What’s Happening?
Amos reminds Israel that God rescued her from slavery in Egypt (Amos 3:1), and that God chose Israel’s forefather Abraham to be the agent through whom all people on earth will be blessed (Genesis 12:2-3). Israel bears a unique calling to worship God and love her neighboring nations—and in doing so bless the world. But Amos declares that Israel has failed her global calling; and because of that, she has caused the world to be cursed, and she will experience the consequences for it (Amos 3:2).
In a series of four speeches, Amos exposes Israel’s injustice, hypocrisy, idolatry, and coming judgment. It’s so bad that Amos tells Israel to invite the brutal nations surrounding her to judge their failure to worship God and love others (Amos 3:9-10). Amos predicts these evil nations will be disgusted by what they see and God will use them to destroy them (Amos 3:11; 6:14).
Amos says Israel’s women are like cows who feed off the poor and crush the needy under their weight (Amos 4:1). Israel’s men lie drunk on beds of ivory and refuse to show compassion, even for their brothers (Amos 6:4-6). Israel has forgotten her calling. She’s replaced the worship of God and love for her neighbors with the love of foreign gods from other nations and injustice to her own people in need.
To the degree that Israel worships the gods of sex, power, and war, she reflects their character—inflicting violence and oppression on those entrusted to her care.
Worship and justice go hand-in-hand. So Amos begs Israel to seek God alone and to seek good instead of evil (Amos 5:6, 14). Israel ignores Amos’ pleadings, and God responds that he rejects their sacrifices and that their worship festivals have become a stench to him (Amos 5:21).
So Amos begs Israel to let God’s justice roll like waters, and his righteousness like a never-failing stream (Amos 5:24). If Israel wants to escape her judgment and fulfill her calling to bless the nations, God must be her only God, and his abundant and consistent justice her only standard. The choice is hers to make.
Where is the Gospel?
Worship and justice go hand-in-hand. That’s why Amos could measure the idolatry of Israel by measuring the inequality among her citizens. Caring for the poor is a sign of sincere and true faith in God. Jesus’ brother James said something similar. He said “faith without deeds is useless”; even Abraham’s faith was proven by his actions (James 2:20, 22).
As Christians, we are now a part of Abraham’s family and Israel’s unique calling to bless the world (Galatians 3:29). We have been saved and set free from slavery to sin and death, just as Israel was freed from slavery in Egypt (Romans 6:7)! And as Jesus said, our mission is summed up in the twin commands of loving God and loving one another (Matthew 22:37-39). As heirs of this ancient family, we are entrusted with the mission of announcing the good news of Jesus and participating in the restoration of the love and justice Amos longed to see flourish among God’s people.
See for Yourself
I pray that the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to see the God who hates injustice. And may you see Jesus as the son of Abraham who includes us in his family to bring blessing to the entire world.