

6.21 Amos -- Restoration
Here is the great antithesis we noted in the introduction to the Prophets: interspersed with doom and gloom are promises of a future restoration. In Amos, this theme occurs in the final verses (Amos 9:11-14):
​
"In that day I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins—
and will rebuild it as it used to be (Amos 9:11).
​
There will not be total destruction (Amos 9:8), but a remnant will survive (Amos 3:12, Amos 5:3, Amos 5:15). Unlike the prior prophecies of judgment, no details of restoration are given. This brief note of hope is so contrary to the rest of the book that some liberal commentators ascribe the ending of Amos to a later author. Yet prophetic messages were not written down in the order they were spoken. So it is just as likely that the compiler of Amos' sayings decided to save the best for last, and to close the book on a prophecy that dealt with the last days.
According to Amos, in the indefinite future, on the day of the Lord, God will bring back the exiles, rebuild the “tent” of David, and cause Israel to rule over Edom and other nations -- nations that also bear the Lord’s name. This is very sketchy and hazy -- but it points to the time when all nations of the earth will bless themselves by Abraham. There is, however, no reference to a future Messiah.