Amos 3 picks up where the previous chapter left off. We’ve seen that Israel will be held accountable before God, just like heathen nations. Now the prophet advances his argument. Not only does Israel have no special position from which they may sin with impunity, they actually have a higher obligation for holiness because of how graciously God has dealt with them. Unless they repent, Israel’s judgment will be even greater than that of the pagans. The basic premise is easily understood: privilege brings responsibility. In the case of Israel, God had “known” them in a unique way. Of course, all nations have experienced something of God’s common grace. But the favor spoken of in these verses is not universal. “You only have I known,” the LORD says. He chose Abraham and his descendants, not by merit, but entirely according to the free pleasure of His will. Then He brought the nation out of Egypt where they had suffered in slavery. This amazing election and redemption of Israel could only be attributed to the grace and power of God. But these awesome privileges also bring increased scrutiny and peril! It is precisely because they have rejected His special love that they will be punished for all their sins (v 1-2). Knowing that his audience will resist this line of reasoning, Amos launches a series of rhetorical questions designed to draw them in and help them think more clearly. With each new question, the point comes into greater focus. Simply put, events have causes. People walk together because they have agreed to do so. A lion roars because it has killed its prey. A trap springs because some bird or animal has triggered it. A warning trumpet sounds because a dangerous enemy has been sighted. If we stop to think about it, every event that happens has some precipitating cause (v 3-6a). But the prophet’s next question drives home the point with an astonishing application. “Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?” (v 6b). Even many Christians are reluctant to use this kind of language. When tragedy strikes, people may speak of bad luck, coincidence, or impersonal “acts of nature.” They may blame the devil, or perhaps imagine a well-meaning God who’s doing His best, but slips up now and then. But Amos believes in divine providence. God may use secondary causes, and He is never the author of evil, but this is God’s world, where nothing happens apart from His sovereign will. Amos also believes that disasters are God’s warnings of the coming judgment. When we hear the lion roar, should we not repent, rather than get angry at His messengers? “The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?” (v 7-8). For further meditation: