Amos 1-3
Resources:
Overview:
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Amos was a shepherd and farmer who lived near the border between northern Israel and southern Judah. Israel was ruled by Jeroboam II who was one of Israel’s worst kings. Jeroboam’s kingdom permitted allowed idol worship which led to injustice and neglect of the poor.
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Amos got fed up with seeing his country and people fall apart because they had turned away from the Lord. Amos journeyed to Bethel to share God’s word with the people. Amos is a collection of his sermons, poems, and visions that he shared over the years.
Notes on the video:
- Amos 1
- v3-5: judgement comes against Syria for three crimes: they beat the people of Gilead, selling them as slaves into Edom. They broke a treaty of brotherhood with Israel by selling these slaves (v6-10). They also attacked people with swords (v11-12).
- God tells Amos to warn people that punishment is coming to them for committing such violent crimes (v13-15).
- Amos 2
- v1-3: punishment coming due to injustice
- v4-5: punishment is coming to Judah (the northern kingdom) for turning away from the Lord and despising His laws
- v6-16: Judgement comes against Israel
- Amos 3
- v1-2: the Lord emphasizes that Israel is His chosen people and they need to listen to His message, explaining why they must be punished
- v4-6: since the people of Israel cannot agree to follow the Lord’s laws they will be punished – they must agree to follow the Lord’s laws to avoid punishment
- v7: the Lord will reveal His plans to the prophets, warning His people
- v9-10: the Lord is angry by their disagreement – they have become incapable of doing what is right
- v11-12: the enemies of Israel will no longer be held back from Israel – they will invade the country and loot it of its valuables
- v13-15: Israel will be punished for refusing to follow the Lord’s law – the wealthy will lose everything due to their misuse of wealth
Group Discussion:
- It’s a shame that they are moving so fast through the Minor prophets. There are some deep, direct warnings in these books that people have accused the Jews of going back and writing into the Book of Amos to make it so accurate. These prophesies were so accurate people thought Amos may have been written prior to the attacks on Israel (it wasn’t).
- God doesn’t play around – His warnings are to be taken seriously. God loves us but He cannot abide sin. God has every reason to judge us and hold us accountable.
- When God is warning that judgement is coming He always enables people to have some hope. For example, before God kicked Adam and Eve out of Eden He sent a promised one to crush Satan and enable restoration. There is always a hope and promise despite judgement. This shows how much God loves His people despite them turning away from Him and His laws.
- People think the God of the Old Testament is all about wrath and punishment but the God of the New Testament is all about love and forgiveness. These people overlook the fact that the bloodiest book in the Bible is in the New Testament and has no forgiveness for those being punished (Revelations).
- The meeting ended with prayer requests.
- I gave thanks for all of the blessings I’ve had and forgiveness for those I take for granted. My heart is very full.
- I asked for prayers for our countries, its leaders, the homeless, and our families.
