Albert Barnes Commentary Amos 3:7

"Surely the Lord Jehovah will do nothing, except he reveal his secret unto his servants the prophets." — Amos 3:7 (ASV)

Surely the Lord God will do—for the Lord God “does.”

Nothing, but He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets—So our Lord says, “And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, you may believe” (John 14:29).

While it is still a “secret” counsel within Himself, He admits His servants the prophets to it. The same word signifies “secret” and “secret counsel with a friend.”

So, “God revealed to Noah that He would bring the deluge, and to Abraham and Lot that He would destroy the cities of the plain, and to Joseph the seven years’ famine in Egypt, and to Moses its plagues, and to Moses and Joshua all the chastisements of His people, and to Jonah the destruction of Nineveh, so that those who heard of the coming punishment might either avoid it by repentance, or, if they should despise it, might be more justly punished.

“And so now the Lord is about to reveal through Amos, His servant and prophet, what He wills to do to the ten tribes, so that by forsaking their idols and turning to Him, they might be freed from the impending peril; which is of the great mercy of God.

“He foretells evil to come, so that He may not be compelled to inflict it.

“For He who forewarns does not wish to punish sinners.”

Lap.: “So He did not inflict on Egypt any plagues by the hand of Moses, but He first forewarned Pharaoh and the Egyptians by him; nor the sufferings by the Ammonites, Midianites, and Philistines, related in the Book of Judges, but He forewarned Israel by Joshua (Joshua 23:12–16; Joshua 24:19–20).

“Nor did He inflict on the Jews that destruction by Titus and the Romans, but He forewarned them by Christ (Luke 19:42–44) and the Apostles.

“So neither will He bring that last destruction on the world without having first sent the prophets and Angels, who, sounding with the seven trumpets, shall proclaim it throughout the world” (Revelation 8:2).