Midras Amos 3:2: Otzar Midrashim, Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Aggadat Bereshit & Shemot Rabbah

Blessed be the name of the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He, who lives and endures forever and ever. As it says "But as I live" (Numbers 14:21) and "The Lord God is truth" (Jeremiah 10:10). He sees births and knows what will happen in the future, as it says "Declaring the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10). And no one can oppose Him, as it says "There is no one who can stay His hand" (Daniel 4:32).

R. Abahu introduced R. Safra to the minim [who collected government duties] as a great man. They freed him from duty for thirteen years. Once they met him and asked him to explain the following (Amos 3, 2) You, only have I loved, of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities.' If one is in bad humor, will he let it out on his friend? He could not explain this to them. They tied a piece of cloth around his neck and tormented him. R. Abahu came and asked them for the reason [of their treatment]. And they answered: "You introduced him to us as a great man, while he does not even know the explanation of a passage." "I told you he was a scholar in Talmud," remarked he, "but did I say that he was a master in the study of the Bible?" And to their question: "Why are you familiar with it?" he answered: "Because we have to discuss with you frequently, we give our attention to it." "Well," said they, "then you explain to us the above passage." He thereupon explained it to them thus: "I will do it in the form of a parable. There was once a creditor of two persons, one was a personal friend, and the other an enemy. From his friend, he demanded payments in small sums, but from his enemy he demands the whole debt at once."

The Holy One blessed be He is not exacting with any nation or tongue but only with Israel, as it says "You only have I known from all the families of the earth" (Amos 3:2). Even if, heaven forbid, Israel wants to cast off His yoke from themselves, the Holy One blessed be He does not let them but forcibly imposes His kingship upon them, as it says "That which comes up into your mind shall never happen" (Ezekiel 20:32) and it says "As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a strong hand and an outstretched arm" (Ezekiel 20:33).