Does God Care? - Amos Overview

Introduction: Does God Care?

Does God care?

Does God care about wars and genocides? About all the suffering in the world? Does he care about our leaders and what they do, whether it be just or unjust? Does God care?

Does God care about the injustices done against you? The lies told against you? The ways in which people have stolen from you? Does he care about your family’s needs, your needs? Does he care when you have been taken advantage of? Or when religious leaders lead you astray? Does God care?

But I think we also ask the question, do you really want God to care?

Does God care the injustices you have committed? The lies you’ve told, the ways in which you have stolen from others? Does he care about the times you have taken advantage of others or lied in your business dealings? Do you want him to care about the times you have ignored the poor or cheated on your taxes or your marriage? Does he care when you do what is wrong, even though you know it is wrong?

Does

God

Care?

Introducing Amos

We are three weeks into our first six weeks on the Minor Prophets. Now, these writings are called minor not because they are less important, but simply because they are shorter. There are 12 Minor Prophets and so they have throughout history been compiled into a single book titled “The Book of the 12”.

From verse 1 we can gather that Amos prophesied somewhere around 760-750 BC to the Northern Kingdom of Israel just a couple decades before their exile into Assyria. If you remember back two weeks you will remember in Hosea that prophesying to the Northern kingdom of Israel was rather strange for the Minor Prophets. In fact out of the 12, only Amos and Hosea prophesied to Israel.

Something else that we can gather from verse 1 is that Amos was from a shepherding community in Tekoa, a region in Judah. This is affirmed in chapter 7 verse 14 when Amos says that he was a shepherd and a fig farmer. In the same verse he tells us that he does not come from a line of prophets.

Now, this information is strange for a few reasons. First, in the ancient world prophecy was a business and children of prophets were generally expected to continue the family business. So the fact that Amos is not related to prophets should set off some flags. Second, though Judah and Israel were once united, and they were both experiencing a period of prosperity, they had been two separate nations for hundreds of years. And who was Amos, the shepherd from Judah, prophesying to? Israel.

So this farmer and herder from Judah is now coming to a completely different country and king, Israel and Jeroboam II, to bring a prophecy from their mutual God.

Imagine this scene for a second. Imagine that during the Civil War the issue was not about slavery, but rather who each group wanted to be President. The Confederates succeeded and that our nation was actually split in two.

Now, imagine that today someone from the South, let’s say Georgia, comes up to our church and says in a thick Southern accent that they have something from God to say to us.

This is an extremely strange image!

Amos is not the person that most pastor search committees would call to pastor their church!

Amos was a foreigner. He had no professional training. He was just a layman.

And yet, this is exactly the way that God chose to speak to Israel. God delights in using the weak and insignificant in the eyes of the world to lead the strong and important.

I think we will notice that God mightily uses the sharp and honest perspective of an outsider in Amos’ prophetic ministry.

The word that Amos brings is not a word that is for the weak-hearted. So, if you have questions, please make sure you write them down in your notes. Come to me and let’s talk about them.

Sermon

So let’s begin at the beginning, with the Judge and the judged.

A. The Judge and the Judged (1:1-3:8)

1. The Judge (1:1-2; 3:3-8)

We must begin by understanding something important about the book of Amos (and every other book of the Bible): the human author is not the main character. Who is the main character of Amos? The Lord God.

Amos begins his prophecy by saying:

Amos 1:2 (ESV)

2 “The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.”

Now, first off, does this sound familiar? The first half of this verse is the exact same wording that Joel, who we studied last week, uses in his own writings.

We should recognize that Amos is just the prophet. It is God who is doing all the action! The word “roars” could be used to describe the sound of rushing water, or a blazing fire, or even a storm, but the imagery applied here should lead us to think of a roaring lion in pursuit of his prey. God is not a judge who is disengaged with his people. He is a judge who roars about justice!

This image of a roaring lion is continued in Amos 3:8 when he says:

Amos 3:8 (ESV)

8 The lion has roared;

who will not fear?

The Lord God has spoken;

who can but prophesy?”

The proper response to this roaring is fear. As it says in Amos 3:4 “Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?” We know that the lion is the LORD but the question is, who is the prey?

Notice from Chapter 1 verse 2 where this lion is roaring from. From Zion, from Jerusalem. This is important because the first king of the split Northern kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam I, rejected Jerusalem as the center of worship, choosing instead to make competing centers in places such as Bethel and Dan (which means “house of God”) so that the Northern tribes would not have to travel into Judah to the temple Solomon built just a generation before. So now, many generations, many kings later, these northern Israelites would perk up at the mention of this roaring of God from Jerusalem! The Ancient One, the Judge, speaks!

a. The Judge speaks

Throughout the beginning of chapter three we see a series of rhetorical questions that prepares the hearers for what will be said in verses 7-8.

3 “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?

4 Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?

There is a cause and effect to be noticed in these questions. Because they have agreed to meet, two people walk together. Because a lion has prey, he roars in the forest. The answer to each of these questions is meant to be an obvious “no.” So then, the list ends in verse 6 with the question, “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” No. Disaster does not come to a city unless the Lord has done it. Friends, God is sovereign over all things. Even disaster.

And this sovereign judge is not silent; he speaks! He spoke through the prophets like Amos directly to the kings, but he is also speaking to us today through his word! God never stops speaking! And what a blessing that is! He is eager to reveal himself to his creation. He is eager for them to know him! And he is eager to give them time to repent. In verse 7 we see this eagerness to give time to repent by the fact that he reveals his secrets to his prophets.

Amos then continues by asking in verse 8 “The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

In other words, “Why do you think I am here? If there’s a prophet before you, it is because God is speaking. I’m here prophesying, not of my own will, but out of the sovereign will of God. How can I possibly do anything else? The lion is roaring and I’m warning you that it’s time to fear!”

God uses words! Amos must prophesy. We must listen. And all of the words of Scripture should be shaping us as individuals, and as a church. Our lives should be a constant stream of studying the word of God. The only hope we offer to those who are not Christians is the Word of God. It is what tells us of Christ and the grand hope we have in him!

But we should quickly recognize how God, the Judge, is speaking.

b. The Judge speaks in judgment

The Judge speaks in judgement. Back in chapter 1 verse 3 God says that He “will not revoke the punishment” and boy oh boy do we see that in chapters one and two.

Amos’ message is a message of judgement and that is not a popular message. We do not like to hear messages of how we are messing things up, but they are necessary. We don’t always have to know when we’re in the right, but we should care to know when we are in the wrong. God cares when we are in the wrong.

So then if the judge is judging, who are the judged?

2. The Judged (1:3–3:2)

a. The nations

First to be judged are the nations. Amos begins his book by bringing forward God’s accusations against all the nations surrounding Israel. Damascus (3-5), Gaza (6-8), Tyre (1:9-10), Edom (11-12) Ammon (13-15), and Moab (2:1-3). These are all of the neighboring rival cities and nations! If you look on a map, Amos hasn’t left anyone out! He’s completely encircled Israel and Judah to the North, South, East, and the Mediterranean sea to the West.

It’s important to recognize that these were pagan nations. These were not nations that recognized YHWH as their God as Israel and Judah did. They were ignorant to Israel’s God and his laws, but what do we see when we read chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2? Does it matter that they do not recognize the God of Jacob? That they are ignorant to his laws? No. Ignorance is no excuse for doing what is wrong.

Every person in the world will face the judgement of God whether they recognize Him as God or not. Are you starting to see the urgency for proclaiming the good news to people? We get so distracted with things in our lives that we are lulled by Satan into complacency when it comes to thinking about eternal things. We don’t think about the judgement that these people are resting under.

But it’s interesting to note what sins are being judged for these nations. In Hosea it had everything to do with idolatry, but what does Amos say here? For selling people into slavery (1:6, 9), for pitiless destruction (11), for ripping open pregnant women and killing children in the womb (13), and for desecrating the body of a rival king (2:1). It is for their cruelty towards fellow humans, for their great injustices that they will be judged!

There is a bit of strange language being used here as the judgement is being pronounced for each nation. Eight times we see this phrase “For three transgressions… and for four, I will not revoke the punishment.”

Now this sounds really mysterious, but it really just means that there is a multitude of sin and God must give judgement. And he does. With vivid language he describes the result of his judgement on these nations and to each of them the judgement is the same: they will be destroyed.

It probably sounded really nice to the Israelites “God is judging our dirty rotten neighbors! You’re right, they really do deserve it! Go get ’em, God!” And don’t we do the same thing? We get so into our tribes that we start to gloat when we see God’s judgement upon those we don’t like.

Can you think of a faster way to build camaraderie with someone than complaining about the same things together?

Let me give you a personal example so you can see what I’m talking about. I’m a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and I’ve gotta be honest, it warms my sinful heart to know that the New England Patriots are one of the worst teams in the league. And I’m eagerly waiting for the day when the Cleveland Browns finally implode again. Now, you may not hold the same prejudices that I do, however, you probably can relate to the feeling! We want our enemies to face judgement!

That is what Amos is showing to his audience here and I’m sure that they were starting to think “I like the way this preacher thinks! We are on the same page and I love that he’s calling out all those wicked people around us!”

b. God’s people

However, Amos then does something surprising. He doesn’t stop with the pronouncements of judgement. He has drawn a circle around Judah and Israel, but this isn’t just a circle, it’s a target. And who is resting in the bullseye of that target? Israel and Judah. The judgement of God is not just for all those other people. The judgement of God is also brought against his own people.

In 2:4 and 2:5 God declares his judgement against Judah, the close cousins of the Israelites.

Amos 2:4–5 (ESV)

4 Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes,

but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.

5 So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

This probably made those listening start to shift uncomfortably. “Hang on a second. That’s Amos’ own people and they are the ones with the Temple. I don’t think they should be getting judged...”, but judge them God does! And their judgement is not because of cruelty, but because they have rejected the Law of the LORD! So while ignorance is no excuse, neither is familiarity! All those who reject God, no matter how much or little understanding they have will face his righteous judgement.

And Amos doesn’t stop with Judah. He has one more nation to declare God’s judgement upon. In 2:6 we read “Thus says the Lord: ‘For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment....”

And this judgement is sweeping! As much time as God took speaking about all the other nations, he spends nearly the same amount of time on Israel alone! Their sins were of economic and religious oppression, of all-encompassing abuse of people and neglect of God’s laws, and of widespread immorality.

In response to all this sin, God gives some of his strongest indictments. He says in 2:13 “I will press you down” or in other words, “I will crush you.”

The Israelites thought they were safe from the judgement of God because of their heritage. Aren’t they the chosen people? The promised children of Abraham? God speaks to this truth in Amos 3:2 “You only have I known of all the families of the earth,” however this heritage is not something to take lightly! He finishes the verse by saying, “therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” This familiarity does not remove them from accountability, it magnifies their accountability!

Friends, the church is a lousy place to hide from God. Being around the Lord’s people doesn’t make you a Christian any more than putting on a jersey makes you a member of a team. If you think that you can avoid God’s judgement because you are in the gathering of his people, you are wrong. All people come under God’s judgement: the nations and the chosen people of God. Each of us have fallen and sinned against God and He WILL speak judgement against us all, no matter where we come from.

B. The Focus of God’s Judgement (3:9-6:14)

Amos takes a significant portion, the entire middle section, of his prophecy to look at the focus of God’s judgement. Specifically, Amos taught that God’s judgement focuses on his people, their leaders, and their religion.

1. His People (3:9-15; 6:8-14)

Amos continues this theme of judgement against Israel in chapter 3 by assembling witnesses against Israel, and these witnesses might surprise you.

Amos 3:9–10 (ESV)

9 Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,

and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria (the capital city of Israel),

and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst.”

10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

God calls a pagan Philistine city, Ashdod, and the pagan nation of Egypt, the enemies of Israel!, to come be witnesses to the judgement.

God sounds angry in these chapters and demands that his people will listen! In these chapters God becomes the prosecutor, the enemy of Israel. And in chapter 3 he is calling for Ashdod and Egypt to be come and testify against Israel.

Amos 3:13–15 (ESV)

13 “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,

14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground.

15 I will strike the winter house along with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end,” declares the Lord.

Did you ever imagine God saying something like this? Why would God place himself as the enemy of his own people? Because they had placed themselves as God’s enemy.

From the beginning of the split nation of Israel they had been ignoring God’s direction. When Jeroboam I made the rival temples in Bethel and in Dan he also placed golden calves in each of those places of worship. We know this from 1 Kings 12:25-33. So their altars were false.

They also had experienced great prosperity to own grand houses and feed their own indulgences. Really, in reading Amos he takes aim at the indulgence and pride of the Israelites more than anything.

And if we really think about sin, our sin, isn’t pride so often the root? We think we know best, or that we have a right to be angry. We think our allegiances are always the right move and don’t take the time to consider whether our allies are those who the people of God should be allied to. We crave the approval of other humans so we seek reassurances in them instead of in God and their flattery works terrible wonders on our sinful hearts.

This is what Israel had become, and they continued to refuse to repent. So God would destroy them. In 6:14 he says,“For behold, I will raise up against you a nation,” foretelling the Assyrian Empire’s conquest of Israel just a few decades later. God will judge his people.

2. Their Leaders (4:1-3; 6:1-7)

But he did not simply judge his people. He had some extremely strong words for their leaders, and not just for the men.

Amos 4:1–2 (ESV)

1 “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria (another way of saying Israel), who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’

2 The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks.

Have you ever called a someone a cow? Well, now you can say that it’s a biblical insult. I’m just kidding, you should never call someone a cow, but in this instance, God is not remarking on their appearance, but rather on their slothfulness.

These women indulge themselves and crush the needy and poor and God cares for the people being oppressed. So he says in verse 2 that he will judge them and that the days are coming when they will be like fish caught on a hook who have no say over where they go. They will be forcefully turned out of their comforts and and oppression because they have refused every other attempt to get them to turn.

The men aren’t off the hook either. They too have been using people for their own gain. They too were wrongly complacent and in 6:4-7 we see God blast them as well.

Amos 6:4–7 (ESV)

4 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall,

5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,

6 who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves (like lay out in relaxation) out shall pass away.”

What was it that made these men so at ease? Their money. These leaders had great wealth and they put their faith into it, but money has never been something that can bring lasting satisfaction!

These men were also accused of caring for their bodies with lotions, music, food and drink, and yet have no grief over the ruin of Joseph (Israel)! They were lounging! They had no care for people around them! Their pride in their wealth led them to look down upon others!

So since they were leading Israel wrongly, they would continue to lead them… right into the exile in Assyria!

Good leadership is a gift to those who sit under that leadership. For those hoping for leadership, are you hoping for leadership in order to be a blessing to the people around you or are you just using people so that you can be viewed as a leader? Is God blessing your leadership?

“To whom much has been given, from him shall much be required.” Israel’s leaders were bad, so God judged them.

3. Their Religion (4:4–5:27)

And while much of Amos is focused on the injustices of God’s people and there leaders there is also a significant portion that judges their religion. Israel’s religion allowed them to sin and still reassure themselves that they were resting in the favor of God. They loved their religion and they loved their sin so they created a version where they could keep both.

Now we can scoff or shake our head at them for their false religion, but how many today are happy to do the same thing? Churches are welcoming in sin in staggering numbers and are abandoning the gospel in their prideful decisions are abandoning the gospel. Friends, the thousands of years that separate us from the Israelites have not changed the primary problem for humanity: we are sinful, prideful creatures. When we welcome sin into our church - whether this is in capitulating to the societal pressures regarding sexuality, or if we close our eyes to injustices done in our midst (from slander and gossip to abuse) - when we welcome sin into our church we banish Christ from our gathering.

In chapter 4 we see that God sent famine and drought, pestilence and plagues to warn and encourage them to repent and yet they would not relent from their stubborn rebellion. They would not turn back to God!

And friends, a common theme in the Minor Prophets is the understanding that God’s smaller disciplines are meant to lead us to repentance! But do we truly repent when that happens, or do we shake our fists at God and demand he explain himself? Do we even think about God at all when that happens? It seems that Israel did not repent or get mad; they just ignored God. So in 4:12 we read “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God!”

What a terrifying statement! And God doesn’t stop there in his challenge! In a statement resembling the ending of Job, God makes himself known in 4:13. “He who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!”

And then in chapter 5 starting in verse 18 we see some of the most blistering words from God.

Amos 5:18–20 (ESV)

18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord?

It is darkness, and not light, 19 as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.

20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?

The Israelites had so deceived themselves that they thought the Day of the LORD would be a good thing for them. They thought that their God coming to be in their midst would be something that would bring them more pleasure, but that’s not the case at all. He says that it is as if a man who was running from a lion rand into a bear. Out of the frying pan and into the fryer.

As these wicked Israelites believed they would get to watch God bring judgement on all the sinful people out there, they did not realize that they would be one of the nations who would rightfully be destroyed by God’s judgement. They were so aware of the sins of the people around them, and completely blind to their own sin.

We won’t get too much into this because in two weeks Jonah will have this as a major theme, but friends, may this never be the condition of our own hearts. God cares about their sin, but also about our sin.

God continues in verse 21 by showing the way we worship God matters. It’s not just about what we think should be fine. He says:

21 “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them.

23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream...

27 Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

God cares about how he is worshipped. We do not have the right to be innovative - even if that innovation feels like tradition to us. Even if that innovation makes us feel happy.

And while this was a financially prosperous time in Israel’s history, and like many before and after them they equated prosperity with the favor of God, they would see that God did not view it the same way. In Amos 5:11 we read:

Amos 5:11–13 (ESV)

11 Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

12 For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.

13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

God said it is an evil time, not a good time. And even yet, God still immediately offers them the hope of repentance!

Amos 5:14–15 (ESV)

14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live! and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said he is.

15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

One of the best ways to see that Israel’s prosperous time was evil and that their religion was false was in their treatment of other people. The poor were valued as less than a pair of sandals (2:6, 8:6), their heads were trampled on (2:7), and they were forced to give the little they did have to make the rich fatter! The Israelites denied justice because a few more dollars was worth more to them than righteousness! No wonder Amos said that “the days are evil.”

As Israel had acted like the nations, God would treat them like the nations. Their prosperity would not save them from the Assyrian army.

God would judge his people, especially their leaders, for their sin-tolerating religion.

C. The Character and Cause of God’s Judgement (7-9)

Finally, in the last three chapters of Amos we see the character and cause of God’s judgement. We learn that God’s judgement is characterized with mercy, justice, and certainty.

1. The Character of God’s Judgment (Chapters 7, 9)

a. With mercy

In reading chapter 7 you are likely to be alarmed at the depictions of the judgement of God, and struggle to see why this could possibly be called merciful. But twice, after declaring the judgement of locusts and fire, God says it will not happen! These are the judgments that they deserved! They had lived in such a way that their nation should have been destroyed and yet 7:3 and 6, both state that “the LORD relented.”

This relenting is something we see multiple times in the Bible, but it’s not like a human relenting. God is a personal God who leads and teaches us by interacting with us. Through showing what is deserved and yet holding it back, he teaches Israel of his mercy and patience.

And God’s mercy becomes even clearer in the final verses of the book where God promises his long judgement will end, but we’ll get to that in a second.

b. With justice

God’s judgement will come with mercy, but also with a perfect justice. I don’t have time to cover it, but throughout the book you see a great concern for justice for those who have been taken advantage of.

c. With certainty

God’s judgement is also characterized by certainty. It will happen and no one can hide from it.

Amos 9:2–3 (ESV)

2 “If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them;

if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.

3 If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search them out and take them;

and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.

2. The Cause of God’s Judgment (Chapter 8)

a. Sin

Chapter 8 shows us a final reminder of the cause of God’s Judgement, and as we already said, sin is the cause of God’s judgement. God is perfectly holy and just with the responsibility to judge; he cannot just sit idly by, especially when people are doing such wicked things in his name.

And in response to all this sin, God gives the most chilling promise of all.

In 8:11-22 He promises that there would be a famine, not of food or water, but of the Word of God. His people could search for it all over the land, but they would not find it. And he kept his promise. From the final prophet of the Old Testament, Malachi, to John the Baptist was a space of 400 years where God did not raise up a prophet to speak to his people.

I have more to say about this, but it will have to wait for Thursday.

CONCLUSION

So let me ask one more time: Does God care? I think we’ve seen that he cares immensely. He cares too much to just sit idly by when there is sin in the world. But we’ve also seen that God also cares too much to just destroy the world. Though there is seen great judgement from God in Amos, there is also great mercy. And this long book of judgement ends with a promise of mercy. In the final 5 verses of the book we see that God’s desire is to show radical mercy.

Amos 9:11–15 (ESV)

11 “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, 12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this.

13 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.

14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.

15 I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

So why should we study the minor prophets? In them we see a much more dynamic picture of God’s judgement and mercy that corrects our sinful near-sightedness.

We study the minor prophets because they show, maybe more than any other group of Old Testament books, how the plan of God was always to include the nations in His people and redemption! These minor prophets are constantly quoted in the New Testament when it comes to talking about the inclusion of the Gentiles into the New Covenant of God! The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 quotes Amos 9 as the reason for accepting them into church without requiring them to be Jews! Amos is about the salvation of God for the whole earth! Not just for Israel!

We study the minor prophets because they point us to not only our need for Jesus to save us, but to show us that there was never a plan B in God’s plan for redemption. Israel is not plan A and the church plan B. God always intended to redeem his people in the whole earth, the ones who joyfully repent and follow him when they recognize their sin, through the work, life, death, and resurrection of his son, Jesus. The booth of David mentioned in chapter 9 verse 11 is the promised son of David! This is Jesus, not just the son of David but also the Son of God!, and the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew is there to prove this to us!

Amos shows that God cares so much that he cannot simply overlook sin, but to those who repent and believe God’s promises of judgement and mercy, he will take that judgement onto himself so that we may be redeemed to him. God cares.

Let’s pray.