AMOS: Prophet of Justice and Righteouness

 

                        AMOS:  PROPHET OF JUSTICE and RIGHTEOUSNESS     

                                                                           AMOS 1

“It was a time of peace and prosperity.”, Does that sound like our time?   That was the description of the period recorded in Amos, which is the book we will read and discuss through these blogs.  Why read and Study Amos?  Don't we focus on what Jesus taught, recorded in the New Testament in the Bible. What does Amos have to do with Jesus, let alone us?  Don’t we live in a “time of relative peace and prosperity?”  True, 2023 hasn’t been a great year. Return on investments are down. There seems that unrest and killings occur all over the world. Hurricanes, drought and record heat is occurring in Texas. There is on ongoing war in Ukraine.  Yes, we live a volatile world.  Not everyone in the USA is prosperous.  Yet, overall, we are doing OK.  So, why study a book addressing events about 750 years before Jesus Christ?  That question will be answered as we study this prophetic book.

To find Amos in the Bible, look in the front of your Bible for Contents.  Likely in the third column near the top you find Amos and the page number.  Turn there and read Chapter 1, 

Notice Amos was a shepherd and fig grower, not religiously trained. He was going about his business, when God broke into his life with messages delivered through visions. Verse 2 gives a warning message. Verse 1 sets the historical context, placing the events in time and space: Two years before the earthquake when Uzziah was King of Judah (792-742 B.C.) and Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.) ...was king of Israel.  Although Amos lived in a picturesque hill town* in the Southern Kingdom, Judah, he was called to speak to the Northern Kingdom, Israel, which was at the height of its political power and prosperous economy.  The message: (Remember, we were in a time, of drought.)  The lush pastures of the shepherds will dry up; the grass on Mount Carmel will wither and die. Why the warning?  We will learn that Israel was spiritually corrupt, and idols were worshiped. God sent Amos to denounce social and religious corruption.

Judgment starts on Israel's neighbors.  One can imagine the Israelites responded, "They Deserve It."    As we will see in the next chapter, God includes Amos' homeland. When reading Amos, it is easy to say:  "They deserved God's Judgement."  Reflect on what God is saying and think about our nation.    As we read and reflect on Amos, let us look for application to our communities and country.

The overall message of Amos is: “Unless a Nation is built on and lives by God’s law, plumbline, it will collapse.” What’s a plumbline and what's its use? Today we use a level when building or hanging something on a wall. A plumbline (see above) is a cord with a heavy weight attached to it.  Gravity pulls the heavy item resulting on a straight line which can be used to ensure framing of a building, walls or door jamb etc. are plumb, straight.  As you read Amos notice how God measures his people.  How is your life reflecting God’s law illustrated through The Teachings of Jesus?    

Prayer is conversation with God. In light of Amos 1, what do want to say to God? What is God saying to you?     

* "Tekoa was Amos' hometown, in the rugged sheep country of Judah (Southern Kingdom) about ten miles south of Jerusalem."  (Life Application Bible, p.1536)