In February of 1996, NFL owner Art Modell did the unthinkable. He moved the storied Cleveland Browns franchise to Baltimore. They would become the Baltimore Ravens. The Cleveland Browns were no more.
If you followed the NFL this season, you know that one of the playoff teams was the Cleveland Browns. How’d that happen? Well, in 1999, the NFL approved a new franchise in Cleveland. They would call themselves… drum roll… the Browns. But the Cleveland Browns today are not technically the same Cleveland Browns before 1996.
To someone unfamiliar with this history, it will be assumed that the Browns today are the same as the Browns of yesteryear. Something similar takes place in the area known as Gaza. In the book of Amos, the prophet mentions the “sins of Gaza.” The untrained reader who has been hearing news of Gaza will assume that the Gaza of Amos is the Gaza of today’s news.
It is not.
Who was the Gaza of the time of Amos? And what did they do to incur God’s judgment?
Where Was Gaza?
In his prophecy, Amos moves from the northeast corner to the southwest in his second indictment against the nations. Gaza is a city, as was Damascus in Amos’ first indictment. But it is representative of the entire nation of the Philistines. It is also an area of Canaanite settlement.
Gaza was on the desert route from Jerusalem to Ethiopia. It was on the border of Israel and Egypt near the Mediterranean Sea. Gaza today is in the same place that Gaza was. But, much like the illustration with the Browns/Ravens, it is much different than it was in Amos’ day. It’s not even the same people group.
The city itself was owned by many empires throughout history. It appears at various points throughout the Bible.
Where Does Gaza Appear in the Bible?
Gaza is first listed in Genesis 10:19 as one of the cities of the Philistines. It was also associated with the Canaanite conquest. This was part of the land that was conquered by the Israelites in Joshua. Gaza is mentioned in Joshua 10:41. After being conquered, the land of Gaza was given to the tribe of Judah.
Gaza appears again in Judges 1:18 as having been reconquered by the Philistines. The city plays a somewhat prominent role in the story of Samson. It was in a prison in Gaza that Samson was taken after being captured. Even though Samson regained strength and pulled down the temple—the Philistines maintained significant control of the land.
By the time of the kings, the Philistines still controlled Gaza. During the reign of Hezekiah, the Philistines were defeated “as far as Gaza and its territory.” It is mentioned in the prophecy of Jeremiah as well as in the minor prophets Zephaniah and Zechariah. Its destruction was prophesied by each of them.
We also learn from history that much of this was fulfilled. Wikipedia summarizes their history:
Originally a Canaanite settlement, it came under the control of the ancient Egyptians for roughly 350 years before being conquered and becoming one of the Philistines' principal cities. Gaza became part of the Assyrian Empire around 730 BC. Alexander the Great besieged and captured the city in 332 BC. Most of the inhabitants were killed during the assault, and the city, which became a center for Hellenistic learning and philosophy, was resettled by nearby Bedouins. The area changed hands regularly between two Greek successor-kingdoms, the Seleucids of Syria and the Ptolemies of Egypt, until it was besieged and taken by the Hasmoneans in 96 BC.
Gaza appears briefly in the New Testament as well. It was on the road to Gaza that Philip shared the gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch.
What Did They Do in Amos’ Day?
This is the message which Amos delivered for Gaza:
Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
Because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom.So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour her strongholds.
I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,” says the Lord GOD. (Amos 1:6-8)
The offense here is that they “carried into exile a whole people.” And they sent them to Edom. To what this is referencing, there is some debate. It could mean that a relatively peaceful people were captured and taken off into exile. Or it could be referencing the common practice of capturing a nation through military conquest and then exiling them to another land.
We also do not know their identity. What country were the enslaved originally from? Is this referring to what happened to the Israelites or Judah? Is this another nation this has happened to? We cannot know for certain. Perhaps the lack of specifics here is intentional. It is not a specific act that is in Amos’ mind but rather the act of slave trading itself. Smith says it well:
The concern of Amos seems to have been the freedom and dignity of persons regardless of their national origin. Sale of such captives for use as slave laborers was to treat precious humans made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27) as mere commodities. The driving force behind these atrocities was nothing higher than the profit of the mighty. (Smith, Page, pg. 51)
God will judge all man-stealing. Anytime we treat other humans as if they are not made in the image of God, we fall under His ire. This practice of which the Philistines, among other nations, were guilty, would not go unpunished.
How Should We Respond?
Certainly, one way we respond to this passage is by acknowledging the sinfulness of slavery. When we fight for the eradication of this evil—whether it be the chattel slavery of our past or modern-day sex trafficking—we are fighting against evil, which God hates.
God responds to their action of enslaving an entire people by speaking of the same fiery judgment that would fall upon Damascus. God is holy and good and will not tolerate the evil of positioning ourselves above other humans. Slavery is an abomination to God. And he will not turn a blind eye to this injustice.
I don’t want to minimize the horrors of slavery by likening it to something like an unjust boss. But there is a connection here between those in power who inflict evil upon those in their charge. When we are on the receiving end of these injustices, a verse like this can be encouraging. God will vindicate those who have been unfairly treated—and those who have had precious things taken from them. It is good to know that God will judge those who have harmed us.
But Amos’ primary concern isn’t really the sin of Gaza. He is doing something else with the people of Israel. He is activating their sense of justice. The Israelites are perhaps on the receiving end of having precious people among them kidnapped and deported. If they haven’t already experienced this at the hands of the Philistines, they will experience it from the Assyrians and then the Babylonians.
Amos is invoking their sense of horror at this practice, but he is going to turn it in a moment. They will need to apply this same horror when they look at their sin against God. God not only doesn’t turn a blind eye to the man-stealing of their neighbors—he won’t turn a blind eye when they, too, are debasing those made in the image of God.
This is ultimately a call to repentance, not only for Gaza but also for the Israelites. It is only in the mercy of God that any nation can find healing and forgiveness. God will not overlook any of our sins. We must flee to God for refuge and mercy.
To continue reading Amos' messages to the nations, click here.
Sources:
Billy K. Smith and Franklin S. Page, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, vol. 19B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 51.
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