Amos: Seek God & Live. Amos 1& 2 - A People Judged

Read Amos 1:1 – 2:3

Take some time to look at each of the six smaller speeches in this section.

• What were the specific crimes that each nation had committed?
• Why might these things have been offensive to God? (or, What are the bigger principles that sit beneath these specific offenses?)
• What are some modern examples of these things? (Don’t spend too long on this, you could end up with quite a list!)
• What can we do about it?

Read Amos 2:4-16

Now list the six crimes (hint: the last one is further down) committed by Israel.

Some information that might help us understand these better:

At the start of v7, the phrase “turn aside the way of the afflicted” (ESV) or “deny justice to the oppressed” (NIV) likely refers to poorer people having their cases thrown out of court when they tried to sue richer people who had ripped them off.

Garments taken in pledge were supposed to be returned overnight so their owners had something warm to wear to bed.

The term translated “girl” in verse 7 could also be read as “maid” or “female servant.”

The wine taken as a fine was meant to be used for temple rituals, not for getting drunk!

Nazirites were a religious order, and as a part of their vows they refused to touch alcohol.

• What do these crimes have in common?
• What do they reveal about how the powerful were conducting themselves during Jeroboam’s reign?

In light of this, the punishment described in vv. 13 – 16 is appropriate. It describes God stripping the powerful of their sources of strength.

• How might an oppressed person react to these verses?
• How might a powerful, wealthy person react to them?
• How do these verses point forward to Jesus?
• If you were giving this prophecy today, who would you prophesy against?
• When it came time to prophesy to the church, what would you condemn?

A creative application

Woe to you China,

For you have denied basic human rights to millions,

Spoiled land and lives in your pursuit of growth and wealth,

Locked minorities away in prison camps,

Denied freedom of belief, movement, and association to many,

And worked in the darkness to infiltrate and destabilise Western nations, institutions, and individuals.

He who does not forget has seen all that you have done.

Woe to you U.S.A.,

For you have produced more weapons, pornography, and pollution than this world can handle,

Meddled in the national affairs of many nations,

Assassinated democratically elected leaders,

Bombed weddings,

Supplied weapons to violent regimes,

And then had the gall to criticise the warlike actions of others.

The prince of peace will establish his kingdom on the earth, and you will have to account for your deeds.

Woe to you United Kingdom,

For you have colonised half the planet and carried their treasures back to be displayed in your museums,

And in the expansion of your empire,

You invented concentration camps,

massacred innocents,

felled ancient forests,

caused immense harm through the introduction of disease and of alcohol,

and then routinely refused to allow immigrants to come and live on your own land.

The Lord of all creation is grieved by the damage left in your wake.

Woe to you R.C.C.,

For to you much has been given,

And what have you done with it?

Within your walls the gospel has been preached week after week,

Yet you remain silent before your friends and family who do not know Christ!

You have worshipped God in resounding song,

And insulted him with your affected blindness to injustice in the world!

You have spent many hours extending your careers, your families, and your bodies,

How much resource have you put into extending his kingdom?

Christ the bridegroom calls his bride to stand up and truly display her beauty.