Jacqui: 0:12

Greetings listeners. Before we dive into today's episode, I just want to take a moment to say thank you. Whether you've been with us from the beginning or you're tuning in for the very first time, I'm grateful for you. Whether you've been with us from the beginning or you're tuning in for the very first time, I'm grateful for you. Your support, your feedback and the way you're sharing Bible Basics with others means the world. If this podcast has encouraged you, I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to send me a testimonial and, if you haven't already, take a moment to share this episode with a friend who might benefit from it All.

Jacqui: 0:50

Right now let's get into the book of Amos. What happens when a nation thrives on the outside but is rotting on the inside? When people go through the motions of faith but ignore the heart of God? That's the story of Israel in the book of Amos. This episode marks the beginning of season four, where we'll explore each of the Old Testament books of prophecy. In previous episodes, we laid the groundwork for understanding the prophets, who they were, why they spoke and how their messages fit into the biblical story. Links to those episodes can be found in the show notes. Now we're ready to begin with the pre-exiled prophets, starting with the first, amos. So grab your 8th century BC glasses 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 break down the basics of the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks into understandable, bite-sized chunks.

Jacqui: 2:04

Today we're exploring the book of Amos, a hard-hitting, uncompromising, often overlooked book that delivers a bold message about righteousness, true worship and justice. Written nearly 2,800 years ago, its warnings still feel relevant today. The book is attributed to a prophet named Amos. His name means burden or burden bearer. Now here's something interesting about Amos. He wasn't a priest, a scholar or anyone with a fancy title, a scholar or anyone with a fancy title. He was a shepherd and a fig tree farmer from a little town called Tekoia down in Judah, the southern kingdom. That's it no special credentials, no high social standing. But that's exactly what makes his story so powerful. Amos never claims to be anything more than a farmer, but his authority doesn't come from status, it comes from God. As he puts it, quote the Lord took me from following the flock and said to me go prophesy to my people, israel. Unquote. That's in Amos 7:15. And let me tell you, amos does not hold back. He steps into his role as a prophet with boldness, speaking with confidence and conviction. He doesn't sugarcoat anything. His message is direct, sharp and, honestly, a bit of a wake-up call for his audience. This reminds us that God doesn't just use religious leaders. He can call anyone, even an ordinary farmer, to speak his truth.

Jacqui: 4:01

So when was the book of Amos written? At the time this book was written, the people of Israel had divided into two separate kingdoms Israel to the north and Judah to the south. God called Amos, who was from the south, to speak to Israel, the northern kingdom. 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 a memorable earthquake, and we find all of that information in the very first verse of the book was experiencing a time of wealth and military success, but spiritually it was a time of moral corruption and decay. The rich exploited the poor and the religious rituals became empty traditions. The presence of material blessings and prosperity did not and do not necessarily reflect God's pleasure. Material prosperity is not the evidence of righteousness and righteous living, and vice versa.

Jacqui: 5:18

The main theme of Amos is the coming judgment of Israel because of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of his covenant people. The judgment was for two primary sins First, an absence of true worship and second, a lack of justice. The people assumed they were safe because they were God's chosen nation, but Amos told them that privilege comes with responsibility. If they refused to turn back to God, judgment would come. Here's a key moment in chapter 4, verses 4 through 5, amos sarcastically tells the people to keep bringing their sacrifices and offerings, but warns 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. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn living bread as a thank offering and brag about your free will offerings. Boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do, declares the sovereign Lord. Unquote.

Jacqui: 6:44

Imagine a packed church service, people singing loudly, hands raised, dressed in their Sunday best, prayers offered, money is given and from the outside, looking in, things look perfect. But outside those walls, people are being mistreated, the poor are ignored, the powerful take advantage of the weak and the same people worshiping inside go right back to dishonest business dealings and selfish living the moment they leave. This is exactly what was happening in Israel when God sent Amos with a message. The people thought their religious rituals made them right with God, but Amos delivers a shocking warning in chapter 5, verses 21 to 24. Quote I hate, I despise your religious festivals. Your assemblies are a stench to me. Away with the noise of your songs, I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, 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 save them if their hearts are corrupt. He condemns their oppression of the poor, their dishonest business practices and their false security and religious traditions, and their false security and religious traditions. He wants daily righteous living, and that's a challenge for us today too.

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Now, in terms of the genre of the book, it's written primarily in poetry, with some narrative weaved in. So, as we expect, there's a heavy reliance on figures of speech, imagery and parallelism. Amos used language brilliantly to persuade his Israelite audience to heed God's commands. Amos uses satire and irony, aggressively, undercutting his audience's smugness by the use of intricate rhetorical traps. Listen for them as we talk further about the content of the book.

Jacqui: 9:09

How is the book of Amos organized and what's its content? Well, the book of Amos is made up of three main sections. First, in chapters 1 and 2, amos opens with a series of oracles of judgment against Israel's neighbors Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab. Using a repeated verbal pattern, he condemns each one of them, one by one, of their ongoing sins and he declares God's coming judgment. In my imagination, I see the Israelites likely not in agreement, as Amos called out these foreign nations one by one, building anticipation with each pronouncement. I could hear Israel saying yeah, you get them, god. After each one. But then the unexpected happens Amos turns his attention to Judah and, finally, israel itself. If we plot these judgments on the map, we can see that these nations form a circle around Israel. So it was as if Amos was setting up a verbal trap, only springing the trap on Israel. In the end, the message was clear Israel was no less guilty than its pagan neighbors and God would hold them accountable.

Jacqui: 10:42

The second section of the book contained the prophecies against Israel. This is chapters three through six. This is the heart of Amos' message. He condemns Israel's injustice, corruption and false sense of security. Amos uses bold and sometimes shocking 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 this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor. This wasn't about their appearance, it was about their indulgence and disregard for the suffering of others. Amos wasn't afraid to make people uncomfortable with the truth.

Jacqui: 11:45

The third and last section of Amos contains visions of judgment and hope, and that's chapters seven through nine. This last section of the book introduces five visions. The first two depict the Lord's commitment to spare a remnant, while the last three announce the inevitability of judgment. The turning point comes with the third vision in chapter 7, when Amos sees a vision of a plumb line. That's a string with a weight on the end. It's used in construction to measure if a wall is straight. God says he's measuring Israel the same way and they are completely out of alignment with his standards.

Jacqui: 12:32

Judgment is coming, but the book of Amos doesn't end in despair. It ends with a promise of restoration, hope beyond the judgment. In the final verses of chapter 9, god promises to one day reinstate the Davidic line, to renew the land and restore the people. This promise points ahead to Jesus, who ultimately fulfills God's plan of redemption. It's hard to believe. All this was contained in nine chapters and 146 verses, and there's still so much more.

Jacqui: 13:16

His immediate message was you, israel and Judah, have broken the covenant. You better repent. No repentance, then judgment Judgment will also come on the nations. Yet there is hope beyond the judgment for a glorious future restoration. Hope beyond the judgment for a glorious future restoration both for Israel, judah and for the nations. Because of his covenant, the Lord will not abandon Israel altogether, but will bring future restoration.

Jacqui: 13:50

In conclusion, I see this book of Amos as a wake-up call, reminding us that God cares very much about worship and justice. Our faith in God must be anchored in obedience and not in outward, performative deeds. Even doing what appears to be good deeds are not pleasing to God if they don't reflect his heart to God, if they don't reflect his heart, righteousness, righteous living and love of people. His words challenge us to align our hearts with his. Are we living with integrity? Do we stand for justice? Are we truly following God or just going through the motions? God used an ordinary person, a farmer, to speak to his people. He can use ordinary us too.

Jacqui: 14:45

I encourage you to read this book. It's a short read. You can also listen to it in less than 30 minutes I included a link to a recording of the book you might enjoy than 30 minutes. I included a link to a recording of the book you might enjoy. Next time we'll explore the book of Hosea, a prophet whose story reveals the depth of God's love and faithfulness. Before we end, I'd like to shout out all of you that have been leaving comments on the bible-basics. org website. Though I can't respond to them directly because they are sent to me anonymously, I can tell you now that they make a huge difference and I'm truly appreciative of each and every one. Keep them coming. In the meantime, keep reading, keep seeking and keep growing in your faith so that we can spread God's Word further. Please share, like, follow, comment and subscribe.