Amos was a shepherd when he was called by God (Amos 1:1a, 7:14–15). His prophetic ministry was under Uzziah, king of the southern kingdom (Judah), and in the time of Jeroboam II, king of the northern kingdom (Israel), two years before a big earthquake (Amos 1:1b, Zec 14:5b). See Uzziah of Judah and
Jeroboam II of Israel in Kings of Judah and Israel.
He was called to tell the people of Judah and Israel that their prosperity wasn't evidence of blessings from God. Both Judah and Israel were experiencing a time of prosperity at that time. This is a difficult time to share the need for a Savior. They took their prosperity as an unmistakable sign that they were blessed by God, to be compared to Laodicea in The Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation.
The people longed for The Day of the Lord to come, which they believed would only remove their enemies (Amos 5:18–20). That wasn't the case.
Judah and Israel would be judged:
- Judah had forsaken the Mosaic Laws in the Old Covenant and worshipped other gods (Amos 2:4–5).
- Israel sought to become rich by exploring the poor (Amos 2:7, 4:1, 5:11, 8:4, 6). They have abandoned all that God had told them to be right, good, and true. (Amos 2:6–16, 3:2, 5:10–11a, 12). There was an agreement between God and Israel, which Israel didn't follow (Amos 3:3). It would therefore have consequences for Israel (Amos 3:4–6, 11). About 20 years after Amos began his prophesy, Israel ceased to be a nation (Amos 5:27).
However, a remnant would be saved (Amos 3:12, 5:3, 9:8b–9).
See this described in The Depth of the Riches in The Book of Romans.
(Amos 3:7). God warns us to give us the opportunity to repent.
Key themes from the book of Amos:
- God is the Creator of the universe (Amos 4:13, 5:8), see Evidence for Creation. Hence his ethical standards are universal, and all men are subject to judgement in the light of them, see The Sheep and the Goats.
- Correct treatment of other people is the key evidence of a right relationship with the Lord, see The Golden Rule in The Sermon on the Mount.
- Rituals in the absence of proper treatment of others are disgusting to God, see Confronting Meaningless Religion.
- Israel's Old Covenant with the Lord didn't guarantee them special protection when they broke his Law. Then bad things would happen to them in order to make them repent and come back to him (Amos 4:6–11). If they didn't repent, they would be subject to harsher judgments, as they were held to a higher standard of obedience. Judgment begins at God's household (1 Pet 4:17).
See also Jesus and the Law. - The Day of the Lord wouldn't be a time for miraculous deliverances from Israel's enemies. Rather, it would be a time of terrible destruction and darkness, especially for the northern nation of Israel (Amos 5:18–27).
- The following is about The Millennial Kingdom in The Prophecies of Isaiah:
"In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and will rebuild the ruins of it, and will set up the parts thereof that have been broken down, and will build it up as in the ancient days: that the remnant of men, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, may earnestly seek, saith the Lord who does all these things. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when the harvest shall overtake the vintage, and the grapes shall ripen at seedtime; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall be planted. And I will turn the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities, and shall inhabit; and they shall plant vineyards, and shall drink the wine from them; and they shall form gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them on their land, and they shall no more be plucked up from the land which I have given them, saith the Lord God Almighty." (Amos 9:11–15 (LXX)).
It's quoted by Jesus' half-brother James: "After they finished speaking,
James replied: 'Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.''"(Acts 15:13–18).
It's used as a proof that even the Gentiles are called by God and that they don't have to be circumcised. See the end of Paul's First Missionary Journey,
and time 5:24–11:07 in The Septuagint (LXX).
