“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” – These words were spoken by Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, in middle of civil rights movement in America – They are now etched in a granite fountain at the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, next to King’s name
But, in reality, King, a Christian who had received multiple seminary degrees and pastored churches, was not calling church and nation to action with his own words – He was calling church and nation to action with God’s Word – His famous call came straight from prophetic Book of Amos
And, unlike some today, who twist God’s Word to promote social and political movements that are opposed to God’s will, King was relaying a needed message to the church and to a nation that professed to be Christian: it’s time to start acting like it
It’s time to stop oppressing people simply because of color of their skin and it’s time to start treating them like they are made in God’s image; worthy of equal dignity and respect – It’s time to start living a single-story life – To bring what you preach on Sunday and how you live on Monday together – It’s time for your worship to transform your way of life
This morning we are going to overview the Book of Amos, one of minor prophets that we’ll be reading through this coming week – This morning, I want us to see three key points in book and then talk about their application to our lives – Three key points: Israel’s Covenant Disobedience – God’s Covenant Curse – God’s promise of Hope through Judgment
Let’s start, though, by wrapping our minds around historical context of this book:
Read Amos 1:1
Opening verse tells us that Amos was a shepherd by trade who was called by God to prophesy during 8th century BC, during reigns of Uzziah in Southern Kingdom of Judah and Jeroboam II in Northern Kingdom of Israel – This was a time when both kingdoms enjoyed relative stability and prosperity – But this stability and prosperity didn’t promote righteousness among God’s people – It promoted recklessness, instead
While Book of Amos begins with a rapid-fire series of prophecies condemning foreign nations surrounding Israel, prophetic target settles on northern Kingdom of Israel in chapter two – And that’s where it stays for remainder of book
Message of Amos, broadly speaking, is a message of looming judgment but future hope – Yahweh, because of Israel’s sin, will bring about righteous judgment – But this righteous judgment won’t destroy His people, nor will it go on forever – Instead, God will use this righteous judgment to purify His people before He restores them to a state of blessing – It will be hope through judgment
This whole concept of God intervening in affairs of world to judge and to save is a prominent concept in writings of OT prophets – It is often referred to as “the Day of the Lord” – Or, more simply, “that day” – Day of the Lord refers to a period of time in history when God intervenes in human affairs in a clear, powerful, decisive way, calling people to account for their actions, bringing judgment for some and salvation for others
And we need not think of the Day of the Lord as being a one-time occurrence in world history – Authors of Scripture use this phrase to refer to several different events in history: in their past, their present, and their future – Most often, though, OT prophets view Day of the Lord as being in their near future[1] – And that is Amos’ perspective: that the Day of the Lord lies in near future– And, according to Amos, it won’t mean salvation for Israel; it will mean judgment
Read Amos 5:18-20
Amos says that nation of Israel should not be looking forward to Day of Lord with excitement, but rather with fear – Why? – This brings us to our first point – Because of her Covenant Disobedience
Now, before we talk too much about covenant disobedience, I want to remind you how progressive nature God’s covenants in salvation history is crucial in understanding any single part of biblical story – Let’s review three key covenants we’ve seen up to this point in biblical narrative:
First, God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12 and 15 – God promised to make Abraham into a great nation, to give his people a land, to bless him, and to bless all the nations of the earth through him (Gen. 12:1-7)
Second, God made a covenant with Abraham’s descendants, people of Israel, as they came out of slavery in Egypt and journeyed through wilderness in Book of Exodus – God promised that Israel would be His kingdom of priests, His holy nation, and His treasured possession – And here’s the important part: He will do this IF they obey His voice and keep His covenant (Ex. 19:5-6)
Third, God made a covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7 – God promised to raise up an offspring from David’s line who would rule as a King of God’s people forever (2 Sam. 7:11-17)
All these covenants are in play in this era in which Amos is prophesying – God is relating to His people according to these covenants, just as He promised – And covenant that takes central focus as we talk about covenant disobedience is God’s covenant with people of Israel, which was made at Mt. Sinai
God had promised that Israel would be His kingdom of priests / holy nation / treasured possession IF they obeyed His voice and kept His covenant, as it was outlined in legal code of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy – The problem in time of Amos is that Israel hasn’t obeyed God’s voice – And they haven’t kept God’s covenant
So, Amos condemns Israelites for three broad categories of covenant disobedience: worship of false gods, lust for worldly pleasures, oppression of poor neighbors
First, worship of false gods – Read Amos 5:26-27
Sikkuth and Kiyyun were both celestial gods worshipped by other Mesopotamian peoples at time – Apparently, Israel had begun worshipping these false gods, as well – They’d made images or idols of these gods to use in worship[2] – In so doing, Israel had clearly broken 1st and 2nd Commandments that God had given at Mount Sinai
Second, Amos condemns Israel for focus on worldly pleasures – Read Amos 6:4-6
In Deuteronomy 8, Moses explicitly warns Israelites about this very thing – He tells them to be careful when they enter Promised Land and began to experience abundance of God’s blessing, not to become focused on worldly pleasures and forget to keep Lord’s commands – And now, problem Moses envisioned had become a reality – Amos condemns Israel for worship of false gods, focus on worldly pleasures
And, lastly, oppression of poor brothers – This third grievance is one that receives most attention in Book of Amos – Amos condemns the wealthy and powerful in Israel because they “…sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals…” – They “ trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted…” (Amos 2:6-7) – They “oppress the poor” and “crush the needy” (Amos 4:1) – They impose taxes on poor (Amos 5:11) – They take bribes and “afflict the righteous” (Amos 5:12) – All of these things are offenses against covenant law God had given Israel (see Exodus 23:6-9)
What’s interesting is that, through all of this, Israel had maintained a clear form of worship to God, but it was a form with no substance – They continued to perform religious rituals, but their hearts were far from God – They offered God sacrifices, but failed to live with justice and righteousness, as God had commanded – They were living a two-story life – And God was not pleased with their lip-service
Read Amos 5:21-24
Israel professed the Lord, but did not obey the Lord – And their Covenant Disobedience brought on God’s Covenant Curse – And know that, even in this, God, who is perfectly just, was simply doing what He had promised to do
Deuteronomy 28 clearly outlines blessings God would give Israel for covenant obedience and cursings God would give Israel for covenant disobedience – If there was a page in your OT to dog-ear and refer back to in order to understand all judgment that comes on Israel after they enter land, that would be page to dog-ear
It especially helps us understand Amos 4, which describes how God has been trying to get Israel’s attention for some time by sending one covenant curse after the other – And yet, each time, Israel failed to return to Lord:
Read Select Portions of Amos 4:6-11
Here’s what you need to know: every single one of those curses is listed in Deuteronomy 28 as a sign and consequence for covenant disobedience – So, if Israelites had known terms of their covenant with God – If they had had eyes to see and ears to hear, they would’ve seen in their recurring troubles that God was trying to get their attention, to wake them up, so that they might return to covenant faithfulness – But Israel’s did not have eyes to see or ears to hear – They did not return to God
So, God would bring about a culminating covenant curse – A curse of all curses – A curse also promised in Deuteronomy 28 – Israel will be defeated by a foreign nation and carried away from God’s Promised Land
Read Amos 6:14, 7:11
Remember the Ninevites from last week? – The Assyrians who dismembered, skinned, and burned their enemies? – Who were rising to power in 8th century BC? – They would come down to Israel, defeat it, and carry Israelites captive back to their northern lands
Now, how exactly does that fit with their repentance at end of Book of Jonah? – What happened in that gap of roughly 50 years? – The Lord knows – And the Lord has His purposes for every nation, in every season – And His purpose for Assyrians in last part of 8th century BC was to be a culminating covenant curse against His people because of their sin
Israel’s Covenant Disobedience leads God’s Covenant Curse…the Day of the Lord…a time of judgment – But it would not be end for Israel – There remained for Israel a promise of Hope through Judgment
Listen to how Book of Amos ends:
Read Amos 9:11-12
Beyond Israel’s defeat – And beyond Israel’s exile, God promised a future day when He would bring Israel back to the Promised Land, raise up the house of David, and give the house of David dominion over nations
Again, I want you to see how God is relating to Israel through His covenants – According to covenant at Sinai, God will curse Israel for her disobedience and send her into exile, just as He promised – But it is according to His covenants with Abraham and David, God will re-establish her in Promised Land, restore line of Davidic kings, bless her, and make her a blessing to nations, just as He promised
And now, almost 3,000 years later, we have benefit of seeing how God fulfilled all these promises – Yes, God did bring a restored remnant of Israel out of exile during days of Ezra and Nehemiah – Yes, He re-established them in Promised Land – And, yes, at that time, He did raise up booth of David by appointing David’s descendant, Zerubbabel, to power – But, even then, Israel never returned to an era of glory or prominence in the centuries to follow – And she certainly could not claim to possess the nations
Why? – Because all of God’s promises don’t find their “Yes” and “Amen” in Ezra – Or in Nehemiah – Or in Zerubbabel – All of God’s promises find their “Yes and “Amen” in Christ Jesus, His Son, the Messiah of Israel, and Savior of the World
Jesus is the Child of Abraham who blesses all the nations of earth with God’s grace and mercy through His death and resurrection – Whose Promised Land extends beyond all boundaries, borders, and concepts of time as a place where righteous of all ages will enjoy God’s presence and blessing forever
Jesus is the Holy and Faithful Israelite who perfectly obeyed God’s covenant Law – Who knows nothing of Covenant Disobedience – And who would know nothing of a Covenant Curse, except that He “redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13) – Jesus is the One in whom covenant Law finds its fulfillment – The One in whom God’s righteousness is perfectly satisfied
And Jesus is the Seed of David whose Kingdom is established forever – Who ascended from grave to glory, where He sits at this very moment at right hand of Father in heavens, reigning with righteousness and justice over whole earth, and specially over His Kingdom – A good and gracious King, forever
In Jesus, all God’s covenant promises find their “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20) – And in Christ Jesus, God establishes a New and Better Covenant – A covenant whereby people from every tribe, tongue, and nation may become children of God and citizens of His Kingdom, part of a restored humanity with Christ Jesus as Head – This is available to all people if they will turn from a life lived in rebellion against God and put their faith in perfect life, atoning death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus to make them right with God, once and for all
Jesus’ ministry on this earth began as a life-changing, reality-altering Day of the Lord – That’s how apostles interpreted what was happening at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21) – And Jesus’ ministry on this earth will someday end as a life-changing reality-altering Day of the Lord, when He returns in glory to call all people to account, bringing judgment for some and salvation for others (1 Thess. 5:2, Acts 10:42-43)
And what will be the deciding factor on that day? – In whether a person receives judgment or salvation? – It’ll all come down to one thing – On that day it won’t be about how well you kept covenant Law given at Sinai – On that day it won’t be about length of your religious resume, or any other resume for that matter – On that day, it won’t be about how much you read your Bible, or prayed, or went to church, or served those in need – In economy of Jesus’ New and Better Covenant, one thing will separate those who face judgment and those inherit salvation on that great and final Day of Lord and this is it: whether or not you are covered by the all-sufficient merit of Jesus who bore curse of your disobedience unto death, and then rose from the dead to defeat it
So, what do we do? – Three times in Amos 5, the Lord commands us, through mouth of Amos, with these words:
“Seek me and live…” (Amos 5:4) – “Seek the Lord and live…” (Amos 5:6) – “Seek good, and not evil, that you may live…” (Amos 5:14)
True life – Eternal life – Covenant Blessing – Hope through Judgment – They are all found in Jesus, and Jesus, alone – And Jesus has promised that, if you ask, it will be given to you – If you seek, you will find – If you knock, it will be opened to you – Because the good Father in heaven loves to give His saving and redeeming Spirit to those who come to Him and ask (Luke 11:9-13)
If, this morning, you find yourself worn and weary from seeking life and blessing and salvation in things this world has to offer – If you are ready to humble yourself and admit that, despite your best efforts, you can’t seem to capture a life that’s truly fulfilling, then this morning is as good a time as any to seek Jesus and live – To stop chasing life on your own terms and start chasing Jesus instead – To turn from sinful rebellion and to trust Him as Lord and Savior
Many of you have already made that turn, trusted in Christ, and are now seeking to live faithfully with Him – If so, the warning that comes from Book of Amos is this: don’t stop seeking
Because we, like Israel, having been lavished with covenant blessings of God in Christ, might also be tempted to forget Him in our day of abundance
We, too, might be tempted to bow down to the false gods of our neighbors: money, sex, comfort, political power, or the “freedom” and “autonomy” to do whatever we want to do and be whoever we want to be
We, too, might be tempted to focus on worldly pleasures: to spend more time thinking about how to make our lives easy than how to make them holy – To make the focal point of our lives about our comfort as opposed to God’s glory
We, too, might be tempted to oppress our poor brothers: to show partiality to one person over another based upon a person’s appearance, background, social class or gifting – We, too, might be tempted to neglect poor, vulnerable, and needy among us
And we, too, may be tempted to build a two-story life – To maintain, protect, or preserve a form of worship, continuing on with our religious rituals, while our hearts are far from God – Gathering on Sunday to worship God and then living Monday through Saturday as if He did not exist – As if justice was a fable and righteousness a fairy tale
Our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – We must resist him, firm in our faith – As enemy seeks us, we seek Jesus and we do not fear – Because we have Christ before us – The Spirit inside us – The church beside us – And God’s Word beneath us, our sure foundation
May we seek the Lord and live – May we seek good and not evil all our days – May we live single-story lives and be a single-story church – May we faithfully take truth of Gospel blessing into all places God leads us – And through our lives and through our church, may justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream – For God’s glory and our neighbors good
Prayer
Holy Father, we thank You for always keeping Your Word – We praise You that, in Your infinite wisdom, You brought all Your promises to “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ Jesus, Your Son
Lord Jesus, we praise You for being the Child of Abraham who brings blessing to all the nations – The Holy and Faithful Israelite who fulfilled the Law – And the Seed of David who reigns forever – We thank You for Your New and Better Covenant, which we enter by grace through faith in Your Name – In which we receive true and eternal life – And by which You make us into a New Creation who lives to love and serve You
We confess that we often fall short of Your desire for our lives – We are tempted to bow down to false God’s of our neighbors, to focus on worldly pleasures, and to judge and oppress our own brothers and sisters in our minds and with our lives
Please forgive us – We trust in Your grace and forgiveness – Holy Spirit, please help us to get back on track this morning – And please help us to move forward in faithfulness this week – Help us to take truth and justice, love and righteousness into all places You send us this week as we seek You and live – Amen
[1] Elmer A. Martens, “Day of the Lord, God, Christ, The,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, electronic ed., Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996), 147.
[2] Andrew E. Hill, “Amos” in The Gospel Coalition Online Commentary, see section “Woe for Those Anxious for the Day of the LORD (5:18–27)”, accessed 6/23/2025, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/commentary/amos/.