September 9, 2025
Woe to the Complacent
Amos 6-9
Maryann Adams
Big Book Idea
Amos seeks to wake and warn Israel from complacency and of coming judgment.
Key Verse | Amos 6:1, 4-7
"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
the notable men of the first of the nations,
to whom the house of Israel comes!"
* * *
"Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
and calves from the midst of the stall,
who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
who drink wine in bowls
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away."
Amos 6-9
Chapter 6
Woe to Those at Ease in Zion
1
“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
the notable men of the first of the nations,
to whom the house of Israel comes!
2
Pass over to Calneh, and see,
and from there go to Hamath the great;
then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Or is their territory greater than your territory,
3
O you who put far away the day of disaster
and bring near the seat of violence?
4
Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
and calves from the midst of the stall,
5
who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
6
who drink wine in bowls
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7
Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”
8 The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the LORD, the God of hosts:
“I abhor the pride of Jacob
and hate his strongholds,
and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”
9 And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when one's relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” he shall say, “No”; and he shall say, “Silence! We must not mention the name of the LORD.”
11
For behold, the LORD commands,
and the great house shall be struck down into fragments,
and the little house into bits.
12
Do horses run on rocks?
Does one plow there
1
6:12
Or the sea
with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison
and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood
2
6:12
Or into bitter fruit
—
13
you who rejoice in Lo-debar,
3
6:13
Lo-debar means nothing
who say, “Have we not by our own strength
captured Karnaim
4
6:13
Karnaim means horns (a symbol of strength)
for ourselves?”
14
“For behold, I will raise up against you a nation,
O house of Israel,” declares the LORD, the God of hosts;
“and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath
to the Brook of the Arabah.”
Chapter 7
Warning Visions
1 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. 2 When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,
“O Lord God, please forgive!
How can Jacob stand?
He is so small!”
3
The LORD relented concerning this:
“It shall not be,” said the LORD.
4 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5 Then I said,
“O Lord God, please cease!
How can Jacob stand?
He is so small!”
6
The LORD relented concerning this:
“This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.
7 This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“Behold, I am setting a plumb line
in the midst of my people Israel;
I will never again pass by them;
9
the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amos Accused
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said,
‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel must go into exile
away from his land.’”
12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was 5 7:14 Or am; twice in this verse no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now therefore hear the word of the LORD.
You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’
17 Therefore thus says the LORD:
‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”
Chapter 8
The Coming Day of Bitter Mourning
1 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. 2 And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me,
“The end
6
8:2
The Hebrew words for end and summer fruit sound alike
has come upon my people Israel;
I will never again pass by them.
3
The songs of the temple
7
8:3
Or palace
shall become wailings
8
8:3
Or The singing women of the palace shall wail
in that day,”
declares the Lord God.
“So many dead bodies!”
“They are thrown everywhere!”
“Silence!”
4
Hear this, you who trample on the needy
and bring the poor of the land to an end,
5
saying, “When will the new moon be over,
that we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make the ephah small and the shekel
9
8:5
An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters; a shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
great
and deal deceitfully with false balances,
6
that we may buy the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals
and sell the chaff of the wheat?”
7
The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
“Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
8
Shall not the land tremble on this account,
and everyone mourn who dwells in it,
and all of it rise like the Nile,
and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”
9
“And on that day,” declares the Lord God,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10
I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentation;
I will bring sackcloth on every waist
and baldness on every head;
I will make it like the mourning for an only son
and the end of it like a bitter day.
11
Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD.
12
They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD,
but they shall not find it.
13
In that day the lovely virgins and the young men
shall faint for thirst.
14
Those who swear by the Guilt of Samaria,
and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’
and, ‘As the Way of Beersheba lives,’
they shall fall, and never rise again.”
Chapter 9
The Destruction of Israel
1 I saw the Lord standing beside 10 9:1 Or on the altar, and he said:
“Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake,
and shatter them on the heads of all the people;
11
9:1
Hebrew all of them
and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword;
not one of them shall flee away;
not one of them shall escape.
2
If they dig into Sheol,
from there shall my hand take them;
if they climb up to heaven,
from there I will bring them down.
3
If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
from there I will search them out and take them;
and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea,
there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.
4
And if they go into captivity before their enemies,
there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them;
and I will fix my eyes upon them
for evil and not for good.”
5
The Lord God of hosts,
he who touches the earth and it melts,
and all who dwell in it mourn,
and all of it rises like the Nile,
and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;
6
who builds his upper chambers in the heavens
and founds his vault upon the earth;
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out upon the surface of the earth—
the LORD is his name.
7
“Are you not like the Cushites to me,
O people of Israel?” declares the LORD.
“Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt,
and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir?
8
Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom,
and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground,
except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,”
declares the LORD.
9
“For behold, I will command,
and shake the house of Israel among all the nations
as one shakes with a sieve,
but no pebble shall fall to the earth.
10
All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,
who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’
The Restoration of Israel
11
In that day I will raise up
the booth of David that is fallen
and repair its breaches,
and raise up its ruins
and rebuild it as in the days of old,
12
that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations who are called by my name,”
12
9:12
Hebrew; Septuagint (compare Acts 15:17) that the remnant of mankind and all the nations who are called by my name may seek the Lord
declares the LORD who does this.
13
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when the plowman shall overtake the reaper
and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed;
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and all the hills shall flow with it.
14
I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
15
I will plant them on their land,
and they shall never again be uprooted
out of the land that I have given them,”
says the LORD your God.
Footnotes
[1] 6:12 Or the sea[2] 6:12 Or into bitter fruit
[3] 6:13 Lo-debar means nothing
[4] 6:13 Karnaim means horns (a symbol of strength)
[5] 7:14 Or am; twice in this verse
[6] 8:2 The Hebrew words for end and summer fruit sound alike
[7] 8:3 Or palace
[8] 8:3 Or The singing women of the palace shall wail
[9] 8:5 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters; a shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
[10] 9:1 Or on
[11] 9:1 Hebrew all of them
[12] 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint (compare Acts 15:17) that the remnant of mankind and all the nations who are called by my name may seek the Lord
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: Calves from the midst of the stall
Only the very wealthy could afford to eat the tender meat of calves from the midst of the stall (6:4). These animals were set aside from other livestock and fed a strict diet of the more costly grains like barley in order to fatten them up. This fattening process ensured that the animals would bring a higher price when sold at the market.
Fact: Annual flooding of the Nile
The annual flooding of the Nile (8:8) took place from the months of June to September. Monsoon rains from the mountains to the south would overflow the banks of the Nile, bringing with it the fertile silt from the river. Crops could then be sown in October and harvested in February. This cycle went on for thousands of years until 1970, when Egypt completed construction on the Aswan High Dam, which captures the floodwaters for hydroelectric power.
Fact: Cushites
The Cushites (9:7) lived in the Sudan region, south of Egypt. As far as the Israelites were concerned, the land of Cush was located at the end of the world. Amos mentions the Cushites here to say that even those who live in faraway places are under the Lord’s providential care.
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 6:2 Stronger cities than either Jerusalem or Samaria had already fallen. Among these were Calneh, in south-central Mesopotamia (see Gen. 10:10); Hamath, in Syria to the north of Israel; and Gath, a Philistine city southwest of Israel.
Fact: Calves from the midst of the stall
Only the very wealthy could afford to eat the tender meat of calves from the midst of the stall (6:4). These animals were set aside from other livestock and fed a strict diet of the more costly grains like barley in order to fatten them up. This fattening process ensured that the animals would bring a higher price when sold at the market.
Amos 6:6 Wine in bowls and finest oils are further indications that all restraint was gone. The wealthy cared extravagantly for their own bodies but cared nothing for the needs of others. The two main tribes in Israel were Ephraim and Manasseh, descended from Joseph.
Amos 6:4–7 Instead of grieving over their sins, the wealthy Israelites were treating themselves to the very best of life’s pleasures. It was these people whom the Assyrians would take first into exile (v. 7).
Amos 6:12 Perverting justice and righteousness is as unnatural as horses choosing to run on rocks or a farmer planting crops on a rock pile.
Amos 6:13 Lo-debar and Karnaim were two cities on the east side of the Jordan. Both cities were in areas that were in constant dispute with Syria. It is likely that Israel had succeeded in recapturing them from Syria, and that this was a cause for Israelite self-confidence.
1:2–6:14 Oracles of Judgment. Amos delivers a series of messages from God showing that neither Israel’s neighbors (1:2–2:5) nor Israel herself (2:6–6:14) can escape the consequences of their actions.
Amos 2:6–6:14 In the introduction to this section (2:6–16), Amos shows that Israel, far from being better than its neighbors, is even more worthy of condemnation. This is followed by four extended addresses: 3:1–15; 4:1–13; 5:1–17; and 5:18–6:14.
Amos 5:18–6:14 This fourth message (see note on 2:6–6:14) gives details about the kinds of sins that will provoke Israel’s “funeral” as a nation (see note on 5:16–17). Three times the funeral cry of “Woe” appears: 5:18; 6:1; 6:4. Each woe introduces another category of sin.
Amos 6:14 Amos says the little victories of v. 13 will be nothing compared to the destruction that is to come. Lebo-hamath was in the far north, in the valley between the Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The Brook of the Arabah is in the valley in the far south between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The Assyrian conquest would cover the whole land, not just a few isolated cities.
Amos 7:2 please forgive. In spite of the severity of all that Amos had said, he took no pleasure in the people’s suffering. He pleaded earnestly that God would show mercy.
Amos 7:3 The LORD relented. Like Amos, God does not desire to destroy his people. He is very patient (see Ex. 34:6). He has promised to relent in response to repentance (see Jer. 8:5–10; compare Jonah 3:10–4:2).
Amos 7:1–9 God reveals to Amos in three pictures that there is no hope for Israel. In response to the first two, Amos pleads for mercy for the nation (vv. 2, 5), and God twice graciously relents (vv. 3, 6). But the third picture is so convincing that Amos sees there is no hope and therefore makes no intercession. God has repeatedly shown mercy to his erring people, only to have them continue in their complacency toward him. Sooner or later, their time will be up.
Amos 7:7–9 The third picture that God showed Amos was of a plumb line held against a wall. A plumb line is a string with a weight fastened to its end. When the string is placed beside a wall and the weight is allowed to hang freely, it will show whether or not the wall is perfectly vertical. If the wall is leaning and it is not fixed, it will eventually collapse. Compared to the Mosaic law, the plumb line according to which the wall of Israel was built, it is clear that the nation is so far out of line that the collapse cannot be prevented. Israel is hardened in sin; thus, in this case, Amos does not ask God to relent.
Amos 7:10 The reference to Amaziah the priest shows that a representative of the established religious leadership opposed Amos’s prophecies. Amaziah’s words to the king (Amos has conspired against you) were a lie.
Amos 7:12–13 When Amaziah called Amos a seer, his intent may have been to show contempt. The term suggests, what was true, that Amos is not a member of the royal guild of prophets, who, since they were paid by the king, would say only what the king wanted to hear. Thus Amos had no standing in the king’s sanctuary.
Amos 7:15 the LORD took me . . . the LORD said to me. Amos was prophesying on God’s authority.
Amos 7:10–17 If the plumb line according to which Israel was constructed was the Law, then the priesthood should have held Israel accountable to it (Deut. 33:10; Mal. 2:6–7). But the priesthood itself was corrupt (see 1 Kings 12:31 for how the first King Jeroboam had ruined the priesthood for the northern kingdom). Thus, there was no external standard being applied by which Israel’s true condition could be recognized and corrected. The end truly was at hand.
Amos 7:17 All the honor that Amaziah prized so highly would be taken from him. These terrible punishments would happen because he rejected God’s word through Amos.
Amos 8:1–2 The Hebrew terms for summer fruit and end sound alike, so this is probably a wordplay. “Summer fruit” signified the last of the harvest. The long summer of God’s patience has finally come to an end, and there has been no harvest of repentance.
Amos 8:5–6 Real worship of God in the new moon and Sabbath festivals would have resulted in compassion for the poor and the needy. Throughout the OT, the false balances used by dishonest merchants are a symbol of injustice (e.g., Lev. 19:35–36; Prov. 20:10; Mic. 6:10–11).
Fact: Annual flooding of the Nile
The annual flooding of the Nile (8:8) took place from the months of June to September. Monsoon rains from the mountains to the south would overflow the banks of the Nile, bringing with it the fertile silt from the river. Crops could then be sown in October and harvested in February. This cycle went on for thousands of years until 1970, when Egypt completed construction on the Aswan High Dam, which captures the floodwaters for hydroelectric power.
Amos 8:9–10 Israel’s destruction will be so terrible that even nature will go into mourning, with the sun hiding its face. This is similar to the darkness that covered the earth when God’s only Son died on the cross (Mark 15:33). Darkening can serve as a symbol of judgment (Joel 3:15; see also Rev. 6:12; 8:12).
Amos 8:11–12 Israel had rejected the words of the LORD from Amos. They will go into exile, where there will be no word from the Lord at all. In its absence they will find that the revelation from God had been their most precious possession. they shall not find it. People who have repeatedly rejected God’s words will suddenly be unable to find clarity as to what God is saying.
Amos 8:1–14 In powerful word-pictures, Amos describes the final end of Israel.
Amos 8:13–14 Israel had depended on their paganized ideas of Yahweh, represented by the idols at Samaria and Dan, or on the ancestral tradition of Yahweh at Beersheba (see 5:5 and note on 5:5–6), but they would find that these pseudo-Yahwehs were no good at all. Jeroboam had established one of his improper worship sites at Dan (1 Kings 12:29–30). Since Beersheba was in Judah, it is not clear what its significance was for the northern tribes. Perhaps they made pilgrimages there, remembering its association with the patriarchs (Gen. 21:14–19, 31; 26:23, 33; 46:1–5); perhaps they felt that there was a special power available there. the Guilt of Samaria. Those who worship anything other than God will be judged for their unfaithfulness.
Amos 9:1 Capitals are the tops of columns, and thresholds are the bases. Mentioning the two together enfolds the totality of the temple structure. Revelation 20:11–15 uses this image of no escape to describe the last judgment.
Amos 9:2–3 Two groups of opposites: Sheol (the underworld) vs. heaven; and Carmel (the mountaintop) vs. the bottom of the sea. In short, there is no place between these extremes to escape God.
Amos 9:7 Cushites (or Nubians), who lived south of Egypt, were considered to be living at the end of the world. All peoples are under God’s care.
Fact: Cushites
The Cushites (9:7) lived in the Sudan region, south of Egypt. As far as the Israelites were concerned, the land of Cush was located at the end of the world. Amos mentions the Cushites here to say that even those who live in faraway places are under the Lord’s providential care.
Amos 9:12 The nations . . . called by my name connects with the nations described in vv. 7–8. Israel has a special place among the nations, but it is a place of mission, not simply of privilege. In Acts 15:16–17, James cites Amos 9:11–12. He understands this passage to indicate that “all the nations” (that is, Gentiles) are included in God’s blessings, as God had promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:3).
Amos 9:13 When God restores the land, it will be amazingly productive and will not need to rest for a moment. As soon as the reaper has harvested one crop, the plowman comes right behind planting another one, and as soon as someone sows the seed, the grapes grow so rapidly that the treader of grapes comes to pick the ripe grapes and gather them for the winepress. This is a beautiful poetic image of a land like the garden of Eden—with fruitfulness that is free from the curse (Gen. 3:17–19; compare Amos 4:6–10).
Amos 7:1–9:15 Visions of Judgment. In the final section of the book, Amos turns from speech to sight. He tells of visions he has received from God that confirm the nation’s situation. The first is a vision of inescapable judgment (7:1–9). This vision is frighteningly confirmed by the prophet’s experience with the priest of Bethel (7:10–17). The second vision is of Israel’s terrible end (8:1–14). The last is of the Lord standing at the altar of sacrifice (9:1–15). This vision has two parts. The first continues the theme of judgment (9:1–10), but the second sounds a note of hope (9:11–15).
Amos 9:1–15 This final vision has two parts, one negative (vv. 1–10) and the other positive (vv. 11–15). God considers worthless all the sacrifices the Israelites had given in an attempt to manipulate him on their behalf, while bringing reproach upon his name with their sinful lives. Therefore God would demand their own lives as sacrifices (vv. 9–10). But God’s ultimate purpose in judgment is never destruction; it is always restoration. So vv. 11–15 depict a day when Israel, again recognizing David as its true king (v. 11), would be restored to its land.
Amos 9:11–15 In contrast to the mighty temple of Israel that God would smash to the ground (v. 1), the fragile booth of David (v. 11) would be repaired. The reminder that Israel’s well-being depends on the descendants of David would come with special force to Amos’s northern audience, who had rejected the Davidic king. God has committed himself to bless his people, and eventually the world, through the family of David (2 Sam. 7:15–16; Ps. 72:17).
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.
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)
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Several years ago while driving on a local highway, I glanced in my rearview mirror and was stunned to see a rapidly approaching vehicle coming straight toward me. I was struck immediately. The vehicle sped off as I regained control of my car. By God's grace, just minutes before, I had consciously determined to be an undistracted driver—i.e., tightly gripping the wheel, checking my speed, glancing in all the mirrors, etc.
Worldly distractions are ever-present, ever-subtle, ever-deceiving! They can lead to sin that "so easily entangles" (Hebrews 12:1), eventually lulling us into prideful complacency toward God and his Word.
In Amos 6-9, the Northern Kingdom Israelites, especially their leaders, were being called to account for these very sins. During this period of peace and prosperity under King Jeroboam II's rule, they had become self-indulgent, lovers of ease and extravagant living, greedy, hardhearted, unjust toward the poor. Their complacent, idolatrous worship was despised by God. Despite God's multiple efforts to woo them to return to him and seek life, they remained defiant, selfish, and disobedient.
Amos exemplified an opposite heart bent. He was devoted to God, greatly revering God's Word. When God called, he obediently responded, leaving his job as shepherd/fig picker and going to a foreign land. He faithfully proclaimed an unpopular message, warning of the certain judgment to come. Amos remained bold and stood steadfast against Amaziah, a false priest, who told him to go away and stop prophesying there.
Amos was also a man of compassion, prayer, and strong trust in God. With a shepherd's heart, he twice interceded, fervently pleading for God's mercy while seeing visions of locusts and fire. God relented. But when Amos next saw the plumb-line vision, he understood God's judgment was inevitable.
The prophecy concludes with the glorious promise of restoration. God's mercy and judgment resolve at the cross of Messiah. Ultimately, there will one day be a complete redemption and restoration of God's people.
Amos' message of warning, judgment, and restoration is urgent and compels us to examine our own hearts. Surely, "now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthinans 6:2b)
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. Briefly describe in your own words the main thrust of the book of Amos. Name several qualities of God demonstrated in today's passage.
2. What is a favorite verse in Amos you want to memorize?
3. Which description of the Israelites' sin represents your primary temptation(s)? How can you become strengthened?
4. Describe how a slow drift into complacency and away from God affects your relationship with God and others. Why is it more serious when a leader drifts away from God?
5. F.B. Meyer is quoted: "The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but un-offered prayer." How can you grow in your daily prayer patterns?