The Writings of Amos

God uses everyone.  Sometimes He uses people no one expects.  Amos was such a person.  Amos was a shepherd and a sycamore-fig farmer.  But God directed Amos to go to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, about 800 years before Christ.   Due to the civil war, Israel and divided into two kingdoms, North and South, called Israel and Judah.  The Northern Kingdom would eventually cease to exist but while it still did, God continued to speak to the people.

God called Amos from his daily work, just like God called other heroes of faith like David and Gideon. As a shepherd her would have spent time looking at God’s beautiful creation but Amos saw beyond that – he saw God his creator.  Amos was very bold and courageous because he loved God. Amos prophesied at a time of great prosperity and peace in Israel so no one wanted to hear his warnings of destruction. He had to be fearless, wise and clever, declaring the truth to the King of Israel who was an idolater and who caused the people of Israel to do the same. 

Amos tells us how God hates sin and would judge Israel for her sinfulness. Some of the Israelites’ sins were greed, neglecting God’s laws and idolatry.

Amos tells of Israel’s coming judgment in five visions and hopes that Israel will take God’s warnings seriously and turn back to him. The five visions include the devouring locusts, the consuming fire that the Lord relented from sending, the search for a measuring line which revealed Israel’s great sinfulness and her certain judgment, the basket of fruit which revealed that the overripe fruit that looks great on the outside is actually rotting at the heart, and lastly the vision of the Lord at the altar. This revealed a terrible judgment of scattering and killing.

Imagine seeing sights in your mind’s eye that you have never seen before.  You try to describe those sights as best as possible but you also know that the visions represent a deeper truth.  Amos never hesitates to share these visions.  But he also shares hope and help coming to God’s chosen people when they turn back to worship Him.  God says Israel will be restored again. Amos was hated for speaking the truth that Israel needed to repent.  Like many prophets his words fell on deaf ears.  Today they are preserved for you to know God’s perseverance and goodness even when people rebel against Him.