First, some context
At the end of Solomon’s reign (931BCE) Israel split into two kingdoms. To the north was Israel and Judah to the south. During Amos’s tenure, each kingdom had its own king, Jeroboam II (of Israel) reigned about 40 years and Uzziah (of Judah) was king at roughly the same time, 786 to 746 BCE.
The earthquake in Amos 1:1 is also mentioned in Zechariah 14:5. Notably, archeologists have evidence of an earthquake around 760BCE (see this article for some recent evidence). The events in the Bible are recording real history with real events and real people dated with reasonable precision.
Israel was economically prosperous but morally bankrupt and it was Amos God calls on to be his voice. Though the people had it easy, they were flirting with idolatry (Canaanite gods). Material wealth and the pleasure that comes 
with it often becomes the stage on which moral failure plays out. This is no less true today.
Patience is a virtue but it has limitations in a morally bankrupt culture. Amos’s message was basically that God’s patience had run out. Affluence and prosperity contributed to Israel’s spiritual complacency and idolatry, so God uses other nations and natural disasters to bring down judgment on his people. While economic, political, or geographical factors often contribute to conflict between nations, it is in the persistence of large scale moral failure that we find God stepping up and stepping in. It is not beyond God’s character to stand behind conflict (if even asymmetrically) as a means of judgement and discipline on a people who are living large at others’ expense. As we’ll see, however, judgement is not the final chapter that ends the message of Amos. Mercy wins the day and finishes the story (Amos 9:11-15).
Now, the content
In these first two chapters there are eight oracles or pronouncements of judgement, each of which are structured the same.
“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of [nations/regions], even for four, I will not relent…I will send fire on…’”
Note: Fire is often used in the Bible as a symbol of judgement; it’s not necessarily to be taken literally. What can be taken literally is that God judges immorality, idolatry, and inhumane treatment of others.
In the first six oracles (Amos 1:3-2:3) we find a God who judges others. In the last two (Amos 2:4-16) we find a God who judges us. No one is exempt. When sin has shipwrecked our lives and the lives others, God moves to correct the course.
- Syria = Damascus: They were ruthless against those they conquered. No mercy; no compassion. Even pagans are expected to temper their victories by treating victims humanely. Torture and brutality will not be tolerated! People matter to God!
- Philistia = Gaza: The Philistines (remember Goliath) were slave-traders and had no regard for slaves. Denying basic human rights and dignity to others will not be tolerated. Human rights matter to God!
- Phoenicia = Tyre: Slave-trading once again, but with a twist; failure to keep their promise and honor their pledges/treaties. God says, “ENOUGH!” Faithfulness to others, regardless of who they are, is paramount to our humanity. Trust matters to God!
- Edom = Teman/Bozrah: Making peace rather than being the protagonist wins the day. Extreme hostility toward neighboring states and nations will not be tolerated. Foreign (and domestic) relations matter to God!
- Ammon = Rabbah: Using terrorism as a means of expanding a nation’s land and extending her borders will not be tolerated. God requires all humans to respect the distinction between war and atrocity. The watchful eye of God judges not only objectives but strategies. The morality of our means are just as important as our ends!
- Moab: It’s possible that the king of Edom was captured and burned alive, which is tantamount to human sacrifice. If so, then this constitutes a heinous war crime, since killing enemies required a proper burial and honor for the dead in those days (and ours). Cremation (not generally practiced in that day) was believed to deprive a person’s spirit the rest that comes with death. How we treat our enemies to the very end of their lives matters!
Six nations, all of which surrounded Israel, were judged by God for their wanton and rampant immorality. God judges others!
Connecting the Dots
Still, God judges us (Amos 2:4-16). God’s judgement is impartial. Belonging to God and being his people does not exempt us from judgement. If anything, it means more is required of us! With greater privilege comes greater responsibility (see Luke 12:48). The difference from the other nations is that Judah and Israel had God’s law but did not obey it (Amos 2:4). Possessing the law of God and obeying it are not the same. Social justice was outlined in God’s word but God’s people disregarded it.
Specifically, the sins of God’s people were wide and large: moral, religious, and judicial corruption along with financial corruption. All were on full display in Judah and Israel. When God’s blessings are treated with contempt by God’s people, then God’s judgement is sure to come. “If there is one thing more damning than receiving no grace from God, it is this: to receive God’s grace in vain” (Where Love & Justice Meet, p 28).
Eight times God sends the same message: nations are judged and ethics matter. Just a cursory glance at history shows a trail of empires and nations crumbled and forever gone (think, Nineveh). No nation is immortal or indestructible and no government is exempt from the rod of God’s wrath. We dare not trust in political pragmatism, military might, wealth and prosperity, or peace treaties and economic allies. Our trust must be in a God who judges nations based on how we treat one another.
Others matter because God matters!
Watch a very moving and powerful lecture on the book of Amos titled, “Recovering the Prophetic Voice” by Daniel Carroll.
Most of the remarks here are a curation of gleanings from Where Love & Justice Meet: The Truth of Amos for Today by Roy Clements and the NIV, Archaeological Study Bible, Hardcover: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture.
