"Nations Seeking GOD"

"On that day, I shall restore the fallen hut of David and wall up its breaches, and raise its ruined walls; and so build it as in days of old.

They shall conquer the remnant of Edom, and the neighboring nations, upon which MY name has been called.  Thus says YAHWEH, the one who will do this.

YAHWEH says also, 'The days are coming when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes overtake the sower.  The mountains shall drip sweet wine and all the hills shall melt.

I shall bring back the exiles of MY people Israel; they will rebuild the desolate cities and dwell in them.  They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will have orchards and eat their fruit.  I shall plant them in their own country and they shall never again be rooted up from the land which I have given them,' says YAHWEH your GOD." - Amos 9:11-15 

(In this text--written after the exile of Israel--we have the promise of the future reuniting of the kingdoms, Israel and Judah, into a single people of GOD.  The apostle James will refer to this promise, to show that GOD wills to extend the salvation earned by JESUS to all the nations, and not only to Israel [see Acts 15:16].  Notice that James quotes this text in a different form from what it is here.  This is due to the fact that the apostles were using the Greek translation of the Scriptures, which many times changed the meaning, not to be unfaithful to the primitive text but rather because, in the course of time, the Jews had a better understanding of the will of GOD.  For example, here Amos is speaking about Israel "conquering the nations" which, at the time, seemed to be a great favor from GOD.  The Jews who later translated the Scriptures into other languages spoke of the "nations seeking GOD" because, in the meantime, the prophets had meditated deeply on GOD's plan.)

On-Site