AMOS“Prepare to Meet Thy God!” 4:12

Who Wrote the Book?• Prophet Amos• Lived among a group of shepherds in Tekoa, a small

town approximately 10 miles south of Jerusalem• Not from family of prophets, nor did he consider

himself one; “A grower of sycamore figs” as well as a shepherd (Amos 7:14–15)• Connection to the simple life of the people; showed

a heart for the oppressed and the voiceless in the world

Some content from: http://www.insight.org/resources/bible/amos.html https://bible.org/seriespage/amos

Where and When?• Amos prophesied “two years before the

earthquake” (Amos 1:1; also Zech 14:5), during the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, king of Israel. Reigns overlapped: 767 BC to 753 BC• From southern kingdom of Judah, Amos delivered

his prophecy against the northern kingdom of Israel and the surrounding nations (Bethel)– Resistance from the prideful Israelites (Amos 7:12)– Jeroboam’s reign - quite profitable for the N kingdom

materially; moral decay counteracted any positives

From: https://bible.org/seriespage/amos

Why is Amos So Important?• Amos was fed up: Most interspersed redemption and restoration:

– Amos only final five verses-consolation (Judah)• God’s word through Amos – privileged people of Israel:

– No love for their neighbor– Took advantage of others– Only looked out for their own concerns

• Amos holds God’s people accountable for their ill-treatment of others. Failure of the people to fully embrace God’s idea of justice:– Selling off needy people for goods,– Taking advantage of the helpless– Oppressing the poor– Men using women immorally (Amos 2:6–8; 3:10; 4:1; 5:11–12; 8:4–6)

• Pursuing $$$: People lost the concept of caring for one another• Pursuing “their lifestyle”: Israel had forgotten God

What’s the Big Idea in Joel?• Israel (North) – unparalleled success• God calls a quiet shepherd and farmer to carry message

of judgment• Used Amos’s status as a foreigner as an excuse to ignore

his message of judgment for a multiplicity of sins• Outer lives: gleamed; inner lives: moral decay• Rather than seeking opportunities to do justice, love

mercy, and walk humbly, they embraced their arrogance, idolatry, self-righteousness, and materialism• God’s utter disdain for hypocritical lives of His people

(Amos 5:21–24)3/4 Formula: 7 Oracles, then Surprise! THEME: Luke 12:48

How Do I Apply This?• Sin of Materialism• Injustice: Turn a blind eye to the suffering?–Are we ignoring them or ministering to them?

• Don’t compare sin; total depravity, need• Restoration: punish to bring back to Him