Amos Overview Class 1 - Bible Study

Amos Overview

This is our 1st class on Amos

This is an AI Recap of the class.
Some things may be incorrect.

Short Summary of the Whole Class

We previewed Amos’s themes with a BibleProject overview, then read through the book, pausing to discuss judgments on surrounding nations and Israel, the critique of social injustice and hollow religion, visions of impending judgment, and a closing promise of restoration that includes the nations. We connected Amos’s call for justice and righteousness to Jesus’s cleansing of the temple and noted the historical setting under Jeroboam II and Uzziah.

Section-by-Section Walkthrough and Summaries

Opening Setup and Goals

• We introduced Amos as the next study after Joel, planned to watch the BibleProject summary, and read the entire book of Amos in one sitting (~30 minutes).

• Amos was framed as a countryside shepherd-fig farmer confronting urban complacency, well-known for “Let justice roll like waters” (Amos 5:24).

• We connected the prophetic emphasis to the Kingdom of God’s priority of people over wealth or ritual.

Short summary:

We set the plan to watch an overview, read Amos fully, and focus on its timeless call to prioritize people through justice and righteousness.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 5:24.

• Broader themes referenced: Joel; Revelation; Kingdom of God.

BibleProject Video Overview

• Amos’s identity: shepherd and fig farmer from Tekoa near Judah/Israel border.

• Historical context: Northern Kingdom under Jeroboam II; prosperity, idolatry, neglect of the poor; links to 1 Kings 12.

• Structure:

  • Amos 1–2: oracles against nations, culminating with Israel.

  • Amos 3–6: poems exposing religious hypocrisy, social injustice, idolatry; call for justice and righteousness.

  • Amos 7–9: visions of judgment; final hope to restore David’s house and include the nations.

• Key themes: religious hypocrisy, justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tzedakah), idolatry, Day of the Lord, hope of restoration.

Short summary:

The overview highlighted Amos’s background, structure, and central message: true worship must include justice and righteousness; idolatry and injustice bring judgment, yet God promises restoration.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 1; Jeroboam II; Uzziah.

• 1 Kings 12.

• Amos 5:24; Amos 5; Amos 8–9; Amos 9:11–15.

Connection to Jesus and Temple Cleansing

• We drew parallels between Amos’s critique of ritual without justice and Jesus overturning temple tables.

• After cleansing, Jesus welcomes the poor and the lame, restoring the temple’s purpose.

• Warning against treating worship like transactional penance rather than covenant faithfulness.

Short summary:

Amos’s indictment of hollow worship aligns with Jesus’s temple cleansing, emphasizing mercy, justice, and inclusion of the marginalized.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Matthew 21:12–14; Mark 11:15–17; Luke 19:45–46.

• Amos 5:21–24.

Reading Amos: Oracles Against the Nations (Amos 1–2)

• Time markers: “days of Uzziah king of Judah” and “Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel,” “two years before the earthquake” (Amos 1:1).

• Opening image: “The Lord roars from Zion” (Amos 1:2).

• Refrain: “For three transgressions … and for four, I will not revoke the punishment.”

• Nations indicted:

  • Damascus/Aram (Amos 1:3–5).

  • Gaza/Philistia (Amos 1:6–8).

  • Tyre (Amos 1:9–10).

  • Edom (Amos 1:11–12).

  • Ammon (Amos 1:13–15).

• The sequence circles Israel to set up Israel as the central target.

Short summary:

God’s judgments begin with neighboring nations for their atrocities, signaling His universal justice and preparing the confrontation with Israel.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 1:1–15 (Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon).

Israel in the Crosshairs and Covenant Responsibility (Amos 2–6)

• Israel’s indictment:

  • Selling the righteous for silver, needy for sandals; trampling the poor; corrupt courts (Amos 2:6–7).

  • Sexual exploitation and profaning God’s name (Amos 2:7).

  • Idolatry and luxurious worship disconnected from justice (Amos 4–5).

• Covenant reminder: chosen to bless the nations; greater responsibility (Amos 3:1–2; echo Genesis 12).

• God rejects festivals and sacrifices when injustice persists (Amos 5:21–23).

• Central call: “Let justice roll like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).

• “Seek me and live” and “Seek good, not evil” (Amos 5:4, 6, 14).

• Warning of the Day of the Lord as darkness (Amos 5:18–27); exile fulfilled later by Assyria.

Short summary:

Amos confronts Israel’s systemic injustice and hollow worship, urging them to seek God through justice and righteousness, lest the Day of the Lord bring judgment.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 2:6–8; Amos 3:1–2; Amos 4–5; Amos 5:4, 14, 18–27.

• Genesis 12 (alluded).

• 1 Kings 12.

Visions of Judgment and Final Hope (Amos 7–9)

• Visions:

  • Locusts (Amos 7:1–3).

  • Fire (Amos 7:4–6).

  • Plumb line (Amos 7:7–9).

  • Basket of summer fruit (Amos 8:1–3).

  • Striking the temple; none escape (Amos 9:1–4).

• Amaziah’s opposition (Amos 7:10–17).

• Final hope: restoration of David’s house; inclusion of the nations; renewal of land (Amos 9:11–15).

Short summary:

Amos’s visions depict imminent judgment yet end with hope: God will restore David’s house and gather a renewed, multi-nation people under His mercy.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 7:1–17; Amos 8:1–3; Amos 9:1–4, 11–15.

• Amaziah confronting Amos (Amos 7:10–17).

Expanded Readings: Moab, Judah, and Israel (Amos 2:1–16)

• Charges against Moab for desecrating Edom’s king’s bones; Judah for despising God’s law; Israel for exploiting the poor and embracing immorality and idolatry.

• God recalls past grace: defeat of the Amorites, deliverance from Egypt, prophets and Nazarites; Israel silenced His messengers.

• Judgment will be inescapable; even the strong won’t survive.

Short summary:

Past grace intensifies present accountability; Moab, Judah, and especially Israel are indicted for moral corruption and oppression.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 2:1–16.

• Amorites; Exodus; prophets; Nazarites.

Agreement with God and Prophetic Inevitability (Amos 3:1–15)

• “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” emphasizes covenant responsibility.

• Images of lion, snares, trumpets: judgment has a cause—Israel’s injustice.

• God reveals plans to prophets; prophetic word compels proclamation.

• Witness against Samaria’s violence; adversary will plunder palaces.

• Bethel’s altars destroyed; luxury homes—winter, summer, ivory—ended.

• Shepherd rescuing scraps illustrates a remnant.

Short summary:

Israel’s special calling brings stricter judgment; prophetic warning is compelled by God’s word; idolatry and luxury will be torn down.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 3:1–15.

• Palace proclamations to Ashdod and Egypt; remnant image.

“Cows of Bashan” and Counterfeit Worship (Amos 4:1–13)

• Wealthy oppressors warned of exile.

• God catalogues corrective judgments—famine, drought, blight, mildew, locusts, plague, warfare, near-destruction like Sodom and Gomorrah—yet Israel did not return.

• Climactic call: “Prepare to meet your God,” asserting His sovereignty over creation.

Short summary:

Despite repeated corrective judgments, Israel refused to return; God summons them to meet Him, the Creator and Judge.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 4:1–13.

• Droughts; echoes of Egypt’s plagues; Sodom and Gomorrah.

Seek the Lord and Live; Justice vs. Empty Religion (Amos 5:1–27)

• Lament over Israel’s fall; call to seek the Lord, not sanctuaries (Bethel, Gilgal, Beersheba).

• Condemnation of social sins: trampling the poor, taking bribes, perverting justice.

• Commands: “Seek good, not evil,” “Hate evil, love good,” “Establish justice in the gate.”

• Warning: the Day of the Lord is darkness for the unrepentant.

• God rejects hollow worship; demands justice to roll down and righteousness to flow.

Short summary:

Life is found in seeking God with justice; the Day of the Lord brings doom for the unrepentant; God despises worship without righteousness.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 5:1–27.

• Images of fleeing lion then bear; serpent bite at home.

Woe to Complacent Luxury; Certainty of Judgment (Amos 6:1–14)

• Critique of indulgence—beds of ivory, music, bowls of wine, fine ointments—paired with indifference to “the affliction of Joseph.”

• God swears to deliver the city; devastation will be comprehensive.

• Parables: horses running on rocks; plowing rock—exposing the absurdity of turning justice into gall and righteousness into wormwood.

• Human boasting rebuked; God will raise a nation to humble Israel.

Short summary:

Arrogant ease blinds Israel to injustice; God will overturn pride and bring pervasive judgment.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 6:1–14.

• Calneh, Hamath, Gath; funerary scenes of silent dread.

Visions: Intercession and Conflict with Amaziah (Amos 7:1–17)

• Locusts and fire visions lead Amos to intercede; God relents.

• Plumb line: God measures moral straightness; declares He will no longer pass by.

• Sanctuaries and house of Jeroboam face the sword.

• Amaziah accuses Amos; Amos recounts his calling as shepherd and sycamore dresser; prophesies judgment on Amaziah’s household and Israel’s exile.

Short summary:

God hears intercession but ultimately judges; true prophetic calling stands firm against religious and political pressure.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 7:1–17.

• Amos’s rural vocation; royal and priestly opposition.

Vision of Summer Fruit and a “Famine” of God’s Word (Amos 8:1–14)

• Basket of summer fruit signals “the end.”

• Economic exploitation: dishonest scales, selling bad wheat, buying the needy for sandals.

• Cosmic signs: midday darkness; universal mourning.

• A unique judgment: famine of hearing God’s word; seekers won’t find it.

• Idol-swearers will fall.

Short summary:

Exploitation brings physical and spiritual catastrophe; the worst famine is the silence of God’s word.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 8:1–14.

• Marketplace deceit; noon-day darkness; spiritual drought.

Final Vision: Inescapable Judgment and Promised Restoration (Amos 9:1–15)

• God stands by the altar and commands judgment—no escape by depth, height, mountain, sea, or captivity.

• God’s sovereignty over nations noted; sifting comes: sinful kingdom destroyed, but house of Jacob not utterly destroyed.

• Hope: raise the fallen “booth/tabernacle of David,” include Gentiles called by His name, era of abundance—plowman overtaking reaper, mountains dripping sweet wine.

• Exiles return; cities rebuilt; vineyards planted; people planted permanently.

Short summary:

Judgment is thorough yet not total; God preserves a remnant and promises messianic restoration that embraces the nations and renews the land.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 9:1–15.

• Thresholds shaken; cosmic pursuit; agricultural overflow; rebuilding cities.

Additional Thematic Links and Notes

• Amos’s humble origins (Amos 7:14); God uses unexpected people.

• Parallels with Isaiah and Joel’s “Day of the Lord” imagery; Revelation’s patterns (seven churches; scales).

• Amos and Job connections: creation tour rhetoric (Job 38–41).

• Intercession parallels: Abraham for Sodom (Genesis 18).

• Textual note flagged: “days” vs. “years” in Amos 4:4 (to be studied further).

• Zacchaeus (Luke 19) referenced as an example of unexpected people God uses.

• Contemporary analogy: Hunger Games’ Capitol excess illustrating exploitative luxury.

Short summary:

We noted cross-canonical echoes, Amos’s humble calling, intercessory patterns, a translation nuance, and used modern imagery to illuminate prophetic critique.

Stories/Scriptures mentioned:

• Amos 7:14.

• Isaiah (unspecified), Joel (unspecified).

• Job 38–41.

• Genesis 18.

• Revelation 2–3; Revelation 6.

• Luke 19.

• Amos 4:4.

Medium-Length Summary of the Class

Our study journeyed through Amos’s oracles and visions, revealing a God who holds both the nations and His covenant people accountable for injustice, idolatry, and hypocrisy. After a BibleProject overview, we read the book aloud, noting the opening judgments on surrounding nations that crescendo into a focused indictment of Israel’s exploitation of the poor, corrupt courts, and luxury cloaked in religious ritual. Amos insists that true worship is inseparable from justice and righteousness, calling the people to “seek the Lord and live” and warning that the Day of the Lord will be darkness for the unrepentant. We traced the visions—from intercession and relenting (locusts, fire) to measurement and inescapable judgment (plumb line, collapsing temple)—and observed resistance from Amaziah. The study closed with hope: God will raise the fallen house of David, include the nations, and bring abundant renewal. Throughout, we connected Amos’s critique to Jesus’s cleansing of the temple, explored cross-links with Job, Joel, and Revelation, and highlighted that covenant privilege increases responsibility. Genuine faith, we concluded, is measured by how we treat people.

Main Points

• Amos confronts social injustice and religious hypocrisy, especially among Israel’s wealthy and leaders.

• True worship demands justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tzedakah) flowing through community life.

• Israel’s covenant calling carries greater responsibility; betrayal invites judgment.

• Idolatry corrodes moral life and leads to oppression and empty ritual.

• The Day of the Lord brings real consequences for the unrepentant, yet God’s long-term purpose is restoration.

• Jesus’s temple cleansing echoes Amos’s concern: worship must serve people and reflect God’s justice.

• Prophetic visions move from intercession and relenting to measurement and certain judgment, ending with hope.

• Silencing God’s word leads to a spiritual famine more devastating than physical lack.

• Restoration includes the nations under the restored “house/tabernacle of David.”

Scriptures Mentioned

• Amos 1:1–2

• Amos 1:3–15

• Amos 2:1–16

• Amos 2:6–8

• Amos 3:1–15

• Amos 4:1–13

• Amos 4:4

• Amos 5:1–27

• Amos 5:4, 6, 14

• Amos 5:18–27

• Amos 5:21–24

• Amos 5:24

• Amos 6:1–14

• Amos 7:1–17

• Amos 7:14

• Amos 8:1–14

• Amos 9:1–4

• Amos 9:11–15

• 1 Kings 12

• Genesis 12 (alluded)

• Genesis 18

• Matthew 21:12–14

• Mark 11:15–17

• Luke 19:45–46

• Luke 19

• Job 38–41 (implied parallels)

• Isaiah (unspecified passages)

• Joel (unspecified passages)

• Revelation 2–3

• Revelation 6

Stories Mentioned

• Amos’s background as a shepherd and fig farmer from Tekoa (Amos 7:14).

• Surrounding nations’ injustices and God’s judgments against them.

• Israel’s systemic exploitation of the poor and legal corruption.

• Jesus overturning the money changers’ tables and welcoming the needy into the temple.

• Amos’s confrontations and visions (locusts, fire, plumb line, summer fruit, collapsing temple).

• Amaziah opposing Amos.

• The defeat of the Amorites and the Exodus from Egypt; prophets and Nazarites resisted.

• “Cows of Bashan” (wealthy oppressors); repeated corrective calamities; echoes of Sodom and Gomorrah.

• Lament imagery: fleeing a lion, meeting a bear; serpent bite at home.

• Luxury and complacency—beds of ivory, music, bowls of wine—ignoring Joseph’s affliction.

• Famine of hearing God’s word; marketplace deceit; noon-day darkness.

• Restoration promises: raising the “house/tabernacle of David”; inclusion of the nations; agricultural abundance; rebuilding cities.

• Zacchaeus (Luke 19) as an example of unexpected people God uses.

• Contemporary illustration: Hunger Games’ Capitol excess as a mirror of exploitative luxury.