

What does He mean? Well, the tabernacle of Davidrefers to the dynasty or kingly line of David, so literally what the LORD meansis that He would restore the kingdom of David to its formerglory and splendour.

Remember that this Amos was ministering in theNorth. In the South, King Uzziah, who was a fairly good king, was on thethrone. The Davidic throne would remain in Jerusalem for yet another136 years. But Amos appears to be seeing its declension and prophesying that itwould be so weakened that it must be raised up again.

Worse yet, in the North, Jeroboam II was on the throne.Jeroboam descended from Jehu rather than David. Jehu’s dynasty was the 5^thin the north; and it would not be the last. In fact, things were getting frombad to worse so fast that in about 60 years, the LORD would cast aside Israeland allow her to be destroyed and scattered abroad.

Itappears that God’s promise is to restore the throne of David in Jerusalem; to unite the kingdom and to rebuild the nationfrom Tipzah to Gazato its past glory. Now, this seems to be what this promise is about, and I suspectthat many orthodox Jews today are still looking forward to the fulfilment ofthe prophecy and promise.

But Iwill put it to you that if you compare Scripture with Scripture, you will seethat this is not how the Holy Spirit intends for us to understand thisprophecy.

Whatthen?

2. Whatthis Promise is About?

Perhapsthe best way for us to start understanding what the prophecy and promise ofAmos is about is to consider how it is used in the New Testament.

Now,as I mentioned, it is quoted by James in Acts 15. The context, as you can see,is a discussion pertaining to the place of Gentile believers during theassembly at Jerusalem.Remember that the church at that time compromised mostly Jewish converts. TheJews were circumcised from young and they were taught how to walk before God.They knew the traditions and the Law so there was a certain homogeneity amongthe early believers. But things began to change as Gentiles began to join thechurch. Indeed some of the churches were predominantly Gentile. The assembly,which comprised Jewish elders and apostles, needed to decide first of allwhether it was supposed to be so—that Gentiles were to be added en masse; and secondly, if so, how thechurch should deal with the Gentile converts.

Itwas essentially to answer the first question that James quoted Amos 9:11-12—

“¹⁶ After this I will return, and will buildagain the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again theruins thereof, and I will set it up: ¹⁷ That the residue of menmight seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,saith the Lord, who doeth all these things” (Acts 15:16-17).

Now, there is a technical difference between whatwe have in Amos and James’ quotation. The difference is that where Amos has ‘Edom’,James has it as ‘men’. Well, actually, the original Hebrew was without vowelpointings, so Edomand Adam, which denote “man”, are written in exactly the same way. But it ismore likely that James understood under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit thatAmos’ prophecy has to do with the remnant of men and not just the remnant of Edom—Edom after all is part of all men.

But in any case, it is significant that Jamesuses the term ‘men’ rather then ‘Edom’; and it is also significant,that he quoted the prophecy in the context of the debate about Gentilebelievers. You see, what James is essentially telling the assembly is that whatwas happening, namely, the influx of Gentiles, is a fulfilment of prophecy!

Jamesunderstood that the restoration of the tabernacle of David was not something inthe future, but something that had already happened in the events leading up tothe assembly, namely, the life, death, resurrection and ascension of the LordJesus Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church. Theseevents, according to James, paved the way for salvation of the Gentiles asprophesied by Amos!

Yousee, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was indeed a descendant of David. Hewould be King, though He would not sit on the throne in Jerusalem. He would conquer Satan and sin onbehalf of His people by dying for their sin. He would conquer death by risingfrom the dead. And as a conquering king, He ascended up to heaven to be seatedon the right hand of the throne of God as the King of kings and Lord of lords.As King, He would gather the Israel of God into one by first sending the giftof the Holy Spirit in great measure upon His people; and them mobilising His peopleto lead others into the Kingdom, many of whom would be Gentiles by nature.

In Amos, this task appointed for the church isworded in verse 12—“That they [i.e. thesubjects of the kingdom of David] may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen.”James paraphrases as “That the residue of men might seek the Lord.…”

Now,all this might have been surprising to many who heard Amos. And so it was spokenof as a mystery by the apostle. But it is a mystery that has now been revealed—

“That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of thesame body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (Eph 3:6)

ChristJesus has restored the Tabernacle of David. He has opened the gates of theTabernacle so that the Gentiles might come in. The Israel of God would know aglory and growth that she has never known before in the entire history ofredemption. The Prophecy and Promise has been fulfilled and is being fulfilledfor the full number of the elect Gentiles that have yet to come in.

So…

3. WhatShould Our Response Be?

Letme suggest 3 responses.

a. On a technical note, I think it is essentialfor us to learn from a text such as this on how Old Testament prophecies andpromises should be interpreted. You see, were it not for the inspiredcommentaries in the New Testament, we might be tempted to think that Amos’prophecy points to a future time, perhaps in a future millennium asdispensationalists would have us believe. But when you look at Old Testamentprophecies in the light of the New Testament, you cannot but see that in fact,the prophecies and promises have been fulfilled or are being fulfilled inChrist and his church.

So the prophecy of Amos in regard to therestoration of the Tabernacle of David is not irrelevant to us; and neitherdoes it demand a heightened political interest in what is happening in Israel.No, no; the prophecy of Amos and in fact all the Old Testament prophecies havedirect relevance to us. Rarely if ever are they ultimately about the land of Palestineor the people who live in Palestine.

b. But now secondly, the prophecy and promise ofAmos ought to fill our hearts with gratitude as Gentile believers. The prophecyof Amos, we must remember, was a key consideration that determined the decisionof the Assembly at Jerusalem.Now, of course, the Holy Spirit could have led the men to a different passagefor the same effect, but the fact is that He chose Amos 9:11-12. So this textis clearly important and ought to be remembered by us.

Whatshall we remember? Shall we not remember especially that the LORD raised up theTabernacle of David so that we might be led to seek the Lord and His kingdom?Shall not our hearts be thankful to the Lord for all that He has done for oursalvation both in His suffering and death, and in His ordering of providence?Shall not our gratitude translate to a life of thankfulness that magnifiesChrist?

c.But now thirdly, since the Lord raised up the Tabernacle of David so that wemight be led to seek Him, so we must understand that this is a mission for thechurch of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, the Tabernacle of David does not operatefrom Jerusalemtoday. It operates from the church. Christ is in command at the right hand ofthe throne of God. But He has sent His Spirit; and has appointed His ministersand under-shepherds. He has given the keys of the kingdom to them; and He hascommitted the Great Commission to them and to the members of the churchlabouring together with them.

Becausethe Jewish-Christian fathers in the first century took seriously theircommission and charge, we are where we are today.

Today,the kingdom of Christ is marching on; and there isstill a remnant among the Gentiles who must be led to seek the Lord and callupon His name. What shall we do as those who have tasted of the Lord’s mercies?Shall we not join in great work of calling sinners unto Christ as good soldiersof the Lord Jesus Christ our King?

Ohmay the Lord grant us that our gratitude may not just be in words, but in deedand in truth!

Conclusion

Belovedbrethren and children, how does the church look like to you today? Does it looklike it is in ruins? Or does it look like the Tabernacle of David has beenrestored, the ruins are being repaired and the breaches are being closed up?

It is sad that many sectors of Christendom looks like it is still in ruin. This is so because of sin. But what about the sector you are in? Do you see that Christ is on the throne? Do you see the ruins and breaches being repaired? Do you see the army of Christ conquering in the name of the King? Oh beloved brethren, let us awake from our slumber and discouragement. Let us awake to labour like our fathers in the faith during Haggai and Zechariah’s days. Let us labour on with the full assurance that the Lord has kept and will keep His promises. Amen. Ω