20261104 | 새벽묵상 | 사람을 향한 죄악을 심판하시는 하나님 The God Who Judges Sins Against Humanity | 암/Amos 1:9~15

1:9 여호와께서 이와 같이 말씀하시되 두로의 서너 가지 죄로 말미암아 내가 그 벌을 돌이키지 아니하리니 이는 그들이 그 형제의 계약을 기억하지 아니하고 모든 사로잡은 자를 에돔에 넘겼음이라

10 내가 두로 성에 불을 보내리니 그 궁궐들을 사르리라

11 여호와께서 이와 같이 말씀하시되 에돔의 서너 가지 죄로 말미암아 내가 그 벌을 돌이키지 아니하리니 이는 그가 칼로 그의 형제를 쫓아가며 긍휼을 버리며 항상 맹렬히 화를 내며 분을 끝없이 품었음이라

12 내가 데만에 불을 보내리니 보스라의 궁궐들을 사르리라

13 여호와께서 이와 같이 말씀하시되 암몬 자손의 서너 가지 죄로 말미암아 내가 그 벌을 돌이키지 아니하리니 이는 그들이 자기 지경을 넓히고자 하여 길르앗의 아이 밴 여인의 배를 갈랐음이니라

14 내가 랍바 성에 불을 놓아 그 궁궐들을 사르되 전쟁의 날에 외침과 회오리바람의 날에 폭풍으로 할 것이며

15 그들의 왕은 그 지도자들과 함께 사로잡혀 가리라 여호와께서 말씀하셨느니라

Amos 1:9–15 (NIV)

9 This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Tyre,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,

disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,

10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre

that will consume her fortresses.”

11 This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Edom,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because he pursued his brother with a sword

and slaughtered the women of the land,

because his anger raged continually

and his fury flamed unchecked,

12 I will send fire on Teman

that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.”

13 This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Ammon,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead

in order to extend his borders,

14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah

that will consume her fortresses

amid war cries on the day of battle,

amid violent winds on a stormy day.

15 Her king will go into exile,

he and his officials together,”

says the LORD.

어제 말씀에 이어 이스라엘 주변국들을 향한 하나님의 심판 선언은 오늘도 계속됩니다. 오늘은 두로와 에돔과 암몬자손에 대한 심판의 말씀입니다. 그들이 많은 죄악을 행하였고 그 죄악의 분량이 차서 하나님께서 당신이 내리실 벌을 돌이키지 않겠다고 말씀하실 정도였지요. 그렇게 말씀하시면서 그들의 대표적인 죄악들을 언급하십니다. 그렇다면 그들이 행한 죄악 중에 가장 최악의 죄악들을 꼽으시겠지요. 그러면 같이 한 번 생각해 보죠. 이들이 하나님께 범할 수 있는 가장 최악의 죄악이 무엇일까요? 아마도 그것은 우상숭배와 같이 하나님께 직접적으로 반역하는 죄이지 않을까요? 그런데 어제의 말씀이나 오늘 말씀에서 하나님께서 꼽으시는 이들의 대표적인 죄악들은 모두 이들이 이스라엘에게 행한 죄악들입니다. 그리고 그 죄악들은 모두 사람과 사람 사이에 일어나는 신의나 긍휼의 부재, 또 분노나, 이기심, 잔인함 등의 문제를 다루고 있습니다. 우리는 이를 통해서 적어도 아모스서에서 말하는 하나님이 중요하게 생각하시는 것은 바로 사람을 향한 마음임을 알 수 있지요. 오늘은 “사람을 향한 죄악을 심판하시는 하나님”이라는 제목으로 말씀을 나누기 원합니다.

Introduction

Following yesterday’s word, God’s declaration of judgment upon the nations surrounding Israel continues today. Today’s passage speaks of His judgment upon Tyre, Edom, and the descendants of Ammon. Their sins were many—so full in measure that God declared He would not turn back His punishment.

As God declares this, He highlights their most prominent sins. Let us think about this together: What would be the worst sin these nations could commit against God? We might naturally assume it would be a sin of direct rebellion against Him, such as idolatry. Yet, in both yesterday’s text and today’s passage, the representative sins that God singles out are all sins committed against Israel—sins between human beings. They deal with the breach of trust, the absence of compassion, unbridled anger, selfishness, and cruelty. Through this, we learn that at least in the Book of Amos, what God deeply cares about is the posture of our hearts toward others.

Today, I pray we share God’s message under the title: “The God Who Judges Sins Against Humanity.”

              먼저는 두로에 대한 심판을 보기 원합니다. 두로는 이스라엘의 북서쪽에 위치한 해안 도시입니다. 항구를 중심으로 한 해안도시라서 일찍이 국제 무역과 상업의 중심지 역할을 했었지요. 그 얘기인 즉슨 이들은 상업적으로 매우 부유했던 나라이기도 했습니다. 하지만 이런 노른자 땅을 가지고 있으면 어떻습니까? 힘있는 나라들의 침입을 자주 받게 되지요. 그래서 그들은 주변 약소국들과 동맹을 맺는 것이 중요했습니다. 그 좋은 예가 두로와 이스라엘의 동맹이지요. 사무엘하 5:11을 보면 다윗이 왕이 되었을 때에 다윗의 궁전을 지으라고 두로 왕 히람이 기술자들과 자재들을 보내줍니다. 솔로몬 때에도 마찬가지로 열왕기하 5장을 보면 이들이 친목하여 약조를 맺는 것을 볼 수 있습니다. 그런 두로인데 오늘 본문 9절을 보니 이렇게 말씀하십니다. “그들이 그 형제의 계약을 기억하지 아니하고 모든 사로잡을 자를 에돔에 넘겼음이라” 자, 지금 아모스 시대는 다윗과 솔로몬 시대로부터 적어도 200여년이 흐른 뒤입니다. 그렇기 때문에 본문의 ‘그 형제의 계약’이 솔로몬 시대의 약조를 말하는 것인지는 알 수 없습니다. 그러나 한가지 확실한 것은 이들이 이스라엘과 형제로서 맺은 계약을 저버렸다는 것입니다. 여기서 계약이라는 원문의 단어는 하나님과의 언약이라고 할 때의 그 ‘언약’과 같은 단어입니다. 창세기에서 하나님께서 아브라함과 언약을 맺으실 때에 제물들을 가져다가 반으로 갈라서 놓으라고 하시지요. 이게 무슨 뜻인가? 동물의 사체를 반으로 가르고 계약자들이 그 사이를 지나갑니다. 만약 계약을 지키지 않는다면 내가 반으로 갈라진 이 제물들과 같이 되겠다는 뜻입니다. 두로가 이와 같은 ‘형제의 계약’을 이스라엘과 맺었습니다. 그리고는 그 신의를 저버렸다는 것입니다. 계약을 잊어버리고 에돔에 모든 사로잡은 자를 넘겨버렸습니다. 형제의 신의를 깨뜨린 것 뿐만 아니라 인신매매라는 사람을 팔아 넘기는 죄악을 행하였던 것입니다.

1. Judgment on Tyre: Breaking Brotherly Faith (vv. 9–10)

First, let us look at the judgment upon Tyre. Tyre was a coastal city located northwest of Israel. As a port city, it served early on as an international center for trade and commerce, which meant it was commercially wealthy. But what happens when a nation holds such prime, coveted land? It frequently faces invasion from powerful empires. Therefore, it was crucial for Tyre to form alliances with neighboring smaller states. A prime example was the alliance between Tyre and Israel.

In 2 Samuel 5:11, when David became king, King Hiram of Tyre sent craftsmen and cedar timber to build a palace for David. Likewise during Solomon’s reign, as recorded in 1 Kings, they maintained friendship and entered into a covenant with one another. Yet regarding this very Tyre, verse 9 of today's text declares:

“They sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood.”

Now, the era of Amos is at least two hundred years after the time of David and Solomon. Therefore, we cannot know for certain whether "the treaty of brotherhood" mentioned in the text refers specifically to the covenant made in Solomon's day. However, one thing is clear: they betrayed the covenant they had established with Israel as brothers.

The word for "treaty" or "covenant" in the original Hebrew (berit) is the exact same word used for God's covenant with His people. In Genesis, when God made a covenant with Abraham, He instructed him to bring animal sacrifices and cut them in half. The covenanting parties would walk between the split carcasses, signifying: "If I fail to keep this covenant, may I become like these slain animals." Tyre had made such a "covenant of brotherhood" with Israel. Yet they betrayed that solemn trust. They forgot the covenant and handed over entire communities of captives to Edom. Not only did they break brotherly faith, but they also committed the heinous crime of human trafficking—selling human beings for gain.

             다음은 에돔입니다. 에돔은 ‘붉다’ 라는 뜻으로 야곱의 형이었던 에서의 별명이자 에서의 후손들을 가르키는 말이지요. 우리가 잘 알다시피 야곱이 형 에서의 장자권을 빼앗음으로 에서는 평생 야곱을 적대하게 되었죠. 이는 야곱의 후손인 이스라엘과 에서의 후손인 에돔의 관계에까지 이어집니다. 이들을 향해 하나님께서는 이렇게 말씀하십니다. “그가 칼로 그의 형제를 쫓아가며 긍휼을 버리며 항상 맹렬히 화를 내며 분을 끝없이 품었음이라” 어찌보면 에서가 야곱을 적대하였던 것은 당연한 것일 수도 있습니다. 그러나 하나님께서는 세대를 이어가며 꺼지지 않는 그들의 분노를 그들의 죄악이라 말씀하십니다. 그들의 분노가 그들을 어떻게 만들었습니까? 앞에서 블레셋과 두로가 사로잡은 자들을 넘긴 곳이 바로 이들 에돔입니다. 무슨 말입니까? 이들이 끊임없이 복수를 원했다는 것입니다. 칼로 그의 형제를 쫓아가며 긍휼을 버렸다고 말씀하지 않으십니까? 여기서 “항상 맹렬히 화를 내며” 라는 말씀은 감정을 표출한다기 보다는 맹수가 먹이를 물어 찢는 행위를 말합니다. 즉, 직역하면 “그의 분노가 끊임없이 찢었다”라고 번역할 수 있지요. 끝이 없는 그들의 분노가 그들을 사람에 대한 긍휼을 잊게 만들었습니다. 무자비한 폭력의 노예가 되고 만 것입니다. 그러나 하나님은 이들의 무자비함과 그치지 않는 분노를 심판 하시겠다고 말씀하십니다.

2. Judgment on Edom: Unending Rage and Mercilessness (vv. 11–12)

Next is Edom. "Edom" means "red," which was the nickname of Jacob's brother, Esau, and the name used for Esau's descendants. As we well know, because Jacob took away his brother Esau's birthright, Esau held a lifelong hostility toward Jacob. This feud carried down through generations into the relationship between Israel (Jacob’s descendants) and Edom (Esau’s descendants).

To them, God says in verse 11:

“He pursued his brother with a sword and cast off all compassion, his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unceasingly.”

In a sense, Esau's initial resentment toward Jacob might seem understandable. But God calls their unquenchable, generation-spanning anger a grave sin. Where did their anger lead them? Edom was the very destination to which Philistia and Tyre handed over their captives! Edom constantly sought vengeance.

God says they pursued their brother with the sword and cast off all compassion. When Scripture says "his anger raged continually," it uses imagery not of simple human emotion, but of a wild beast tearing its prey to pieces. Literally, it can be translated as "his anger tore perpetually." Their endless fury caused them to lose all human compassion. They became slaves to ruthless violence. Yet God declares that He will judge their mercilessness and unceasing rage.

              다음은 암몬 자손입니다. 암몬 족속도 아브라함의 조카인 롯과 롯의 딸 사이에 근친상간으로 태어난 벤암미의 후손들이지요. 이들은 이스라엘과 친인척 관계인 나라임에도 불구하고 이스라엘 역사에서 계속 적대 세력으로 등장합니다. 그렇다면 하나님께서 말씀하시는 이들의 죄악은 무엇입니까? 13절에 “이는 그들이 자기 지경을 넓히고자 하여 길르앗의 아이 밴 여인의 배를 갈랐음이니라.” 여기서 지경이라고 나와있는 단어는 땅과 땅을 나누는 경계를 뜻하는 단어입니다. 신명기 19:14과 27:17은 바로 이 ‘경계표를 옮기지 말라’고 말씀하십니다. 그런데 암몬은 힘으로 그 경계를 무너뜨린 것이지요. 재미있는 것은 신명기 2:19을 보면 정작 하나님께서는 이스라엘에게 이들의 경계를 침범하지 말라고 말씀하셨다는 것입니다. 하나님은 이들의 경계를 정해주시고 그 경계를 존중해주신 것이지요. 그러나 그들은 자신들의 영토 확장이라는 이기심을 위하여 하나님이 정해주신 경계를 넘고 그뿐만 아니라 임신한 여인과 태중의 생명까지 잔혹하게 죽인 것입니다. ‘아이 밴 여인의 배를 가른다’는 표현은 이들의 극단적인 폭력과 잔인함을 보여주고 있습니다. 그러나 하나님은 이를 이들의 대표적인 죄악이라고 말씀하십니다. 한 국가의 영토 확장이나 힘의 논리가 인간 생명을 짓밟는 명분이 될 수 없음을 분명히 말씀하고 계시는 것입니다.

3. Judgment on Ammon: Cruelty Driven by Greed (vv. 13–15)

Next are the descendants of Ammon. The Ammonites were descendants of Ben-Ammi, born through Lot and his daughter. Although they shared a familial bloodline with Israel, they continually appeared as an enemy nation throughout Israel's history.

What then was their sin according to God? Verse 13 states:

“Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders.”

The word translated as "border" or "territory" here refers to the boundary lines dividing land. Deuteronomy 19:14 and 27:17 explicitly command: "Do not move your neighbor's boundary stone." Yet Ammon destroyed those boundaries by sheer force.

What is striking is that in Deuteronomy 2:19, God explicitly instructed Israel not to encroach upon Ammon's territory. God Himself established Ammon's boundaries and respected them. Yet Ammon, driven by selfish greed for territorial expansion, crossed the boundaries ordained by God and brutally slaughtered pregnant women and the unborn life within their wombs.

The expression "ripped open the pregnant women" reveals their extreme violence and cruelty. Yet God singles this out as their chief sin. He makes it unmistakably clear that national expansion or the logic of power can never serve as a justification for trampling upon human life.

말씀을 맺습니다. 본문에서 하나님께서 지적하시는 죄악들은 모두 사람을 향한 죄악들이었습니다. 자신의 이득을 위해 약자를 짓밟는 행위를 하나님은 반드시 심판하신다고 말씀하십니다. 우리도 우리의 이득과 성공을 위하여 다른 사람의 처지에 흐린 눈을 하거나 외면할 때가 있습니다. 그러나 하나님이 구하시는 것은 약속과 신의, 긍휼함과 용서, 보호와 생명입니다. 이는 모두 우리가 우리의 이웃에게, 우리의 가족에게, 우리의 교회에 행해야 하는 것입니다. 나의 욕망이나 유익이 아닌 하나님의 형상을 지닌 내 이웃을 존귀하게 여기며 보호하시는 여러분 되시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다.  

Conclusion

All the sins pointed out by God in today's passage were sins committed against fellow human beings. God declares that He will without fail judge any act that tramples the weak for personal gain.

We too are sometimes tempted to turn a blind eye or look away from the plight of others for the sake of our own benefit and success. But what God requires of us is faithfulness to our promises, compassion, forgiveness, and the protection of life. These are the very duties we must practice toward our neighbors, our families, and our church.

I pray and bless you in the name of the Lord that you may treat your neighbors—who bear the holy image of God—with honor and protection, rather than pursuing your own desire or gain.

Let us pray.