“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.” (Amos 9:13)

The Book Of Amos

Amos was a sheep breeder from Tekoa and a tender of sycamore fruit, who was tasked to prophecy against Israel and Judah. He lived in the days of Uzziah, the king of Judah, and Joash, the king of Israel. Amos declares that he was no prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but he was the man God called to preach against the sins of God’s people. He was accused of sedition by Amaziah, the idolatrous priest of Bethel. It was a time of unprecedented prosperity in the Northern Kingdom. Social corruption, religious apostasy, and luxurious living characterized the world of Israel. Amos denounces the neighboring nations and condemns Israel for serving the mammon of the world and believing no nation could conquer them.

The message of Amos was harsh. They sold the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals. A man and his father go in with the same woman. Idolatry filled the land where God’s people drank to the wine of the Baals and Ashdod. Violence and robbery were common. God punished the people seeking to bring them back to His way, but they refused. His discipline began with blessings, then famine, drought, and pestilence. The people did not serve the Lord. God sent plagues like those of Egypt upon His people, and they did not return to Him. Some cities were overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah. They did not repent.

Amos is the Old Testament writer who declared from the mouth of God, “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” This was no idle threat. God’s longsuffering was coming to an end, and the full fury of His wrath would be poured out on the Northern Kingdom. The Lord pleads with Israel to repent, to seek Him, and live. If the people do not repent, there will be wailing in the streets, destruction, and calamity. It will be like a man running from a lion who meets a bear or like a man running into his house, leaning his hand on the wall, and bitten by a serpent. There is no hope. The judgment and wrath of God are coming in full fury and might.

The Lord showed Amos a vision of locusts, a plumb line, and a basket of summer fruit to tell Israel that the will of the Lord will be complete against Israel. Judgment comes from the Lord of hosts, who touches the earth and it melts, who builds His layers in the sky, and establishes the strata in the earth. There is no God like the Lord God. Amos shows the power and might of God’s wrath, who will destroy the sinful nation of Israel but save the house of Jacob. By the Lord’s command, He will sift the house of Israel among the nations, and all sinners will die by the sword. None will escape.

Amos paints a dark picture, and the words of the man from Tekoa come true. At the end of his message, Amos offers the glimpse of hope that can only be found in the Lord God. The wrath of God is against all unrighteousness, but God is not willing that any should perish. He desires for all men to come to repentance, and He opens a way for salvation. Amos concludes his message with a promise of hope and redemption. On that day, God will restore the tabernacle of David. The prosperity of God’s grace will once again be given to His people. God’s wrath does not remain against those who seek Him. Israel will be destroyed, and Judah will be taken captive. Seventy years will pass before the remnant of God’s people return, but the nation will never be the same. What is left as the remnant of God’s people will always be in bondage to another nation. Seventy years after the coming of Christ, the Jewish nation will come to an end.

Amos has a message for the people of his day, and it resonates with the people of God today. It remains the same message. God hates sin and will punish wickedness, even among His people. The wrath of God is terrible, consuming, and complete. No one will escape the judgment of the Lord. In the midst of the severity of God is His goodness. The nation of Israel will disappear, but the kingdom of Christ will rule over the world. Grace is found in the blood of Jesus, who brings hope to the lost and eternal life to the damned. Prosperity will be found in the kingdom of Christ. Hope is given anew with the promise of Heaven. Joy comes to the heart when faith guides the soul to live in hope. That is the message of Amos. God hates sin, but He offers hope. Christ died to take away sin and bring the promise of eternal life to those who repent.