Amos. A most amazing prophecy.

 Mic testing... excellent!

We are in the book of Amos in our journey through the Bible this year. As you may remember, this year we chose to focus on the Old Testament because we came to appreciate an important truth: if we understand the Old Testament, we will understand what shaped and guided the writing of the New Testament. The New Testament is not a story detached from the Old; it is the fulfillment of everything God had been revealing from the beginning. It is the story of God's promises reaching their climax in Christ Jesus, the man through whom people from every nation are drawn into the worship of the one true God.

As we have walked through the Old Testament, we have also discovered something fascinating about its structure. The historical storyline is carried primarily by ten books. It begins with the five books of Moses (the Pentateuch): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They are followed by Joshua, Judges (with Ruth fitting naturally into the period of the Judges), Samuel, Kings, and finally Chronicles. These books form the backbone of Israel's history.

Most of the remaining Old Testament books fit somewhere within this historical framework. Ruth fills in part of the period of the Judges. The Psalms and poetic writings often arise from events during the lives of David and others. The wisdom books belong largely to the united monarchy. Then, during the period covered by Kings and Chronicles, the prophets step onto the stage, speaking God's word into the events those books record. The only Old Testament book whose exact historical setting remains uncertain is Job, which is why it often stands somewhat apart from the historical sequence.

As we moved through Kings and Chronicles, we discovered that the first writing prophet was Jonah, followed by Amos, and then Obadiah. These are the earliest prophets whose messages were preserved as individual books. This does not mean prophecy began during the monarchy. Far from it! God had been speaking through prophets long before kings ever ruled Israel.

• Abraham is called a prophet (Genesis 20:7).
• Moses is described as a prophet unlike any before him (Deuteronomy 34:10).
• Samuel established prophetic leadership in Israel (1 Samuel 3).
• Elijah and Elisha faithfully proclaimed God's word.
• Gad and Nathan were significant to Davids leadership.

Many prophets never wrote books. Their messages were spoken, lived out, and faithfully preserved within Israel's history. Others left written records, either personally or through scribes whom God used to preserve their words for future generations.

With that background, we now arrive at the second of the writing prophets: Amos and what a remarkable book it is.

This prophecy is more like the calm before the storm. The book of Amos opens during what appeared to be one of the most successful periods in the history of Israel and Judah.

The northern kingdom was ruled by King Jeroboam II. Under God's mercy, Israel had recovered much of its lost territory, fulfilling the prophecy spoken through Jonah son of Amittai: "He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke by His servant Jonah the son of Amittai..." (2 Kings 14:25)

Meanwhile, in the south, King Uzziah strengthened Judah militarily and economically. His reign brought stability, prosperity, and continued temple worship (2 Chronicles 26). Everything appeared healthy, the economy was thriving, borders were secure, religion was flourishing and peace seemed to have returned.

But appearances can be deceiving.

Beneath the prosperity lay corruption: The rich exploited the poor, justice was for sale, religion had become an outward performance instead of heartfelt obedience. God was not impressed by all that and so He sent a shepherd.

Amos introduces himself simply:

"The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa..." (Amos 1:1)

Later he explains,

"I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock..." (Amos 7:14–15)

God did not choose a royal adviser or a priest. He chose an ordinary shepherd. In actual fact, he settled for a shepherd. This is very significant in the story of God and mankind.

Why?

Earlier Amos records God's accusation:

"You commanded the prophets, saying, 'You shall not prophesy,' and made the Nazirites drink wine." (Amos 2:12)

When people silence God's messengers, God simply raises up others. If the prophets are rejected, He sends a shepherd.

His address is pointing towards 8 audiences but he's only speaking to one, Israel. He starts North, then circles down east, south, west and into the center. A map will be a helpful guide as you do this study. Rather than confronting Israel immediately, Amos begins with the surrounding nations. Each announcement of judgment would likely have drawn agreement from his listeners; a loud "Yes!", an affirming "Judge them!", and maybe a "They deserve it!" attitude. Then, almost unnoticed, the circle becomes smaller.

Damascus - Gaza - Tyre - Edom - Ammon - Moab - Judah, and finally... Israel. One by one, every listener(Israelite) discovers that the sermon has been moving steadily toward them. It is one of the most brilliant prophetic messages recorded in Scripture. Let's look at each oracle individually.

Damascus: Violence Against Humanity.

The first target is Damascus, capital of Aram (Syria).

God declares, "For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four... because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron..." (Amos 1:3)

Their crime was extraordinary cruelty. They were treating people as though they were grain beneath iron sledges and God was offended by this greatly.

Within a few decades, Assyria conquered Damascus under Tiglath-Pileser III (2 Kings 16:9) and the judgement was fulfilled.

Gaza: Profiting From Human Lives.

Next comes Gaza. This are the philistines.

The Philistines captured entire communities and sold them into slavery. "They carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom." (1:6)

Human beings became merchandise, God's image-bearers became commodities and God would not overlook such evil.

Tyre: Breaking Covenant.

Tyre's greatest sin was betrayal "They did not remember the covenant of brotherhood"(1:9) Amos proclaimed.

Promises were abandoned whenever profit became more attractive. God remembers covenants even when people do not. This city and it's people were brought down by the hand of Alexander the great and his armies.

Edom: Hatred That Never Ends.

Edom pursued Israel with relentless bitterness. "He pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity..." (1:11)

This was hatred that had become a way of life. Remember when Israelites were crossing their land in the exodus period? Remember? Go check what they did. They kept at it through the years and with other nations and it got to God.

God notices long-nursed resentment just as surely as outward violence.

Ammon: Cruelty Beyond Imagination.

Ammon crossed another terrible boundary. "They ripped open pregnant women in Gilead..." (Amos 1:13) Even unborn children became victims of war.

God's judgment reveals how deeply He values human life.

Moab: Dishonouring Even the Dead.

Moab's hatred extended beyond death itself. "He burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom." (Amos 2:1)

Their contempt refused to end even at the grave.

But let's pause and ask why God was judging nations without not under the law?

• None of these nations stood at Mount Sinai.
• None received the Law through Moses.
• None celebrated Israel's festivals.

Yet God judged them. Why? Perhaps Amos' greatest theological lesson appears here. God is not merely God of Israel but God of all the earth. He is Creator of every nation and people's. He is the owner and the landlord. Many times humans forget this and think Kings and presidents own the earth or parts of it. No. God remains to be the holder of Earth's title deed. The psalmist knew this and sang about it.

"The earth is the LORD'S and the fullness thereof..." (Psalm 24:1)

Paul later explains why every nation remains accountable:

"When Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires... they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts." (Romans 2:14–15)

God judges people according to the light they have received. Israel possessed His written Law and the nations possessed His moral law written on their hearts. Neither lived faithfully.

Selah.

Only after addressing the surrounding nations does Amos finally confront God's own people.

Judah had received God's Law, yet

"They have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept His statutes." (Amos 2:4)

• Truth had been exchanged for lies.
• Religion continued.
• Obedience disappeared.

Then Amos turns to Israel and this is the longest accusation in the book.

• They sold the righteous for silver.
• They trampled the poor.
• They oppressed the weak.
• They corrupted worship.
• The wealthy prospered while justice collapsed.

Everything looked successful from the outside while everything was decaying on the inside. Within a generation, Amos' warnings became history.

• Assyria invaded the northern kingdom in stages during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III (2 Kings 15:29).
• Finally, after the siege begun by Shalmaneser V and completed under Sargon II, Samaria fell in 722 BC (2 Kings 17), bringing the northern kingdom to its end.

God's warnings are NEVER empty threats.

It is easy to read Amos while pointing our finger at Syria, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon or Moab.

That is exactly what Amos' audience did. They happily agreed as judgment fell upon everyone else. Then the prophet quietly turned the mirror toward them and the light landed on their darkness. That is Amos' enduring message: The greatest danger is not simply living in a sinful world but assuming God's warnings are always meant for somebody else.

The book leaves every generation with the same question: Will we repent while there is still time?

The writer of Hebrews echoes the same warning: "How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3)

Yet Amos does not leave us without hope. The Shepherd who once called Amos from the hills of Tekoa points us to another Shepherd, Christ Jesus.

• He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).
• He is the Prophet greater than Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22–23).
• He is the righteous Judge before whom every nation will stand.
• He is also the Savior who bore God's judgment in our place.

The only question that remains is whether we will listen to His voice today, before the day comes when every knee bows before Him as Judge.