These last few lines of the book are about hope (Amos 9:11-15). But hope is vacuous if not rooted in something else. We may have the tenacity to hope against hope, but we do not put our hope in hope. What Amos offers is a hope that is grounded in somethingRead More

Whereas chapters 1-2 begin with God’s judgment of the nations surrounding Israel, chapters 3-6 focus on Israel and a warning of impending judgment. The language in these chapters becomes more threatening as God’s judgment on Israel is immanent. Beware the fury of a patient God (Amos 7:1-9) As I’ve said previously,Read More

Turning from God’s judgment of the surrounding nations (Amos 1-2; see here for remarks), the prophet’s message now focuses on God’s people Israel. Chapters 3-6 constitute the largest section of Amos and contains sharp criticisms. These warnings are applicable, not only to Israel then, but to the Church today. WeRead More

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 theRead More

This is the first installment in a series on the book of Amos (for references used, see Resources below). Nothing technical here. These posts are intended to highlight some key theological themes (what we can learn about God) and some practical implications (what we can learn about ourselves and ourRead More