Amos 2
About AmosWritten by AI
Amos was not a professional prophet. He was a herdsman and a tender of fig trees from Tekoa, a village in Judah, whom God sent north to preach in Israel around 760 BC. It was a time of peace and wealth for the few, while the poor were cheated in court and sold for a pair of sandals.
The book opens with judgment on Israel's neighbors, then turns the spotlight on Israel itself. Amos speaks against comfortable religion: crowded festivals and offerings that went on while justice was ignored. His visions show God's patience coming to an end.
Watch for Amos's central plea: “But let justice roll on like a river.” And notice the last chapter, where God promises to rebuild the fallen tent of David. James quotes that promise in Acts 15 when the early church welcomed Gentile believers.
Before you read Amos 2Written by AI
After Moab, the judgment reaches Judah, and then, at length, Israel itself. Its sins are social: selling the righteous for silver and the needy for sandals, trampling the poor, and silencing the prophets. Notice how God reminds Israel of all He did for them, bringing them out of Egypt and raising up prophets.
Judgment on Moab, Judah, and Israel
This is what the LORD says:
“For three transgressions of Moab, even four,
I will not revoke My judgment,
because he burned to lime
the bones of Edom’s king.
So I will send fire against Moab
to consume the citadels of Kerioth.
Moab will die in tumult,
amid war cries and the sound of the ram’s horn.
I will cut off the ruler of Moab
and kill all the officials with him,”
says the LORD.
This is what the LORD says:
“For three transgressions of Judah, even four,
I will not revoke My judgment,
because they reject the Law of the LORD
and fail to keep His statutes;
they are led astray by the lies
in which their fathers walked.
So I will send fire upon Judah
to consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”
This is what the LORD says:
“For three transgressions of Israel, even four,
I will not revoke My judgment,
because they sell the righteous for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the earth;
they push the needy out of their way.
A man and his father
have relations with the same girl
and so profane My holy name.
They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.
And in the house of their God,
they drink wine obtained through fines.
Yet it was I who destroyed
the Amorite before them,
though his height was like that of the cedars,
and he was as strong as the oaks.
Yet I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots below.
And I brought you up from the land of Egypt
and led you forty years in the wilderness,
that you might take possession
of the land of the Amorite.
I raised up prophets from your sons
and Nazirites from your young men.
Is this not true,
O children of Israel?”
declares the LORD.
“But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
Behold, I am about to crush you in your place
as with a cart full of grain.
Escape will fail the swift,
the strong will not prevail by his strength,
and the mighty will not save his life.
The archer will not stand his ground,
the fleet of foot will not escape,
and the horseman will not save his life.
Even the bravest of mighty men
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the LORD.