10 Great Things About Amos

From the Book of Amos, the small collection of mostly verse from Old Testament prophet, Amos, written 700+ years BC.

1. For 7 stanzas all the bad things the people of Israel had done are listed closing with the Lord saying “I will not revoke the punishment.” Here’s a bit of what’s been going on. . . . “they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes"—they "trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth,” “they store up violence and robbery.” Yet, all the Lord says for them to do to make up for it and spare themselves is to “Seek me and live.” 

2. The famous line I’ve heard in many a movie in various forms appears “prepare to meet your God.”

3. And one of my favorite and strengthening quotes: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.”

4. A slap on the wrist for hypocritical pious church goers as well as those in Amos’ time:  “I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.”

5. Three very simple but so important rules for living: seek good, not evil, and establish justice.

6. In the middle of all the listing of evil things people do and God’s listing of punishments, he says, “he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time.” This makes me think of a helpful warning that there are times when it is not in your best interest to confront evil head-on.

7. After pages and pages of God saying how he will smite the people of Israel, Amos begs God to forgive and we read, “The Lord repented concerning this; ‘It shall not be,’ said the Lord.” This is a major turning point in the Old Testament. The wrathful vengeful God is reconsidering! It shows how cool man’s relationship can be with God that they can have such a give and take interaction.

8. There is a whole section of playful irony where it’s like God says, OK man since you can’t figure the “seek me” thing out, let me show you how seeking is done my way. (paraphrasing ahead) Speaking of Israel God says:

      though they dig into Sheol, my hand will take them

      though they climb up to heaven, from there I’ll bring them down

      though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, I’ll    command the serpent to bite them

9. Several lines list how mighty God is  -- he touches earth and it melts, builds his chambers in the heavens, and calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the earth. And then, juxtaposed with God’s power is mercy in his statement: “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground; except that I will not utterly destroy. . .”

10.       And the book ends with a peaceful description of how God will restore –  mountains will drop sweet wine, the hills flow with it, ruined cities will be rebuilt, and man will plant and garden.