Before we read:
Amos, from
Shepherd
North across the border to Israel
Prophet - Thus says the Lord
God as Judge
Charging them with a crime
Extolling a sentence
All the surrounding
Damascus - attacking Israel
Gaza and Tyre - selling people, probably Israelites into slavery to Edom
Ammonites - attacking Israel
Moab - murdering the Edomite king
Judah - not following Torah
Then,
READ
Israel
Actually is in a
Economy is running well, won some battles
Feeling mighty
Sell the poor for Sliver and sandals
Trample on them
Sexual immorality
At the altar - immoral worship
Garments taken in the pledge - loan sharks
Overly abusive laws - drink their wine
Could be literal
But it is also in the book
Big show of worship, but then lived like this
Amos is showing that our lives are
Reminder
YHWH brought you out of Egypt
Gave you Nazirities
People set aside to live as examples of faithfulness
Gave you prophets
People to speak the words of the Lord
What did you do?
Broke and silenced them
Therefore, I will remove your might
Who is God?
Cares when people are mistreated and abused
Vulnerable - unborn kids and women, poor…all the way to foreign kings, who also mistreated Israel
Calls Judah and Israel to live according to the
Redemption, a holy nation of priests among the nations
Israel and Judah just like everyone else
Continues after Amos, ultimately to Christ
Not a Nazirite, although from Nazareth
But the Prophet
Living Word
Jesus
Full Prophet
Church
In Christ, we serve the same office
Full
God is sorting the world
You and especially me, are on the wrong side of it
Jesus took our death and made a way
Set the world right again, but remaking us from the inside out