Day 345

Amos 4:1–6:14; Revelation 2:18–3:6; Psalm 130:1-8; Proverbs 29:21-22

YESTERDAY WE BEGAN the prophetic book of Amos —which is likely the earliest collection of written prophetic utterances found in the Bible. Amos prophesied in the mid-eighth century BC, at a time when the northern and southern kingdoms were experiencing widespread peace and prosperity.

Ironically, Amos was not a person trained for religious orders. Rather, he seems to have been an ordinary person, living the ordinary life of a shepherd and farmer. We don’t know whether Amos was a common laborer or whether he owned flocks and groves, but it is certain that he was educated and aware.

Amos lived in the city of Tekoa, which was about ten miles south of Jerusalem, placing his home in the southern kingdom of Judah. Interestingly, his mission was to prophecy in the northern kingdom of Israel —probably just across the border in Bethel, which was a hub for commerce and idol worship.

The northern and southern kingdoms were experiencing the kind of peace and prosperity that they had not seen since the days of Solomon, so it might seem odd that God would send an ordinary person to deliver such a severe message of impending judgment. Undoubtedly, it would have been a difficult message to deliver; however, this is precisely what Amos was instructed to do.

Peace and prosperity had opened the door for corruption, which was rampant. The poor were being oppressed, while greed ruled the hearts of the nation’s leaders. Amos forcefully denounced preying on the less fortunate, making social justice a major theme in this book.

It would seem that after these many thousands of years, we would understand the cycle, and yet, we are still grappling with the same kinds of issues today. Amos vividly reveals that we are nowhere near as powerful as we think we are, and God is much more powerful than we understand. In fact, Amos makes it clear that the world belongs to God, and He is indeed sovereign over all people and all things.

As we read the book of Amos, may we consider our own path deeply and wisely choose to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

MEDITATION:

It is the LORD who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The LORD is his name!