Amos is the third book of the minor prophets. God gave him a vision of what was about
to happen to the northern kingdom of Israel and he was sent there to preach that message, pronouncing God’s indictment and judgment upon them.
Amos was unlike other prophets. He didn’t have a priestly background, nor was he from the schools of prophets. He was a sheep breeder and owned a fig tree grove in the village of Tekoa, Judah. But the Lord decided to use him, and Amos obeyed.
Israel was in a period of affluence, prosperity, and luxury, but also moral decline and idolatry. God’s Word was neglected; the rich were oppressive and corrupt; the poor were exploited; the courts were unjust; idol worship was a shame, and immorality abounded. Amos was sent to warn them of impending judgment.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land,
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord
(Amos 8:11)
Unfortunately, the prophet’s message went unheeded. But that didn’t deter Amos as he steadfastly
continued to warn the king and the people that on the day of judgment, God would remove all the things they took pleasure in. There would be no end to their grief and sorrow for the tragic and bitter end of their nation. The people who had despised the Word of God would come to the point in their desperate situation where they sought that life-giving Word, but it would be too late.
It was a problem for both the northern tribe of Israel and the southern tribe of Judah, and the problem is still with us today—there’s a famine in our land for the Word of God. Our nation faces spiritual, financial, and political conditions like those of Amos’ time. Beneath our external prosperity and power, we are spiritually bankrupt. Many churches are apostate, preaching another gospel, ignoring Paul’s warning: If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8).
In these troubled times, our security comes from staying faithful to the Word of God, feasting on the presence of Jesus both in our hearts and in His Word, for He declared: I am the bread of life. (John 6:35, 48).