Amos. The word Amos means “a bearer” or “a burden”. Amos will be a prophet bearing news of judgment.

Amos. He was a shepherd from the territory of Tekoa. (David also came from this area) Amos was a prophet by Divine call. (See 7:14) Amos came from the Southern Kingdom but prophesied in the religious capital, Bethel, of the Northern Kingdom.

See 1:1. In Amos’s time Syria had already been crushed by the Assyrians. The Northern Kingdom is now free to expand and there is great wealth in Israel at this time. Some of the people are very rich and some very poor. This leads to a social problem. (2:6 & 6:36) There is a perversion of religious and ritualism at this time (4:4, 5:21 & 8:14)

Judgement will fall upon the Northern Kingdom because they have abused the privileges that God has given them.

• The declaration of judgement upon the nations (Chapters 1 & 2)
• The judgment of God upon Israel (Chapters 3 – 6)

1. Israel’s present (3)
2. Israel’s past (4)
3. Israel’s future (5 & 6)

• Amos has five visions (Chapters 7 – 9:10)

1. He sees a host of devouring locusts (7:1-3) God’s judgement is averted.
2. The vision of flaming fire. (7:4-6) The lesson of judgement delayed.
3. The vision of the plumb line (7:7-9) God had taken a measurement and Israel was far off centre. Judgement is determined. In 7:10-17 there is an interlude.
4. The vision of the basket of summer fruit. (8:1-14). Judgement is coming very soon.
5. The vision of the smitten sanctuary (9:1-10). Judgement finally falls and there is the message of deliverance of judgement. The declaration of judgement upon the nations (Chapters 1 & 2).

• The prophecy of the restoration of Israel (Chapter 9:11-15).

• Amos 3:3 – Amos is walking with God and therefore doing God’s will. He is walking with God and the two are agreed. There are many applications for this verse in the Church, marriage, etc (See 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
• Amos 5:21 – God hates what is a perversion of the truth and so surely hates what is going on in many Churches today
• Amos 7:14 – Amos was a country boy but God had called him to preach.
• Amos 8:11,12 – Unfortunately, during these terrible times when God’s Word is most needed to help the people come to repentance, it will be almost impossible to find. When the people finally realise that God wants them to repent, it will be too late. The seeds of their destruction have been sown, and the crop is already ripe. This is a word of warning to those who delay God’s grace.