The Brotherly Covenant

The book of Amos is mainly a rebuke against the people of Israel and a warning to them if they would not repent.  They were not following the prophets that the Lord sent to them—they “commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not”—and their condemnation is somewhat expected given that they were not following up to their covenant as the people of the Lord (Amos 3:12).  The book also contains a few words of condemnation to the nation of Judah who likewise should have known better: “They have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments” (Amos 2:4).  Again we would in some sense expect this rebuke since the people of Judah knew the laws of God and were not following them.  Those who make promises to the Lord and don’t fulfil them are held accountable, for “he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation” (D&C 82:3).  But for those who know not the Lord, He still does expect a certain level of righteousness and holds them responsible for their actions even if they aren’t under covenant to observe specific requirements of His law.  The book of Amos also contains a short rebuke and warning for six specific nations who were not the covenant people, showing that Jehovah was aware of them and concerned about their actions.

It is instructive to see the reasons for the condemnation of these six nations—all of them seem to show that even for those who know not the Lord, He still expects that they be good to their neighbors.  To the people of Syria He said, “I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron” (Amos 1:3).  To the Philistines He said, “I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom” (Amos 1:6).  To Tyre we read this similar rebuke: “I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant” (Amos 1:9).  For Edom we have this condemnation: “I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever” (Amos 1:11).  Ammon received this rebuke: “I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border” (Amos 1:13).  Moab was chastised with these words: “I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime” (Amos 2:1).  Though I’m not familiar with the specific events that seem to be behind some of these condemnations, they seem to be all similar in that the nations had mistreated others.  Syria treated badly the people of Gilead; the Philistines and people of Tyre seem to have done something wrong to the Edomites; Edom killed “his brother” and didn’t have pity on others; Ammon abused the women of Giliead; and Moab did wrong to the king of Edom.  These nations were Gentiles and were not under covenant to keep the Law of Moses, so they were not condemned for disobeying that, but they did have the Light of Christ to know how to treat their brothers. 

No matter what religion or knowledge a people may have, the Lord always expects them to love others because they are born with at least that much understanding about right versus wrong.  The Lord gave this explanation of His great sadness at the wickedness of the children of men in the days of Enoch: “And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood” (Moses 7:33).  The Lord it seems was punishing these nations as recorded in Amos because they too did hate others and were without affection towards them.  I don’t know exactly what the “brotherly covenant” was that the Lord referred to when He chastised the people of Tyre, but I would like to think that this is the covenant we are all under as human beings.  Regardless of our faith or family, there is a covenant to be our brother’s keeper that we are all under as children of the same Father.