David R. Helm
RESOURCES
Commentaries and Other Reading [pdf, 396kb]
Sermon Series Suggestions [pdf, 52kb]
OVERVIEW
Introduction
Hi, welcome back to Getting Started. My name is Dave Helm. Today we’re going to look at the book of Amos. Remember: getting started right will help you cut it straight.
We’ll begin by putting the book in context—focusing on two things:
The general situation of the first audience.
The genre in which it was written.
“The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.”
If you know anything about Uzziah or Jeroboam’s reign, these were days of prosperity and affluence. God’s people were doing quite well. Yet Amos brings a blistering judgment against them.
And here is the surprise: the book is written in poetry. Many people associate poetry with love, not with lawsuits. But poetry is perfectly suited to express both lost love and deep lament. It is the right genre for Amos, and contextually important as you preach it.
One more word about context: consider today’s audience. In the West, the church lives in prosperity and affluence. Could this be why Amos is so often neglected? I’ve come to think Amos was written with God’s people in mind.
Paul calls the church “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16. Though Amos pronounces judgment on the nations in the opening chapters, the primary audience is God’s own people. That makes Amos contextually appropriate for today’s listener.
Declaration of judgment (chapters 1–2)
Eight messages, each marked by the phrase “Thus says the Lord.”
Six nations are judged, concluding with Judah and then Israel.
The judgment is universal.
Reasons for judgment (chapters 3–6)
Three messages (“Hear this word…” in 3:1, 4:1, 5:1).
Three woes (5:18; 6:1; 6:4).
The centerpiece: a lament sung by God (5:1–17).
Reasons include trampling the poor, unjust taxation, and self-indulgence while ignoring the needy.
Execution of judgment (chapters 7–9)
No longer messages but visions: locusts, fire, a plumb line, a basket of summer fruit, and finally the Lord standing beside the altar (9:1).
These visions enact God’s judgment.
So the book moves from declaration → reasons → execution.
God declares judgment “from Zion” (1:2).
He executes judgment “beside the altar” (9:1).
Israel’s rebellion is expressed in terms of houses, cities, and gates—places where they exalt themselves above God.
Judgment unfolds in three images:
Fire – repeated in the oracles against the nations.
Divine warrior/lion – “The Lord roars from Zion” (1:2; 3:8).
The Day of the Lord – darkness, not light (5:18–20).
In a day when many preachers soften God’s wrath, Amos corrects us by insisting we face judgment squarely.
Hinted at – “It may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph” (5:15).
Alluded to – In chapters 7–8, Amos prays for mercy during the visions of locusts and fire. Twice the Lord relents. Judgment will not be utterly total.
Explicitly promised – “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen…that they may possess…the nations who are called by my name” (9:11–12).
So salvation is not peripheral; it is integral to Amos.
It vindicates God’s right to judge His own household when His people abandon His rule.
It validates God’s plan to rebuild His household to include people from all nations.
The New Testament affirms this:
Stephen (Acts 7:42–43) quotes Amos to show God’s place is no longer the temple but the cross and the church, God’s new dwelling.
James (Acts 15:16–17) quotes Amos 9 to validate God’s plan to bring Gentiles into His family.
Thus, Amos warns the church today: judgment begins with God’s household. But it also affirms our mission: God is extending His family to the nations through Christ.
As you preach Amos:
Hold judgment and salvation together.
Apply mercy without reducing the message to mere activism.
Preach Christ as the fulfillment of God’s plan for His people and the nations.