March 4, 2025 • 16 mins
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Today's episode dives deep into the Book of Amos, exploring core themes of justice and true worship. Listen in as we uncover the powerful messages delivered by an ordinary farmer chosen by God to call out societal injustices and surface-level faith.
• Introduction and expression of gratitude to listeners
• Overview of Amos's background and context during the 8th century BC
• Examination of key themes: justice, righteousness, and the pitfalls of empty rituals
• Amos's critiques of societal injustice, exploitation, and false security
• Exploration of poetic language and structured prophecies in Amos
• Conclusion with a call to reflect on personal faith and action
Audio Recordings of the Book of Amos:
Book of Amos (KJV) - Read by Alexander Scourby
Sources:
- The Old Testament Prophets Then and Now, James M. Efird
- Old Testament Prophets for Today, Carolyn J. Sharp
- The Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of the Old Testament
- MacArthur Study Bible
- Nelson, Thomas. The NIV, Open Bible: Complete Reference System
- Ryken, Leland. Literary Introductions to the Books of the Bible
- Ryrie Study Bible
Related Episodes
The Prophets: Messengers of God's Word in the Bible - Pt 2 (Re-airing)
The Prophets: Messengers of God's Word in the Bible - Pt 1 (Re-Airing)
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Note: All scripture references are from the NIV translation unless otherwise indicated.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jacqui (00:12):
Greetings listeners.
Before we dive into today'sepisode, I just want to take a
moment to say thank you.
Whether you've been with usfrom the beginning or you're
tuning in for the very firsttime, I'm grateful for you.
Whether you've been with usfrom the beginning or you're
tuning in for the very firsttime, I'm grateful for you.
Your support, your feedback andthe way you're sharing Bible
(00:32):
Basics with others means theworld.
If this podcast has encouragedyou, I'd love to hear about it.
Feel free to send me atestimonial and, if you haven't
already, take a moment to sharethis episode with a friend who
might benefit from it All.
Right now let's get into thebook of Amos.
(00:53):
What happens when a nationthrives on the outside but is
rotting on the inside?
When people go through themotions of faith but ignore the
heart of God?
That's the story of Israel inthe book of Amos.
This episode marks thebeginning of season four, where
(01:14):
we'll explore each of the OldTestament books of prophecy.
In previous episodes, we laidthe groundwork for understanding
the prophets, who they were,why they spoke and how their
messages fit into the biblicalstory.
Links to those episodes can befound in the show notes.
Now we're ready to begin withthe pre-exiled prophets,
(01:37):
starting with the first, amos.
So grab your 8th century BCglasses and let's step into the
world of Amos.
Well, welcome everyone.
I'm your host, jackie Adewole,and this is the Bible Basics
Podcast, where, weekly, we breakdown the basics of the Bible
(02:00):
into understandable, bite-sizedchunks into understandable,
bite-sized chunks.
Today we're exploring the bookof Amos, a hard-hitting,
uncompromising, often overlookedbook that delivers a bold
message about righteousness,true worship and justice.
Written nearly 2,800 years ago,its warnings still feel
(02:25):
relevant today.
The book is attributed to aprophet named Amos.
His name means burden or burdenbearer.
Now here's somethinginteresting about Amos.
He wasn't a priest, a scholaror anyone with a fancy title, a
(02:48):
scholar or anyone with a fancytitle.
He was a shepherd and a figtree farmer from a little town
called Tekoia down in Judah, thesouthern kingdom.
That's it no specialcredentials, no high social
standing.
But that's exactly what makeshis story so powerful.
Amos never claims to beanything more than a farmer, but
his authority doesn't come fromstatus, it comes from God.
(03:12):
As he puts it, quote the Lordtook me from following the flock
and said to me go prophesy tomy people, israel.
Unquote.
That's in Amos 7:15.
And let me tell you, amos doesnot hold back.
He steps into his role as aprophet with boldness, speaking
(03:35):
with confidence and conviction.
He doesn't sugarcoat anything.
His message is direct, sharpand, honestly, a bit of a
wake-up call for his audience.
This reminds us that Goddoesn't just use religious
leaders.
He can call anyone, even anordinary farmer, to speak his
(03:59):
truth.
So when was the book of Amoswritten?
At the time this book waswritten, the people of Israel
had divided into two separatekingdoms Israel to the north and
Judah to the south.
God called Amos, who was fromthe south, to speak to Israel,
the northern kingdom.
(04:19):
This was mid-8th century BC,during the reigns of Uzziah,
king of Judah, and Jeroboam II,king of Israel.
It was two years before amemorable earthquake, and we
find all of that information inthe very first verse of the book
was experiencing a time ofwealth and military success, but
(04:49):
spiritually it was a time ofmoral corruption and decay.
The rich exploited the poor andthe religious rituals became
empty traditions.
The presence of materialblessings and prosperity did not
and do not necessarily reflectGod's pleasure.
Material prosperity is not theevidence of righteousness and
(05:13):
righteous living, and vice versa.
The main theme of Amos is thecoming judgment of Israel
because of the holiness of Godand the sinfulness of his
covenant people.
The judgment was for twoprimary sins First, an absence
(05:34):
of true worship and second, alack of justice.
The people assumed they weresafe because they were God's
chosen nation, but Amos toldthem that privilege comes with
responsibility.
If they refused to turn back toGod, judgment would come.
Here's a key moment in chapter4, verses 4 through 5, amos
(06:00):
sarcastically tells the peopleto keep bringing their
sacrifices and offerings, butwarns that God is not impressed.
He's looking for changed hearts, not empty rituals.
Quote go to Bethel and sin.
Go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
(06:21):
Bring your sacrifices everymorning, your tithes every three
years.
Burn living bread as a thankoffering and brag about your
free will offerings.
Boast about them, youIsraelites, for this is what you
(06:42):
love to do, declares thesovereign Lord.
Unquote.
Imagine a packed church service,people singing loudly, hands
raised, dressed in their Sundaybest, prayers offered, money is
given and from the outside,looking in, things look perfect.
But outside those walls, peopleare being mistreated, the poor
(07:03):
are ignored, the powerful takeadvantage of the weak and the
same people worshiping inside goright back to dishonest
business dealings and selfishliving the moment they leave.
This is exactly what washappening in Israel when God
sent Amos with a message.
The people thought theirreligious rituals made them
(07:26):
right with God, but Amosdelivers a shocking warning in
chapter 5, verses 21 to 24.
Quote I hate, I despise yourreligious festivals.
Your assemblies are a stench tome.
Away with the noise of yoursongs, I will not listen to the
(07:52):
music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like ariver, righteousness like a
never-failing stream.
Unquote a never-failing stream.
Unquote God, through Amos,warns Israel that their wealth
and religious rituals won't savethem if their hearts are
corrupt.
He condemns their oppression ofthe poor, their dishonest
(08:15):
business practices and theirfalse security and religious
traditions, and their falsesecurity and religious
traditions.
He wants daily righteous living, and that's a challenge for us
today too.
Now, in terms of the genre ofthe book, it's written primarily
in poetry, with some narrativeweaved in.
(08:36):
So, as we expect, there's aheavy reliance on figures of
speech, imagery and parallelism.
Amos used language brilliantlyto persuade his Israelite
audience to heed God's commands.
Amos uses satire and irony,aggressively, undercutting his
(09:06):
audience's smugness by the useof intricate rhetorical traps.
Listen for them as we talkfurther about the content of the
book.
How is the book of Amosorganized and what's its content
?
Well, the book of Amos is madeup of three main sections.
First, in chapters 1 and 2,amos opens with a series of
oracles of judgment againstIsrael's neighbors Damascus,
(09:29):
Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab.
Using a repeated verbal pattern, he condemns each one of them,
one by one, of their ongoingsins and he declares God's
coming judgment.
In my imagination, I see theIsraelites likely not in
(09:52):
agreement, as Amos called outthese foreign nations one by one
, building anticipation witheach pronouncement.
I could hear Israel saying yeah, you get them, god.
After each one.
But then the unexpected happensAmos turns his attention to
(10:12):
Judah and, finally, israelitself.
If we plot these judgments onthe map, we can see that these
nations form a circle aroundIsrael.
So it was as if Amos wassetting up a verbal trap, only
springing the trap on Israel.
In the end, the message wasclear Israel was no less guilty
(10:36):
than its pagan neighbors and Godwould hold them accountable.
The second section of the bookcontained the prophecies against
Israel.
This is chapters three throughsix.
This is the heart of Amos'message.
He condemns Israel's injustice,corruption and false sense of
(10:57):
security.
Amos uses bold and sometimesshocking images to get his point
across.
One vivid image is in Amos 4:1,where he calls the wealthy
women of Israel cows.
Listen to this Quote, hear thisword, you cows of Bashan on
(11:18):
Mount Samaria, you women whooppress the poor.
This wasn't about theirappearance, it was about their
indulgence and disregard for thesuffering of others.
Amos wasn't afraid to makepeople uncomfortable with the
(11:42):
truth.
The third and last section ofAmos contains visions of
judgment and hope, and that'schapters seven through nine.
This last section of the bookintroduces five visions.
The first two depict the Lord'scommitment to spare a remnant,
(12:03):
while the last three announcethe inevitability of judgment.
The turning point comes withthe third vision in chapter 7,
when Amos sees a vision of aplumb line.
That's a string with a weighton the end.
It's used in construction tomeasure if a wall is straight.
God says he's measuring Israelthe same way and they are
(12:27):
completely out of alignment withhis standards.
Judgment is coming, but the bookof Amos doesn't end in despair.
It ends with a promise ofrestoration, hope beyond the
judgment.
In the final verses of chapter9, god promises to one day
(12:51):
reinstate the Davidic line, torenew the land and restore the
people.
This promise points ahead toJesus, who ultimately fulfills
God's plan of redemption.
It's hard to believe.
All this was contained in ninechapters and 146 verses, and
(13:14):
there's still so much more.
His immediate message was you,israel and Judah, have broken
the covenant.
You better repent.
No repentance, then judgmentJudgment will also come on the
nations.
Yet there is hope beyond thejudgment for a glorious future
(13:34):
restoration.
Hope beyond the judgment for aglorious future restoration both
for Israel, judah and for thenations.
Because of his covenant, theLord will not abandon Israel
altogether, but will bringfuture restoration.
In conclusion, I see this bookof Amos as a wake-up call,
reminding us that God cares verymuch about worship and justice.
(14:00):
Our faith in God must beanchored in obedience and not in
outward, performative deeds.
Even doing what appears to begood deeds are not pleasing to
God if they don't reflect hisheart to God, if they don't
reflect his heart, righteousness, righteous living and love of
people.
His words challenge us to alignour hearts with his.
(14:30):
Are we living with integrity?
Do we stand for justice?
Are we truly following God orjust going through the motions?
God used an ordinary person, afarmer, to speak to his people.
He can use ordinary us too.
I encourage you to read thisbook.
It's a short read.
You can also listen to it inless than 30 minutes I included
(14:53):
a link to a recording of thebook you might enjoy than 30
minutes.
I included a link to arecording of the book you might
enjoy.
Next time we'll explore thebook of Hosea, a prophet whose
story reveals the depth of God'slove and faithfulness.
Before we end, I'd like toshout out all of you that have
been leaving comments on thebible-basics.
(15:13):
org website.
Though I can't respond to themdirectly because they are sent
to me anonymously, I can tellyou now that they make a huge
difference and I'm trulyappreciative of each and every
one.
Keep them coming.
In the meantime, keep reading,keep seeking and keep growing in
(15:39):
your faith so that we canspread God's Word further.
Please share, like, follow,comment and subscribe.
Greetings listeners.
Before we dive into today'sepisode, I just want to take a
moment to say thank you.
Whether you've been with usfrom the beginning or you're
tuning in for the very firsttime, I'm grateful for you.
Whether you've been with usfrom the beginning or you're
tuning in for the very firsttime, I'm grateful for you.
Your support, your feedback andthe way you're sharing Bible
(00:32):
Basics with others means theworld.
If this podcast has encouragedyou, I'd love to hear about it.
Feel free to send me atestimonial and, if you haven't
already, take a moment to sharethis episode with a friend who
might benefit from it All.
Right now let's get into thebook of Amos.
(00:53):
What happens when a nationthrives on the outside but is
rotting on the inside?
When people go through themotions of faith but ignore the
heart of God?
That's the story of Israel inthe book of Amos.
This episode marks thebeginning of season four, where
(01:14):
we'll explore each of the OldTestament books of prophecy.
In previous episodes, we laidthe groundwork for understanding
the prophets, who they were,why they spoke and how their
messages fit into the biblicalstory.
Links to those episodes can befound in the show notes.
Now we're ready to begin withthe pre-exiled prophets,
(01:37):
starting with the first, amos.
So grab your 8th century BCglasses and let's step into the
world of Amos.
Well, welcome everyone.
I'm your host, jackie Adewole,and this is the Bible Basics
Podcast, where, weekly, we breakdown the basics of the Bible
(02:00):
into understandable, bite-sizedchunks into understandable,
bite-sized chunks.
Today we're exploring the bookof Amos, a hard-hitting,
uncompromising, often overlookedbook that delivers a bold
message about righteousness,true worship and justice.
Written nearly 2,800 years ago,its warnings still feel
(02:25):
relevant today.
The book is attributed to aprophet named Amos.
His name means burden or burdenbearer.
Now here's somethinginteresting about Amos.
He wasn't a priest, a scholaror anyone with a fancy title, a
(02:48):
scholar or anyone with a fancytitle.
He was a shepherd and a figtree farmer from a little town
called Tekoia down in Judah, thesouthern kingdom.
That's it no specialcredentials, no high social
standing.
But that's exactly what makeshis story so powerful.
Amos never claims to beanything more than a farmer, but
his authority doesn't come fromstatus, it comes from God.
(03:12):
As he puts it, quote the Lordtook me from following the flock
and said to me go prophesy tomy people, israel.
Unquote.
That's in Amos 7:15.
And let me tell you, amos doesnot hold back.
He steps into his role as aprophet with boldness, speaking
(03:35):
with confidence and conviction.
He doesn't sugarcoat anything.
His message is direct, sharpand, honestly, a bit of a
wake-up call for his audience.
This reminds us that Goddoesn't just use religious
leaders.
He can call anyone, even anordinary farmer, to speak his
(03:59):
truth.
So when was the book of Amoswritten?
At the time this book waswritten, the people of Israel
had divided into two separatekingdoms Israel to the north and
Judah to the south.
God called Amos, who was fromthe south, to speak to Israel,
the northern kingdom.
(04:19):
This was mid-8th century BC,during the reigns of Uzziah,
king of Judah, and Jeroboam II,king of Israel.
It was two years before amemorable earthquake, and we
find all of that information inthe very first verse of the book
was experiencing a time ofwealth and military success, but
(04:49):
spiritually it was a time ofmoral corruption and decay.
The rich exploited the poor andthe religious rituals became
empty traditions.
The presence of materialblessings and prosperity did not
and do not necessarily reflectGod's pleasure.
Material prosperity is not theevidence of righteousness and
(05:13):
righteous living, and vice versa.
The main theme of Amos is thecoming judgment of Israel
because of the holiness of Godand the sinfulness of his
covenant people.
The judgment was for twoprimary sins First, an absence
(05:34):
of true worship and second, alack of justice.
The people assumed they weresafe because they were God's
chosen nation, but Amos toldthem that privilege comes with
responsibility.
If they refused to turn back toGod, judgment would come.
Here's a key moment in chapter4, verses 4 through 5, amos
(06:00):
sarcastically tells the peopleto keep bringing their
sacrifices and offerings, butwarns that God is not impressed.
He's looking for changed hearts, not empty rituals.
Quote go to Bethel and sin.
Go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
(06:21):
Bring your sacrifices everymorning, your tithes every three
years.
Burn living bread as a thankoffering and brag about your
free will offerings.
Boast about them, youIsraelites, for this is what you
(06:42):
love to do, declares thesovereign Lord.
Unquote.
Imagine a packed church service,people singing loudly, hands
raised, dressed in their Sundaybest, prayers offered, money is
given and from the outside,looking in, things look perfect.
But outside those walls, peopleare being mistreated, the poor
(07:03):
are ignored, the powerful takeadvantage of the weak and the
same people worshiping inside goright back to dishonest
business dealings and selfishliving the moment they leave.
This is exactly what washappening in Israel when God
sent Amos with a message.
The people thought theirreligious rituals made them
(07:26):
right with God, but Amosdelivers a shocking warning in
chapter 5, verses 21 to 24.
Quote I hate, I despise yourreligious festivals.
Your assemblies are a stench tome.
Away with the noise of yoursongs, I will not listen to the
(07:52):
music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like ariver, righteousness like a
never-failing stream.
Unquote a never-failing stream.
Unquote God, through Amos,warns Israel that their wealth
and religious rituals won't savethem if their hearts are
corrupt.
He condemns their oppression ofthe poor, their dishonest
(08:15):
business practices and theirfalse security and religious
traditions, and their falsesecurity and religious
traditions.
He wants daily righteous living, and that's a challenge for us
today too.
Now, in terms of the genre ofthe book, it's written primarily
in poetry, with some narrativeweaved in.
(08:36):
So, as we expect, there's aheavy reliance on figures of
speech, imagery and parallelism.
Amos used language brilliantlyto persuade his Israelite
audience to heed God's commands.
Amos uses satire and irony,aggressively, undercutting his
(09:06):
audience's smugness by the useof intricate rhetorical traps.
Listen for them as we talkfurther about the content of the
book.
How is the book of Amosorganized and what's its content
?
Well, the book of Amos is madeup of three main sections.
First, in chapters 1 and 2,amos opens with a series of
oracles of judgment againstIsrael's neighbors Damascus,
(09:29):
Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab.
Using a repeated verbal pattern, he condemns each one of them,
one by one, of their ongoingsins and he declares God's
coming judgment.
In my imagination, I see theIsraelites likely not in
(09:52):
agreement, as Amos called outthese foreign nations one by one
, building anticipation witheach pronouncement.
I could hear Israel saying yeah, you get them, god.
After each one.
But then the unexpected happensAmos turns his attention to
(10:12):
Judah and, finally, israelitself.
If we plot these judgments onthe map, we can see that these
nations form a circle aroundIsrael.
So it was as if Amos wassetting up a verbal trap, only
springing the trap on Israel.
In the end, the message wasclear Israel was no less guilty
(10:36):
than its pagan neighbors and Godwould hold them accountable.
The second section of the bookcontained the prophecies against
Israel.
This is chapters three throughsix.
This is the heart of Amos'message.
He condemns Israel's injustice,corruption and false sense of
(10:57):
security.
Amos uses bold and sometimesshocking images to get his point
across.
One vivid image is in Amos 4:1,where he calls the wealthy
women of Israel cows.
Listen to this Quote, hear thisword, you cows of Bashan on
(11:18):
Mount Samaria, you women whooppress the poor.
This wasn't about theirappearance, it was about their
indulgence and disregard for thesuffering of others.
Amos wasn't afraid to makepeople uncomfortable with the
(11:42):
truth.
The third and last section ofAmos contains visions of
judgment and hope, and that'schapters seven through nine.
This last section of the bookintroduces five visions.
The first two depict the Lord'scommitment to spare a remnant,
(12:03):
while the last three announcethe inevitability of judgment.
The turning point comes withthe third vision in chapter 7,
when Amos sees a vision of aplumb line.
That's a string with a weighton the end.
It's used in construction tomeasure if a wall is straight.
God says he's measuring Israelthe same way and they are
(12:27):
completely out of alignment withhis standards.
Judgment is coming, but the bookof Amos doesn't end in despair.
It ends with a promise ofrestoration, hope beyond the
judgment.
In the final verses of chapter9, god promises to one day
(12:51):
reinstate the Davidic line, torenew the land and restore the
people.
This promise points ahead toJesus, who ultimately fulfills
God's plan of redemption.
It's hard to believe.
All this was contained in ninechapters and 146 verses, and
(13:14):
there's still so much more.
His immediate message was you,israel and Judah, have broken
the covenant.
You better repent.
No repentance, then judgmentJudgment will also come on the
nations.
Yet there is hope beyond thejudgment for a glorious future
(13:34):
restoration.
Hope beyond the judgment for aglorious future restoration both
for Israel, judah and for thenations.
Because of his covenant, theLord will not abandon Israel
altogether, but will bringfuture restoration.
In conclusion, I see this bookof Amos as a wake-up call,
reminding us that God cares verymuch about worship and justice.
(14:00):
Our faith in God must beanchored in obedience and not in
outward, performative deeds.
Even doing what appears to begood deeds are not pleasing to
God if they don't reflect hisheart to God, if they don't
reflect his heart, righteousness, righteous living and love of
people.
His words challenge us to alignour hearts with his.
(14:30):
Are we living with integrity?
Do we stand for justice?
Are we truly following God orjust going through the motions?
God used an ordinary person, afarmer, to speak to his people.
He can use ordinary us too.
I encourage you to read thisbook.
It's a short read.
You can also listen to it inless than 30 minutes I included
(14:53):
a link to a recording of thebook you might enjoy than 30
minutes.
I included a link to arecording of the book you might
enjoy.
Next time we'll explore thebook of Hosea, a prophet whose
story reveals the depth of God'slove and faithfulness.
Before we end, I'd like toshout out all of you that have
been leaving comments on thebible-basics.
(15:13):
org website.
Though I can't respond to themdirectly because they are sent
to me anonymously, I can tellyou now that they make a huge
difference and I'm trulyappreciative of each and every
one.
Keep them coming.
In the meantime, keep reading,keep seeking and keep growing in
(15:39):
your faith so that we canspread God's Word further.
Please share, like, follow,comment and subscribe.
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