38 Amos

Amos was just a shephard.. no one special.. he was an ordinary guy that had visions..

He was a vigorous spokesman for God's justice and righteousness, whereas Hosea emphasized God's love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. Amos declared that God was going to judge his unfaithful, disobedient, covenant-breaking people. More than almost any other book of Scripture, the book of Amos holds God’s people accountable for their ill-treatment of others. It repeatedly points out the failure of the people to fully embrace God’s idea of justice. They were selling off needy people for goods, taking advantage of the helpless, oppressing the poor, and the men were using women immorally . Drunk on their own economic success and intent on strengthening their financial position, the people had lost the concept of caring for one another; Amos rebuked them because he saw in that lifestyle evidence that Israel had forgotten God. Everything couldn’t have been better for them - except.. Amos knew that many nations were evil, and because of these evil deeds or ways, God would punish the nations. Amos was just an ordinary man with a message for his nation. Amos’s nation which was Israel, was also evil, they were cruel to the poor people. The judges they had were not fair in court and they served evil gods.

So what Amos did was set out to warn his people that they must confess their evil ways to God. And get over it and start doing right things. While in the cities, Amos was deeply troubled not only by the contrast between the rich and the poor but by the way in which the political and religious leaders tried to justify this great difference. Ironically, the rich people of Amos' day thought they were blessed with such great wealth because they were so religious...These leaders insisted that God materially rewards those who are faithful in the performance of their ritualistic obligations to him. Hence they interpreted their own prosperity and that of the nation as a whole, as evidence that the divine favor rests on them and will continue to do so for all time to come.

At the same time, they reasoned that poor people deserve their hard lot in life because they do not regularly participate in the sacrifices and other religious activities practiced at the established places of worship. Amos was not impressed by this kind of argument. He was raised in an environment where it was understood that loyalty to God involves fair dealings among people rather than observance of religious rites and ceremonies. Amos tried to teach his people they could solve their problems by returning to the commandments and God, but they refused to do so. Rather than seeking out opportunities to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, they embraced their arrogance, idolatry, self-righteousness, and materialism. To be spiritually rich is to be full of the personal knowledge of God. This can only happen when your spirit is made new through faith in God. Sin has marred us, but God wants to restore us. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God’s word through Amos was directed against the privileged people of Israel, a people who had no love for their neighbor, who took advantage of others, and who only looked out for their own concerns.