Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 14
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IMMERSE
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PROPHETS
After this opening assertion that God truly is speaking through Amos,
the book relays a cycle of oracles against the nations that immediately surround Israel. The prophet first announces judgment against
these nations, and then, in the seventh oracle, turns to speak against
the southern kingdom of Judah. The listeners in the northern kingdom
likely would have expected this to be the final oracle, and they would
have cheered the condemnation of their neighbors and their closest
rivals in Judah. But Amos has been drawing a target with Israel at the
center, and he delivers his longest denunciation against the northern
kingdom of Israel. Because of their wanton luxury, oppression of the
poor, and idolatry, they will be defeated and destroyed.
The rest of the book reinforces this message. It consists of loosely
organized and sometimes interwoven short oracles that take up the
same themes: Idolatry, injustice, oppression, and debauchery will bring
God’s judgment, no matter how strong Israel’s army or enthusiastic its
religious services.
As part of this message of judgment, Amos also relays a series of
visions given to him by God that metaphorically depict the coming
punishment. These visions are juxtaposed with an account of the expulsion of Amos from the northern kingdom, showing that the people have
rejected both God’s message and God’s genuine messenger.
The final oracle is the most devastating of all. In it God dismisses the
Israelites as his covenant people, saying that the exodus from Egypt
should not make them feel more special than any other nation: “‘Are
you Israelites more important to me than the Ethiopians?’ asks the
Lord . ‘I brought Israel out of Egypt, but I also brought the Philistines
from Crete and led the Arameans out of Kir. I, the Sovereign Lord , am
watching this sinful nation of Israel. I will destroy it from the face of the
earth.’”
But then, in a pattern we will see again and again, the epilogue expresses renewed hope for the future. Amos, the earliest of the prophets,
sets a template that God’s later messengers will also follow. There will
be judgment on God’s people because of injustice and unfaithfulness,
but then a promised restoration will come through the mercy and love
of God. The covenant will prevail: God will reinstate himself as King
and heal his land.
