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NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)

New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Listen to me, you fat cows “Bring us another drink!” 2 The Sovereign LORD has sworn this by his holiness: like a fish on a hook! 3 You will be led out through the ruins of the wall; says the LORD. 4 “Go ahead and offer sacrifices to the idols at Bethel. and bring your tithes every three days. 5 Present your bread made with yeast says the Sovereign LORD. 6 “I brought hunger to every city says the LORD. 7 “I kept the rain from falling while another field withered away. 8 People staggered from town to town looking for water, says the LORD. 9 “I struck your farms and vineyards with blight and mildew. says the LORD. 10 “I sent plagues on you says the LORD. 11 “I destroyed some of your cities, says the LORD. 12 “Therefore, I will bring upon you all the disasters I have announced. Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!” 13 For the LORD is the one who shaped the mountains, The LORD God of Heaven’s Armies is his name!

Introduction to Amos

Background of Amos

What Is the Book of Amos About?

Time: 3 Minutes

What do you care about? Are there things you should care about?

The book of Amos asks us these questions.

Amos was a shepherd of sorts—a rural man, sent by God to speak to the northern kingdom of Israel a very long time ago. The people of Israel enjoyed prosperity, comfort, and success. They were religiously cleaned up on the outside—keeping festivals, honoring certain holy days, not missing a Sunday, so to speak (Amos 4:4-5).

Despite their appearance, their hearts were far from God. Material comforts consumed their hearts and they stopped caring about what they ought to care about—justice (Amos 6:1-7).

They did not give God the honor he was due (Amos 2:4). They rejected his law and his authority (Amos 2:8). Therefore, they forgot his heart. They forgot the marginalized, and they did not honor the needy, the poor, and the oppressed (Amos 2:7; 4:1).

God responds to their heartless religion by covering his ears: “Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:23-24 ESV).

Amos shows us that the God of the Bible will not tolerate injustice. He sent Amos to prophesy of coming exile for the people of Israel (Amos 6:7; 7:10, 17). In 722 BC, just as he promised, God sent Assyria to destroy the northern kingdom of Israel for their sin. God would justly repay their oppression with oppression, their injustice with injury.

God would also punish his people by handing them over to their own desires: they didn’t want his law, so he would hide it from them (Amos 8:11). They would “stagger from sea to sea and roam from north to east seeking the word of the LORD, but they will not find it” (Amos 8:12 NIV). God did not send a prophet for 400 years of Israel’s history. God punished his people with the worst punishment imaginable: life without his Word.

Yet, as in all of God’s judgments, we find a diamond of mercy—though he shakes the house of Israel with his anger, he would not totally destroy it (Amos 9:8). God would one day pick up the pieces of fallen Israel and rebuild it to include all nations (Amos 9:12).

Amos warns us against disingenuous worship and cautions us to make our priorities what God cares about. It also leaves us wondering how we can be righteous, and whether Israel would ever truly seek justice. We have the answer if we look elsewhere in the Bible:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. (Romans 3:21-22 ESV)

Since we cannot be righteous, God must give us righteousness. God did not lay out stipulations for a new brand of religion, he gave us a person—his own Son—to trust, to know, and to seek. He ended the famine of his Word and gave us Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:1, 14).

God doesn’t want something from us. He requires one thing: love. Love for God and love for others—honoring God and others as they are due. God wants our hearts to belong to him and to beat like his with love for others. This is righteousness.

For all your spirituality, attempts to do what’s right, and own sense of right and wrong, do you have the righteousness God requires? God wants faith from us, trust in Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness. When we believe in him for the forgiveness of all our injustice, he begins the work of making us righteous, but then also enabling us to be righteous people and to help the marginalized.

Open Amos, and ask God to give you his righteousness. Then ask him where in your life are there people you may have neglected, who need to experience his love?

What Is the Background of Amos?

Time: 20 Minutes

Background of Amos

1

Author and Date

Amos was not a prophet by profession (see Amos 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 BC, probably nearer the end of that period.

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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 (Amos 1:2–2:5). What they were not prepared for was that they too would be judged (Amos 2:6–9:10). In fact, they would be held more accountable than their neighbors.

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Purpose, Occasion, and Background

After about 780–745 BC, 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 (Amos 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 BC Assyria would regain its strength, and the Israelites would be conquered and exiled.

4

Key Themes

1. 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.

2. Justice and righteousness in the treatment of other people are the key evidences of a right relationship to the Lord.

3. Religious observances in the absence of social justice are disgusting to God.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. A faithful remnant of Israel would be preserved and would someday see glorious restoration and blessing.

5

Outline

I. Superscription (1:1)
II. Oracles of Judgment (1:2–6:14)
III. Visions of Judgment (7:1–9:15)

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The Near East at the Time of Amos

Background of Amos

The Global Message of Amos

The message of Amos lands on the global church today with as much force and necessity as it landed on the people of God 2,700 years ago. The key idea in Amos is that God is just and impartial and will judge not only the nations but also his own people for their life of ease and apathy amid human suffering. To prosperous nations around the world today, and particularly prosperous Christians in those nations, the prophecy of Amos is a clear call for active engagement with the poor and afflicted, especially among God’s people.

1

Amos in Redemptive History

The Purpose of Prosperity

God created humanity to flourish. When sin entered the world, the ground was cursed so that only through toil and hardship would mankind’s work prove fruitful (Genesis 3:17–19). Yet in his great kindness, or as a hint of the prosperity to come in the new earth, or to test his people, or for other reasons, God often allows human beings to flourish in terms of material prosperity. During such times of prosperity, God’s people are called to embody his character, gladly extending mercy, compassion, and generosity to those in need. God had called Abraham in order that his descendants, the children of Israel, might exercise precisely such mercy and justice, so that they would be a light to the nations of the world (Genesis 12:1–3; compare Amos 3:2).

Israel’s Misuse of Prosperity

In Israel and Judah during the eighth century BC, at the time of Amos’s prophecy, the people of God were prospering materially. Yet as was so often the case down through Israel’s history, they failed to love one another as they had been called to do (Amos 3:10; 5:7, 12; 8:4). God had redeemed Israel in mercy from Egypt (Amos 2:10; 3:1), and the Israelites were now to act in mercy toward one another accordingly. Yet, lazily indulging in God’s gift of prosperity, their worship of God had turned hollow (Amos 5:21–23; compare Amos 4:4–5) and heartfelt concern for one another had withered (Amos 2:6–7).

Judgment for Israel’s Lack of Mercy

Because of all this, the Lord will exile his people (Amos 5:27; 7:17) and will bring upon them the “day of the Lord,” a day of climactic judgment. More than any other prophet, Amos describes this coming day of judgment in terms of darkness. “Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light. . . . Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?” (Amos 5:18, 20; compare Amos 4:13; 5:8). Toward the end of Amos we even hear the Lord say regarding the day of final judgment, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight” (Amos 8:9).

Ultimate Prosperity in the New Earth

In the next verse we are told that this cosmic darkening will be linked with mourning that is “like the mourning for an only son” (Amos 8:10). This is an arresting passage in Amos’s prophecy because it describes precisely what took place when Jesus hung on the cross seven centuries after Amos lived: the earth grew dark at noon, for three hours, signifying God’s judgment, as an only son, God’s only Son, perished (Mark 15:33; John 3:16). Amos’s prophecy then concludes with a deeply comforting promise of restoration through faithfulness to David (Amos 9:11–15). Through this restoration God’s people will be reinstated in the land, and “the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it” (Amos 9:13).

On the cross, Jesus experienced the judgment of the prophetic day of the Lord for all those around the world who trust in him. These believers “from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9) will one day enter into the lavish abundance described in Amos 9, a restored paradise, a new earth—a true and final Eden.

2

Universal Themes in Amos

God’s Impartial Justice

The Lord does not overlook injustice on the part of his own people simply because they are his. Indeed, God’s covenant relationship makes justice and righteousness in the lives of his people all the more crucial, for they are representing the Lord to the nations (see Romans 2:17–24). Thus when his people “trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end” (Amos 8:4), God will certainly not exempt them from the judgment that such selfishness deserves. Amos reminds the global church of the commitment to justice that is embedded in the very character of God.

The Dangers of Wealth

“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,” says the Lord in Amos 6. “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches . . . who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils” (Amos 6:1, 4, 6). Not only are God’s people living in luxurious ease, however, but in their self-satisfied greed they are also trampling on the needs of the poor, dealing deceitfully in business transactions, and profaning the sabbath to make more money (Amos 8:4–6). Such is the tendency of the human heart when prosperity comes. While material prosperity is a blessing from the Lord (Proverbs 10:22) and is appropriately earned by those who work diligently and wisely (Proverbs 21:5), the accumulation of wealth tends to lead to a variety of temptations and sins (1 Timothy 6:9–10). Material wealth is to be received gratefully and yet must never displace God as the center of our affections—and the main practical way to keep wealth in its proper place is to be generous toward those in need, especially in light of the generosity God has shown us in Christ (2 Corinthians 8:9; compare 2 Corinthians 9:11).

3

The Global Message of Amos for Today

The prophecy of Amos carries an urgent message for the global church in the twenty-first century. Where God has brought material blessing to his people through honest hard work and diligence, such blessing should be received gratefully and enjoyed. Yet in light of massive worldwide needs such as poverty, lack of clean water, malnutrition, and inadequate medical care, material blessing granted to some believers must go out to those parts of the world where help is needed. To do anything less is to tragically imitate the people in Amos’s day who neglected the poor among them. Such neglect deserves, and will receive, God’s judgment.

The church must never presume upon God’s favor. His justice is universal. He will deal in perfect justice with those who claim his love and compassion but fail to extend that love and compassion in concrete ways to others. As those who have been shown mercy, may we as the church universal love our neighbors, both near and far, with the radical, self-giving love shown to us in the gospel. “Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:1–2).

4:1 you fat cows (literally you cows of Bashan): Bashan was famous for its fierce, fat bulls (Ps 22:12; Ezek 39:18). Amos uses the feminine form (cows) to paint a picture of Israel’s upper class wives, who cared little for the poor. Their only concern was to extract enough wealth from the needy to support their own consumption.

4:1-4:3 In this message Amos holds Samaria’s wives accountable for urging their husbands to perform ruthless acts in order to provide them with money for their parties.

4:2 has sworn this by his holiness: Holiness speaks of God as existing outside of and independent of creation; his nature is wholly other than what he has created. The oath is similar to 6:8; 8:7. • hooks: The Assyrians were known for their inhumane treatment of war captives (see 2 Chr 33:11; cp. 2 Kgs 19:28). A stela (stone pillar with an inscription) discovered in northern Syria shows the Assyrian king Esarhaddon holding cords that pass through the lips of two war captives. A recent scholar has suggested that hooks referred to the rings inserted into the noses of cattle to manage them.

4:3 The wall of Samaria that these women trusted for security could not protect them.

4:4 Amos lampoons the Israelites’ worthless piety. • Bethel, the site of Jacob’s famous vision of the ladder with angels descending and ascending (Gen 28:11-22), was the southern seat of the religion established by Jeroboam I (see Amos 3:14; 1 Kgs 12:28-29). Gilgal, Israel’s campsite after they crossed the Jordan (Josh 4:19–5:9), had become a popular shrine by the time of Amos and Hosea (Hos 4:15; 9:15; 12:11). • sacrifices each morning . . . tithes every three days: Israelite males were to appear before the Lord at the sanctuary three times each year (Exod 23:14-19; 34:23; Deut 16:16-17). Tithes were typically paid annually (Deut 14:22-29), with a special tithe paid every three years (see Deut 14:28; 26:12). Amos is making the point that the Israelites were religious to the point of absurdity, but they balked at being godly (Amos 5:15; Hos 6:6; Mic 6:8; see Luke 11:42).

4:4-4:5 The prophet’s sarcasm shows how far Israel had strayed from God’s ways. Israel had plenty of religion but no reverence for God.

4:5 Leavened bread (that is, sourdough fermented by wild yeast) was for daily consumption. The more primitive unleavened bread (made without yeast) became a sacred symbol, commemorating Israel’s affliction as slaves in Egypt (Deut 16:3), the Passover (Exod 12:17-20), and their hasty departure from that land (Exod 12:34, 39). Unleavened bread thus became altar bread (Lev 6:17; 7:12). However, bread made with yeast could accompany a peace offering of thanksgiving (Lev 7:13).

4:6-4:11 God sent natural disasters to bring his people to repentance, but each time they failed to respond in any sincere manner. Amos ends the account of each disaster with the refrain, “But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.

4:10 God had used plagues to convince Egypt to let Israel go (Exod 7:14–12:30; 9:2-3; Ps 91:6; Hab 3:5); he promised to bring the plagues of Egypt on Israel if they continued to turn away from him to worship pagan gods (Deut 28:27, 60).

4:11 As with the plagues on Egypt (4:10), the plagues on Israel increased in magnitude and intensity (cp. 4:12). • as I destroyed: The thought that God would treat his own people in the same way as he had treated Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24-25) was shocking to their theology.

4:12 This is one of the two great thematic verses in Amos (the second is 5:24). Since Israel would not repent, it must meet . . . God in judgment.

4:13 This verse appears to be a hymn fragment, possibly sung by the worshipers at Bethel (for other hymn fragments, see 5:8-9; 9:5-6). Israel had been treating God as a baal—a local god with limited power. But the God they professed to worship and whom they would face in judgment is all-powerful.

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