September 8, 2025
What kind of worship does the Lord desire?
Amos 1-5
Becca Loritz
Big Book Idea
Amos seeks to wake and warn Israel from complacency and of coming judgment.
Key Verse | Amos 5:21-23
"I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen."
Amos 1-5
Chapter 1
1 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds 1 1:1 Or sheep breeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years 2 1:1 Or during two years before the earthquake.
Judgment on Israel's Neighbors
2 And he said:
“The LORD roars from Zion
and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
and the top of Carmel withers.”
3 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of Damascus,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
3
1:3
Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 6, 9, 11, 13
because they have threshed Gilead
with threshing sledges of iron.
4
So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
5
I will break the gate-bar of Damascus,
and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven,
4
1:5
Or On
and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden;
and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir,”
says the LORD.
6 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of Gaza,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they carried into exile a whole people
to deliver them up to Edom.
7
So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
and it shall devour her strongholds.
8
I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod,
and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
says the Lord God.
9 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of Tyre,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,
and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10
So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre,
and it shall devour her strongholds.”
11 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of Edom,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because he pursued his brother with the sword
and cast off all pity,
and his anger tore perpetually,
and he kept his wrath forever.
12
So I will send a fire upon Teman,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.”
13 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,
that they might enlarge their border.
14
So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,
and it shall devour her strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
15
and their king shall go into exile,
he and his princes
5
1:15
Or officials
together,”
says the LORD.
Chapter 2
1 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of Moab,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
6
2:1
Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 4, 6
because he burned to lime
the bones of the king of Edom.
2
So I will send a fire upon Moab,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
3
I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
and will kill all its princes
7
2:3
Or officials
with him,”
says the LORD.
Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of Judah,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have rejected the law of the LORD,
and have not kept his statutes,
but their lies have led them astray,
those after which their fathers walked.
5
So I will send a fire upon Judah,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals—
7
those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
a man and his father go in to the same girl,
so that my holy name is profaned;
8
they lay themselves down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
the wine of those who have been fined.
9
Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
whose height was like the height of the cedars
and who was as strong as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots beneath.
10
Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
and led you forty years in the wilderness,
to possess the land of the Amorite.
11
And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
and some of your young men for Nazirites.
Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
declares the LORD.
12
“But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
and commanded the prophets,
saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’
13
Behold, I will press you down in your place,
as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14
Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong shall not retain his strength,
nor shall the mighty save his life;
15
he who handles the bow shall not stand,
and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself,
nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16
and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the LORD.
Chapter 3
Israel's Guilt and Punishment
1 Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
2
“You only have I known
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.
3
Do two walk together,
unless they have agreed to meet?
4
Does a lion roar in the forest,
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
if he has taken nothing?
5
Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
when it has taken nothing?
6
Is a trumpet blown in a city,
and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
unless the LORD has done it?
7
For the Lord God does nothing
without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets.
8
The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
who can but prophesy?”
9
Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod
and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
and see the great tumults within her,
and the oppressed in her midst.”
10
“They do not know how to do right,” declares the LORD,
“those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“An adversary shall surround the land
and bring down
8
3:11
Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the landhe shall bring down
your defenses from you,
and your strongholds shall be plundered.”
12 Thus says the LORD: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part 9 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain of a bed.
13
Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,”
declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14
“that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15
I will strike the winter house along with the summer house,
and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses
10
3:15
Or and many houses
shall come to an end,”
declares the LORD.
Chapter 4
1
“Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,
who are on the mountain of Samaria,
who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’
2
The Lord God has sworn by his holiness
that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
when they shall take you away with hooks,
even the last of you with fishhooks.
3
And you shall go out through the breaches,
each one straight ahead;
and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”
declares the LORD.
4
“Come to Bethel, and transgress;
to Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days;
5
offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,
and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them;
for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”
declares the Lord God.
Israel Has Not Returned to the LORD
6
“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and lack of bread in all your places,
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
7
“I also withheld the rain from you
when there were yet three months to the harvest;
I would send rain on one city,
and send no rain on another city;
one field would have rain,
and the field on which it did not rain would wither;
8
so two or three cities would wander to another city
to drink water, and would not be satisfied;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
9
“I struck you with blight and mildew;
your many gardens and your vineyards,
your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
10
“I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;
I killed your young men with the sword,
and carried away your horses,
11
4:10
Hebrew along with the captivity of your horses
and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
11
“I overthrew some of you,
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were as a brand
12
4:11
That is, a burning stick
plucked out of the burning;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
12
“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
13
For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
and declares to man what is his thought,
who makes the morning darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!
Chapter 5
Seek the LORD and Live
1 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:
2
“Fallen, no more to rise,
is the virgin Israel;
forsaken on her land,
with none to raise her up.”
3 For thus says the Lord God:
“The city that went out a thousand
shall have a hundred left,
and that which went out a hundred
shall have ten left
to the house of Israel.”
4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
“Seek me and live;
5
but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
6
Seek the LORD and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
7
O you who turn justice to wormwood
13
5:7
Or to bitter fruit
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8
He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the LORD is his name;
9
who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10
They hate him who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
11
Therefore because you trample on
14
5:11
Or you tax
the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
12
For I know how many are your transgressions
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and turn aside the needy in the gate.
13
Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.
14
Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
15
Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord:
“In all the squares there shall be wailing,
and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
17
and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the LORD.
Let Justice Roll Down
18
Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!
Why would you have the day of the LORD?
It is darkness, and not light,
19
as if a man fled from a lion,
and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
and a serpent bit him.
20
Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?
21
“I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
23
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.
Footnotes
[1] 1:1 Or sheep breeders[2] 1:1 Or during two years
[3] 1:3 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 6, 9, 11, 13
[4] 1:5 Or On
[5] 1:15 Or officials
[6] 2:1 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 4, 6
[7] 2:3 Or officials
[8] 3:11 Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the land—he shall bring down
[9] 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
[10] 3:15 Or and many houses
[11] 4:10 Hebrew along with the captivity of your horses
[12] 4:11 That is, a burning stick
[13] 5:7 Or to bitter fruit
[14] 5:11 Or you tax
Table of Contents
Introduction to Amos
Timeline
Author and Date
Amos was not a prophet by profession (see 1:1; 7:14–15) but nevertheless was entrusted with bringing a message from the Lord to the northern kingdom of Israel. He prophesied sometime between 793–739 B.C., probably nearer the end of that period.
Theme
The theme of Amos is the universal justice of God. The Israelites clearly expected a “day of the Lord” when all their enemies would be judged (1:2–2:5). What they were not prepared for was that they too would be judged (2:6–9:10). In fact, they would be held more accountable than their neighbors.
Purpose, Occasion, and Background
After about 780–745 B.C., the Assyrian Empire was unable to continue the pressure it had put on the nations of the Canaanite coast during the previous century. At this same time, both Judah and Israel were blessed with fairly stable governments. As a result of these two factors, the two nations (especially Israel) were experiencing a time of wealth and prosperity. But what the Israelites saw as the beginning of a new “Golden Age” was really the end for them. It was Amos’s unhappy task to tell them of God’s coming judgment. Within just a few years Israel would no longer exist as a nation. They would continue to exist as a scattered people only by God’s unmerited grace (9:11–15). “The day of the Lord,” far from being a day of blessing, was going to be a day of darkness. By 722 B.C. Assyria would regain its strength, and the Israelites would be conquered and exiled.
Key Themes
- The Lord is the Creator of the universe. Therefore his ethical norms are universal, and all people are subject to judgment in light of them.
- Justice and righteousness in the treatment of other people are the key evidences of a right relationship to the Lord.
- Religious observances in the absence of social justice are disgusting to God.
- Israel’s covenant with the Lord did not guarantee special protection for them when they broke that covenant. Rather, it meant that they would be held to a higher standard of obedience.
- Thus, the “day of the LORD” would not be a time of miraculous deliverance for unrepentant Israel. Rather, it would be a time of terrible destruction.
- A faithful remnant of Israel would be preserved and would someday see glorious restoration and blessing.
Outline
The Near East at the Time of Amos
c. 750 B.C.
Amos likely prophesied to Israel during the decades just before the fall of Samaria to the Assyrian Empire. The resurgence of this ancient empire dominated much of the politics of the ancient Near East from the time of Jeroboam until the end of the seventh century B.C. Assyria would eventually engulf nearly the entire Near East, from Ur to Ararat to Egypt.
Fact: the Day of the Lord
God sent the prophets to warn Israel that the Day of the Lord was coming, when God would judge his people for their rebellion against him (see 3:19; Amos 5:18–20; Isa. 2:12). Here Ezekiel specifically condemns Jerusalem’s crime and violence (7:23).
Fact: Earthquakes
Earthquakes were a very real danger in ancient Palestine, as is true around much of the earth today. The Jordan River Valley runs along the northern end of the famous Great Rift Valley, which extends all the way to the southernmost part of Africa. Earthquakes occur all along this valley. The findings of archaeologists suggest that the earthquake mentioned in 1:1 was one that the Israelites would not have soon forgotten.
Fact: Judgments from the Lord
Amos begins with judgments from the Lord on Israel’s neighboring nations: Damascus (Syria), Gaza (Philistia), Tyre (Phoenicia), Edom, Ammon, and Moab (1:2–2:5). God holds all nations accountable for their actions.
Fact: The winter house and summer house
The winter house and summer house. Many wealthy Samarians had two homes. One would be in the warmer, southern regions while the other was built in the cooler north (3:15). This extravagance made it all the more obvious that Amos was justified in his criticism of the wealthy people who ignored the needs of the poor.
Fact: Blighting
The blighting of crops (4:9) was a serious problem for farmers because there was no known way at the time to stop it. Dry winds would blow up from the Sahara at hurricane-like speeds. These dusty winds sucked all moisture out of plant life, leaving the plants themselves brown and wilted.
Fact: Pleiades and Orion
Constellations like the Pleiades and Orion (5:8) were important to pagan cultures, which worshiped them as gods. Images of them could be found on seals and scrolls throughout the ancient Near East. Prophets like Amos believed that these constellations were not gods, but rather were evidence of the scope and majesty of God’s creation.
Oracles against the Nations in the Prophets
| Isaiah | Jeremiah | Ezekiel | Joel | Amos | Obadiah | Jonah | Nahum | Zephaniah | Zechariah* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammon | 49:1–6 | 25:1–7 | 1:13–15 | |||||||
| Arabia | 21:13–17 | |||||||||
| Assyria (Nineveh) | 10:5–19; 14:24–27 | (Nineveh) | (Nineveh) | |||||||
| Babylon | 13:1–14:23; 21:1–10; 46:1–47:15 | 50:1–51:64 | 2:9–12? | |||||||
| Damascus | 17:1–6? | 49:23–27 | 1:3–5 | 9:1 | ||||||
| Edom | 21:11–12 | 49:7–22 | 25:12–14 | 1:11–12 | 1–14? | |||||
| Egypt | 18:1–20:6 | 46:2–26 | 29:1–32:32 | |||||||
| Elam | 49:34–39 | |||||||||
| Ethiopia | 2:12–15 | |||||||||
| Gaza | 1:6–8 | 9:5 | ||||||||
| Kedar and Hazor | 49:28–33 | |||||||||
| Lebanon | 11:1–3? | |||||||||
| Moab | 15:1–16:14 | 48:1–47 | 25:8–11 | 2:1–3 | 2:8–11 | |||||
| Philistia | 14:28–32 | 47:1–7 | 25:15–17 | 3:4–8 | 2:5–7 | 9:6 | ||||
| Tyre Sidon | 23:1–18 | 26:1–28:19; 28:20–23 | 3:4–8 | 1:9–10 | 9:2–3 |
*Additional cities /states are denounced in 9:1–8: Hadrach, Aram (v. 1); Ashkelon, Ekron (v. 5); Ashdod (v. 6)
Amos
Amos was a shepherd from the Judean town of Tekoa, a “herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs” (7:14). He prophesied primarily to the northern kingdom of Israel during a time of political stability and great wealth. As they often did, the people of Israel saw this prosperity as a sign of God’s blessing. But God used Amos to tell them that this was not the case. Much of the nation’s wealth had been acquired by oppressing the poor, and so their insincere worship was disgusting to God. Israel had rejected its calling to be a place where God’s righteousness and justice was demonstrated to the world. Because of their unfaithfulness, the Israelites would be punished severely. God would remain faithful to his people, however, and would restore what had been destroyed. Peace and blessing would come to Israel—and the world—through the coming of the Messiah. (Amos 5:18–24)
Amos 1:1 Superscription. The first verse identifies the book’s speaker, audience, and time frame. Amos addresses Israel during the time covered in 2 Kings 14:23–15:7. This is the period between the beginning of the reign of Jeroboam II (796 B.C.) and the death of Uzziah (739). More specifically, it is two years before the earthquake (Amos 1:1). Zechariah, like Amos, mentions an earthquake “in the days of Uzziah king of Judah” (Zech. 14:5). This statement is significant because it emphasizes the historical reliability of the book and its message. Shepherds were near the bottom of the social order, and yet God chose Amos to prophesy against Israel’s wealthy, unbelieving leaders. (See, however, the ESV footnote. If Amos was in fact a “sheep breeder,” he may have been a prosperous businessman.) Tekoa was a small village southeast of Bethlehem in Judah.
Fact: Earthquakes
Earthquakes were a very real danger in ancient Palestine, as is true around much of the earth today. The Jordan River Valley runs along the northern end of the famous Great Rift Valley, which extends all the way to the southernmost part of Africa. Earthquakes occur all along this valley. The findings of archaeologists suggest that the earthquake mentioned in 1:1 was one that the Israelites would not have soon forgotten.
Amos 1:2 Despite Israel’s rejection of Jerusalem as the only appropriate place of worship, that was still the place from which God’s voice of judgment issued to all the earth. Carmel. Perhaps an allusion to the encounter between the Lord and Baal, when the Lord struck the top of Mount Carmel with fire, demonstrating that he alone is God (1 Kings 18:36–39).
Amos 1:3 three transgressions . . . four. This poetic device expresses totality (compare Prov. 30:15, 18, 21). It introduces the judgment on all seven neighboring nations (Amos 1:6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4), and upon Israel as well (2:6). One way of separating grain kernels from their hulls was to put all the grain in a pile and then have oxen pull threshing sledges of iron around on the pile. Amos says Syria has treated the people of Gilead as though they were nothing but a pile of grain, crushing them into the ground.
Amos 1:4 Ben-hadad, son of Hazael, was king of Syria at the beginning of the eighth century B.C. (see 2 Kings 13:24). Fire is the means of judgment on these seven nations.
Amos 1:5 The wooden city gates were fastened shut with a heavy wooden gate-bar across them. If that bar were broken, an invading army could enter the city. Kir is the ancestral home of the Syrians (9:7). It is probably somewhere to the northeast of Mesopotamia. Thus they were being sent back as a conquered people to where they started.
Amos 1:6 they carried . . . to Edom. It is not known precisely what event this refers to. It may be a prediction of Jerusalem’s fall to Babylon in 586 B.C., when Edom actively helped the Babylonians subdue Judah (see Obad. 12–14). This would then mean that the Philistines were the Edomites’ partners in that. But more probably it refers to something that had taken place in Amos’s lifetime in the continuing struggles between the Judeans and the Philistines (see 2 Chron. 26:6–7).
Amos 1:6–8 All the five cities of the Philistines except Gath are named in this judgment oracle. Rule of the region went back and forth among the five cities depending on which ruler happened to be strongest at the time. Philistia was southwest of Jerusalem, on the Mediterranean coast.
Amos 1:9–10 Tyre was northwest of Israel, on the Mediterranean coast. With its fine harbor and easily defended island fortress, it dominated the sea trade of the eastern Mediterranean (see Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 26–28). Tyre is accused of the same act as the Philistines (Amos 1:6), but it was more terrible in their case because it involved the betrayal of a covenant of brotherhood. This may refer to the covenant between Solomon and Hiram (1 Kings 5:12), or perhaps to that between Ahab and Eshbaal of Sidon (1 Kings 16:31).
Amos 1:11–12 Edom was southeast of Judah, around the southern end of the Dead Sea. Descended from Esau, the Edomites were longtime enemies of Israel (Num. 20:14–21). Here Edom is judged for its mercilessness and anger.
Amos 1:13–15 The Ammonites lived east of the Jordan River between Syria to the north and Moab to the south. Their territory did not extend all the way west to the Jordan, so they were in constant conflict with the tribes of Reuben and Gad in an effort to extend their border westward to gain control of the desirable region of Gilead where the two Israelite tribes lived. The sin of the Ammonites was the viciousness and brutality of their attacks, without pity even for pregnant women. Ammon’s capital city of Rabbah (see Deut. 3:11) is present-day Amman, Jordan.
Amos 1:15 exile. When Assyria conquered a nation, they deported the leadership and imported people from elsewhere into the area. This was done to discourage rebellion by the conquered people and to minimize the differences throughout their diverse empire.
Amos 2:1–3 Moab was Ammon’s neighbor to the south, perhaps included here because Moab and Ammon were both descended from Lot through his daughters (Gen. 19:37–38). Moab’s sin was against neither Israel nor Judah but its southern neighbor Edom. This shows that these judgments are based not on ethnicity but on the universal justice of God.
Oracles against the Nations in the Prophets
| Isaiah | Jeremiah | Ezekiel | Joel | Amos | Obadiah | Jonah | Nahum | Zephaniah | Zechariah* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammon | 49:1–6 | 25:1–7 | 1:13–15 | |||||||
| Arabia | 21:13–17 | |||||||||
| Assyria (Nineveh) | 10:5–19; 14:24–27 | (Nineveh) | (Nineveh) | |||||||
| Babylon | 13:1–14:23; 21:1–10; 46:1–47:15 | 50:1–51:64 | 2:9–12? | |||||||
| Damascus | 17:1–6? | 49:23–27 | 1:3–5 | 9:1 | ||||||
| Edom | 21:11–12 | 49:7–22 | 25:12–14 | 1:11–12 | 1–14? | |||||
| Egypt | 18:1–20:6 | 46:2–26 | 29:1–32:32 | |||||||
| Elam | 49:34–39 | |||||||||
| Ethiopia | 2:12–15 | |||||||||
| Gaza | 1:6–8 | 9:5 | ||||||||
| Kedar and Hazor | 49:28–33 | |||||||||
| Lebanon | 11:1–3? | |||||||||
| Moab | 15:1–16:14 | 48:1–47 | 25:8–11 | 2:1–3 | 2:8–11 | |||||
| Philistia | 14:28–32 | 47:1–7 | 25:15–17 | 3:4–8 | 2:5–7 | 9:6 | ||||
| Tyre Sidon | 23:1–18 | 26:1–28:19; 28:20–23 | 3:4–8 | 1:9–10 | 9:2–3 |
*Additional cities /states are denounced in 9:1–8: Hadrach, Aram (v. 1); Ashkelon, Ekron (v. 5); Ashdod (v. 6)
Amos 1:2–2:5 At this time the area now called Palestine was inhabited by seven other small nations besides Israel. All of them were in danger because of Assyria’s push toward Egypt. But Amos showed that what was about to befall them would not come from Assyria but from the Creator of all the earth. These judgments on Israel’s Gentile neighbors are a reminder that God’s moral standards are not merely for Jewish or Christian people but for all people, whether they have them in written form or simply written in their hearts and consciences (see Rom. 1:18–32; 2:14–15).
Amos 2:4–5 Unlike the other nations, Judah is not judged for inhumanity to others. It is judged according to the law of the LORD (Ex. 24:8).
Fact: Judgments from the Lord
Amos begins with judgments from the Lord on Israel’s neighboring nations: Damascus (Syria), Gaza (Philistia), Tyre (Phoenicia), Edom, Ammon, and Moab (1:2–2:5). God holds all nations accountable for their actions.
Amos 2:6–7a They sell the righteous perhaps refers to giving false witness for money, but it might also refer to selling into slavery someone who was in debt for something as insignificant as a pair of sandals (compare Lev. 25:39–43). Instead of helping the afflicted as the law commanded (Ex. 23:6–8), the wealthy Israelites were crushing them (see also Amos 8:6).
Amos 2:7b–8 Sexual immorality is an insult to God the Creator (my holy name is profaned). Garments taken in pledge refers to a poor person’s cloak that was given to a money-lender as security for a loan. It was to be returned to the poor person at night, since he or she probably had no other covering (Ex. 22:26).
Amos 2:14–15 The swift will not be able to run away from coming destruction, and the strong and mighty warrior will not be able to withstand it.
Amos 3:1–2 Hear this word introduces the first three messages against Israel (3:1; 4:1; 5:1). Israel and Judah believed that their role as God’s chosen people would protect them from harm (see note on 5:18–20). Amos says the very opposite is true. Precisely because God has known Israel as he has known no other nation, he judges Israelites by a higher standard (see Luke 12:48).
Amos 3:3–8 With a series of questions, Amos shows that disaster is coming for Israel. In nature, certain sequences of events lead to predictable outcomes. If a lion roars (vv. 4, 8), then it has probably taken, or is about to take, its prey. Likewise, since the Lord God has announced judgment, then judgment will surely come.
Amos 3:9–11 Israel’s capital city Samaria was a powerful stronghold. It was on a high hill (mountains), in a place that was easy to defend. But it was also just off the great highway that connected Egypt with Assyria. If Samaria fell to the Assyrians, there was nothing to prevent the destruction of the Philistine cities (represented by Ashdod) and of Egypt itself.
Amos 3:13 The term God of hosts was popular among the later prophets. “Hosts” here would ordinarily signify troops of soldiers, so the term expresses God’s unlimited power.
Amos 3:14 Bethel was associated with Jacob and his vision (Gen. 28:10–22). It was close to the border between Israel and Judah. Thus, Jeroboam I chose it as a worship site for his new religion (1 Kings 12:25–33). Amos chose this as the place to deliver his prophecies (Amos 7:12–13) because it represented the corruption of the true religion (4:4–5). The horns of the altar were at the four corners on top of the altar (Ex. 27:2). They represented a place where God’s protection was available (1 Kings 1:50; 2:28). Now, however, the horns of Bethel’s altar would provide no protection.
Amos 3:15 All of Israel’s social injustice is represented by the sin of accumulating large amounts of property (see also Isa. 5:8). This violated the covenant, which said a family’s land was a permanent gift from God to that family, not to be taken from them. Amos condemns wealth created through mistreating the poor (Amos 4:1). He also condemns unfair business practices (5:7, 11, 12; 8:4–6) and living in luxury without caring for the needy (5:12; 8:4–6). He also notes the lack of concern for sin (6:4–6) and the lack of true faith (5:21–23).
Fact: The winter house and summer house
The winter house and summer house. Many wealthy Samarians had two homes. One would be in the warmer, southern regions while the other was built in the cooler north (3:15). This extravagance made it all the more obvious that Amos was justified in his criticism of the wealthy people who ignored the needs of the poor.
Amos 4:1 Bashan was rich pastureland northeast of the Sea of Galilee. The cattle there tended to be plump and healthy. Amos compares the women of Samaria to those cattle. Even women oppress the poor and crush the needy.
Amos 4:2–3 These verses describe what will happen to the wealthy and self-indulgent women of Samaria (v. 1) when it falls to the Assyrians. They will be dragged out through the broken-down walls (breaches) with fishhooks, like a fisherman dragging a fish out of water. The reference to hooks may be literal. Some Assyrian illustrations seem to show captives being taken away with ropes attached to rings in their noses.
Amos 4:4–5 With bitter sarcasm, Amos criticizes religious activity at Bethel and Gilgal (see Josh. 4:20; 10:43). Far from securing forgiveness for transgression, this activity was itself sin! The Israelites might love to engage in such worship, but it only disgusted God (Amos 5:14–15, 21–24). The prophets often seem to dismiss sacrificial worship, but the context of such prophecies shows that they are concerned that all worship be the result of true faith.
Amos 4:6 The people had cleanness of teeth because they had no food to cling to their teeth! yet you did not return to me. Even though God had sent various natural and social disasters, the people would not turn back to him.
Fact: Blighting
The blighting of crops (4:9) was a serious problem for farmers because there was no known way at the time to stop it. Dry winds would blow up from the Sahara at hurricane-like speeds. These dusty winds sucked all moisture out of plant life, leaving the plants themselves brown and wilted.
Amos 4:1–13 This second oracle (see note on 2:6–6:14) is composed of three parts. In 4:1–5, Amos expands somewhat on the points made in 3:14–15: the sins of self-indulgence and oppression (4:1–3) and of false religion (vv. 4–5). In vv. 6–11, the Lord describes all the ways in which he has appealed in vain for the Israelites to return to him. As a result, they will come face to face with the infinite Creator in all his power (vv. 12–13).
Amos 5:1 lamentation. Neither the prophet nor God takes delight in these messages of doom. Like mourners at a funeral, they grieve at what lies ahead for the unrepentant people.
Amos 5:2 Virgin Israel expresses the special value God places on Israel.
Amos 5:5–6 Israel should seek the LORD in the ways he has commanded, not in the pagan practices found at Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba.
Amos 5:7 For governments, justice involves a just use of power and maintaining a proper judicial system. For individuals, justice involves honest business dealings and faithfulness in keeping one’s word. Both governments and individual citizens should be especially concerned with protecting the poor and the weak from those with greater wealth and power.
Fact: Pleiades and Orion
Constellations like the Pleiades and Orion (5:8) were important to pagan cultures, which worshiped them as gods. Images of them could be found on seals and scrolls throughout the ancient Near East. Prophets like Amos believed that these constellations were not gods, but rather were evidence of the scope and majesty of God’s creation.
Amos 5:8–9 Amos contrasts the limitless glory of the Creator with the things worshiped at the pagan-influenced shrines in Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba.
Amos 5:10 reproves in the gate. The walled cities of the ancient Near East had covered gatehouses with multiple sets of gates. If the enemy broke through one gate, they were immediately confronted with another. During times of peace, all the gates would be open. The gatehouse would provide a shady place where the old men of the city could observe events, and where they could decide the legal cases brought before them. But in Israel, justice was going to the highest bidder. See also vv. 12, 15.
Amos 5:14–15 God appeals to his people again (compare vv. 4–7). In that evil time (v. 13), they should seek good for those around them. If they do so, there may be hope for the nation, even at that late hour.
Amos 5:1–17 Although they face imminent destruction, God still pleads with his people to return to him.
Amos 5:16–17 Although Israel could have returned to God, they would not. As a result, Amos announces that a great funeral cry of wailing . . . mourning . . . lamentation (see v. 1) will go up all over the land from the streets of the cities to the vineyards in the countryside.
Amos 5:18–20 Historically, this is the earliest known use of the expression the day of the LORD. The phrase also occurs in the prophetic works of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Obadiah, Zephaniah, and Malachi (see diagram). The people of Amos’s day may have used the term to refer to the time when the Lord would intervene and put Israel at the head of the nations (possibly based on Deut. 32:35–37). But Amos, and all the prophets after him, clarify what it will mean for the Lord to visit his people: if they are unfaithful, it will mean judgment. In Amos, “the day of the LORD” points to the coming judgment on the northern kingdom (Amos 5:27). In Zephaniah, it points to judgment on Judah. Other prophets use the term to signal God’s punishment of other nations. In some cases, the prophet uses the term to refer to something farther in the future (Mal. 4:5; and probably in Joel 2:31). All of this indicates that the “day” is not unique but may be repeated as circumstances call for it. New Testament authors apply the term to the return of Christ (1 Cor. 1:8; 2 Pet. 3:10).
The Day of the Lord in the Prophets
Fact: the Day of the Lord
God sent the prophets to warn Israel that the Day of the Lord was coming, when God would judge his people for their rebellion against him (see 3:19; Amos 5:18–20; Isa. 2:12). Here Ezekiel specifically condemns Jerusalem’s crime and violence (7:23).
The Day of the Lord in the Prophets
Amos 5:21 God hates Israel’s religious feasts and solemn assemblies, their offerings (v. 22), and songs (v. 23) because of their persistent sinful conduct (see note on 3:15). He rejects their perversion of worship at Bethel (see note on 3:14). He despises the absence of justice and righteousness in their conduct toward one another (5:24).
Amos 5:22 I will not accept them. The Israelites may seem to be worshiping God, but he knows they do not love and obey him.
Amos 5:27 Exile beyond Damascus is exactly what happened (2 Kings 17:6). This is a startling prediction, since Assyria was comparatively weak in Amos’s time.
Listen to the Podcast
Listen NowDive Deeper | Amos 1-5
In Amos, we see the Lord call his people back to himself amid their rebellion. Amos is delivering a message to the Israelites and the people of Judah, calling them out for their rejection of the Lord's covenant and mistreatment of people. Yet despite their sin, the Lord in his mercy offers a return to the covenant relationship.
The sins of the surrounding nations and the sins of Israel and Judah look different to us if you stack them next to each other. Amos describes and makes charges against other nations for the gross mistreatment of people. We may be tempted to say that these crimes are worse than the crimes of Judah and Israel. The Israelites had fallen into empty religion, complacency, and were mistreating their own brothers and sisters. God looked at the Israelites' sins and called for the same punishment he was delivering to the Gentiles. The Lord sees ALL sin as guilty of the same punishment: death and separation from Him.
The Lord tells us what kind of worship he desires throughout the Bible. In Hosea 6:6, he tells us that he only desires "steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." In Amos 5:14, the call to hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gates is similar to the call we see in Micah 6:6-8. The Lord tells us what is expected of us as his people. He calls us to love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly with God. Apart from Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, we cannot hate evil, love good, and establish justice because we are sinners.
For those who have trusted in Christ, we are made new and washed clean by the work of the cross. The Lord continues to sanctify us day by day to be able to love people the way he calls us to. In Christ alone, we can bring hope of the Lord's final victory over sin to the world—both to the oppressed and the oppressor. Jesus' work on the cross was sufficient for both!
This month's memory verse
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (NIV)
– Matthew 11:28-30
Discussion Questions
1. When we sin, it can be easy to isolate from others and from the Lord. Yet we see in Amos that the Lord wants us to repent and come to him. Is your first instinct to run from the Lord or come to his feet?
2. We see that the Lord wants righteousness and justice from his people, not empty religious works or sacrifices. How can we guard against our practices and time with the Lord becoming empty rituals?
3. It can be so easy to find ourselves just going through the motions. Yet we know this isn't what the Lord wants from us. How can we use accountability to make sure we are not just checking the boxes?
4. We see in Amos 5:14 a simple statement of how to live in a way so that the Lord will be with us. What are tangible ways in our lives to hate evil, love good, and establish justice? How can we do that in community?