Amos— Prepare to Meet God
09.28.22
Prepare to meet your God, O Israel. (Amos 4:12).
Some biblical authors were kings or noblemen. Amos was a herdsman and a cultivator of wild figs. He may have tended cattle, but certainly he was a shepherd. The language of the book demonstrates his knowledge of an out-of-doors way of life.
He was from Tekoa, a small city located near Bethlehem, and about ten miles south of Jerusalem in the Judean wilderness. This is the same area where David kept his sheep and where he fled from Saul. Amos had not been trained as a prophet in any formal way, but was a layman willing to serve God.
Though he was a common man, he was very familiar with the Word of God, and especially the Pentateuch, the books of Moses. This is clear from his many references to the statutes and guidelines of the Law.
His name means ‘burden-bearer,’ which is entirely fitting for the burden given to him. He was a man of iron-will who could not be dissuaded even by the high rulers of Samaria . His words to the people of Israel were spoken around 787 BC, sixty-five years before captivity came.
Though he lived in Judah, the Southern Kingdom, he was given the burden of carrying a message of warning to Samaria, the Northern Kingdom. It was a warning against their greed, injustice, materialism and self-righteousness. They were experiencing a period of prosperity. Syria had recently been defeated, and Assyria was not the power it would soon become. Rather than worshipping God in His way and being grateful to Him, they were filled with pride, apathy and lifeless worship. At the height of national prosperity, she was on the brink of disaster.
The central message of this book is clearly noted in our key verse, “prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” Amos warned that the LORD God, the sovereign Ruler of the universe, would come as a Warrior to judge the nations that had rebelled against His authority.
Amos sought to bring them to repentance as the only escape from God’s judgment. Israel’s failure to present to the LORD a true and living faith, and instead to worship Him in their own way, could only lead to utter ruin. God’s hatred of evil flows from His holy character.
The book begins with warnings of judgment to the surrounding nations. Israel must have listened with glee as judgment was pronounced in turn on Syria, Philistia, and many others lands, culminating in the same message to her sister Judah. But when the same message was given to Israel itself, it was a different story.
In the very last verses of the book, there is a great promise to Israel if she would one day turn her heart back to her God (9:11-15). This ninth chapter is important because of its focus upon the future restoration of Israel. All of God’s covenant promises to Israel find their climax in the return of the Messiah. He is presented as the One who will rebuild David’s dynasty, and the One who will restore His people.
We all deserve God’s judgment because of His holiness and our rebellious hearts. But God sent His Son to take our place on the cross of Calvary, bearing our sin in order that we might be made righteous. It is by repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that each of us can avert the judgment we deserve. We must not come, as Israel did, in our own way. Good works, religion, baptism… none of this can bring forgiveness. Trust in the Savior today while there is time!