As though a veil has been removed, in this, the fifth and final vision given to Amos, we find the chief Agent of judgment to be the Lord Himself. The Sovereign Lord of the universe has now replaced the human offering of ripe fruit beside the altar. Alec Motyer writes in The Bible Speaks Today (©1974 Inter-Varsity) Commentary on Amos: The counterfeit is replaced by the real, the human by the divine, the king who had come to prop us his dynasty by the King who had come to throw it down. The day of pretence was over and the war on pretence had begun.
Once God comes in wrath there is no escape for man; there is no supernatural or natural refuge where he may run. There is one thing that is worse than death itself, and that is the wrath of an angry God. Under such wrath, death itself may even be sought as an escape (see Jer 8:3, Hos 10:8, Luke 23:27-31, Rev 6:16-17). It is the essence of the human’s sinful nature to try to escape encountering God. From the very first sin, after which Adam and Eve sought to hide themselves from God, mankind has ever since sought to throw a cloak of religion and pretence over his self-governed life. People use God and religion to cover their own selfish desires. But the Psalmist knew of God’s omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-8): Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
