Amos-judgment 1 starting with Damascus

Good morning all.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!
   From Amos 1:3 to 2:16 is the judgment upon the Nations.  We will start with the judgment upon Syria, verses 3-5.  As Amos delivers the word of the judgments he begins from the north to south and then from east to west, then he focuses on the target.
    Damascus is the capital city of Syria and is to be especially stricken because of the cruelties Syria had visited upon Israel. 
³ This is what the Lord says:     “For three sins of Damascus,  even for four, I will not relent.
Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth,       When Amos says three, no four transgressions this is his way of saying they are guilty of many offenses and judgment is coming.  If understood mathematically three transgressions fill the cup and the fourth one causes it to overflow; therefore, judgment (from God) must fall and once it is announced it cannot be revoked.
    Because she threshed Gilead  with sledges having iron teeth--this relates to the offense of Syria threshing the people of Gilead with iron threshing instruments.  A threshing machine beats the grain out of the husks, such is what they did to the people. Gilead was the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh.  It was next to Syria on the north.
⁴ But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.
     The offenses were by Hazael and his son Benhadad and God would send a terrible judgment against them.  As in this case it is in the form of a consuming fire.
  ⁵ I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the Lord.
   God will break down the gate of Damascus and the enemies will take the city.  The plain of Aven was a beautiful area between Damascus and lebanon and the area where they did sun worship and idolatry.  The people here were to be cut off or completely destroyed and the rest of the people of Syria will go into captivity. The king of Syria did give abuse to Israel.  Kir (Kur), located in Armenia near the River Kur is in the former Republic of Georgia of the former Soviet Union on the east coast of the Black Sea.
   This judgment was realized when the king of Assyria, Tiglath-pileser, came against Damascus and took the people captive.
   Okay, we are through the first judgment with only 8 more to go.  Hang in there with me and maybe we can learn something important about turning away from God. This is the first. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
  Johnny