Introduction
The book of Amos, along with Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah, was written in the eighth century B.C., and more specifically between 783 B.C. and 746 B.C.1 This dating is primarily based on the opening verse of Amos, which indicates that his prophecy took place during the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II, king of Israel (Amos 1:1). Though some restrict Amos’s active prophetic office to about one year, others give it a much wider time range, from the mid-780s to the 750s B.C. A more specific timeframe can be given based on Amos’s mention of “the earthquake,” likely the one identified by archaeologists to have taken place in Hazor and Samaria sometime around 760 B.C. This event is often associated with the earthquake “in the days of Uzziah king of Judah,” mentioned in Zechariah 14:5.
Amos identifies himself in 1:1 as a shepherd from Tekoa—a small town about ten miles south of Jerusalem and five miles southeast of Bethlehem. Amos 1:2 shows that his prophecy originated from Zion and was declared to Israel and its neighboring nations. Though his message primarily concerns the northern kingdom of Israel, Amos himself was from the southern kingdom of Judah.
Themes within Amos
The book of Amos presents several major themes throughout its message.6 The first is the universal nature of God’s ethical norms. Amos emphasizes that God is the creator of the universe (4:13; 5:8–9; 9:5–6). As the sovereign King, the LORD calls Israel to account for its deeds and administers judgment accordingly (2:4–16). However, his sovereignty extends beyond Israel; he also rules over other nations, including those that reject him (1:3–2:3). As creator and sustainer of the cosmos, the LORD actively governs the physical universe. Thus, he is the supreme King over all creation.
The second major theme in Amos is that a nation’s true relationship with God is inseparable from its commitment to social justice and moral righteousness. In other words, a nation cannot claim to be God’s people while disobeying his commandments and violating his covenant by oppressing the fatherless and failing to defend the rights of the poor and widows. As Kostenberger and Goswell put it, “God places social injustice on a par with war crimes.”7 The pairing of “justice and righteousness” underscores that one cannot exist without the other. This theme is particularly evident in passages such as Amos 5:7, 24; 6:12.
Third, Amos emphasizes that the LORD values obedience over sacrifice (1 Sam. 15:22–23). Religious practices and rituals, when divorced from justice, are detestable to God (5:21–24). The LORD does not reject worship itself, but he refuses to accept the hypocrisy of Israel, who seeks refuge in religious observance while oppressing the innocent.
Another key theme in Amos is the LORD’s covenant relationship with Israel. Though Amos deliberately avoids using the term “covenant”—likely because it had been misused to signify privilege rather than accountability8 —he reminds Israel that they are God’s covenantal people (3:2). However, the LORD’s covenant does not grant Israel immunity from judgment; rather, it holds them to a higher moral standard and, if violated, subjects them to greater punishment. As Köstenberger and Goswell observe, there is “a covenantal rationale to the judgment threatened by God” in 3:2.9
Two key themes remain in Amos. First, what Israel expects to be a day of restoration and victory may instead be a day of reckoning for its wickedness before the LORD. While many in Israel eagerly anticipate “the day of the LORD,” Amos warns that it will be a day of darkness, not light—a day of judgment, not salvation (5:18–20). Finally, Amos affirms the LORD’s promise of future restoration for his people, Israel, but only for a remnant.
Does the Message of Amos Matter to Us Today?
While the book of Amos contains numerous themes that remain highly relevant to modern society and the 21st-century church, one stands out as particularly compelling—not only for our present time but also for the future of the body of Christ, the New Testament church, and Western civilization at large. This theme is encapsulated in the words of our Lord Jesus: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48); or as the author of Hebrews puts it, “For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Heb. 12:7–8).
While the surrounding nations were judged for the injustices they committed against their neighbors, Judah was punished “because they have rejected the law of the LORD, and have not kept his statutes” (2:4). In 2:9–11 the LORD recounts what he had done for Israel as his covenant people. Just as Amos delivered the LORD’s message of increased judgment upon Israel for failing to live up to their calling as his chosen people, the book of Amos carries the same warning for the New Testament church. If the church does not return to the LORD, regain its reverence for his word, and prepare for his return, the LORD will not withhold his judgment—just as he did not for Israel, and perhaps even more so.
This discussion will explore the significance of Amos’s warning of impending judgment (5:18–20) and his restoration prophecy (9:11–15). It will attempt to answer the following question, among others: can a nation (or the assembly of believers within) be spared God’s wrath if its righteousness is “contained” largely in its church, while injustice and unrighteousness dominate society at large? These two prophecies foretold Israel’s fall and future restoration. Yet, through typological fulfillment, they also foreshadow the judgment and restoration of the New Testament church, which, as a wild olive shoot, was grafted into God’s original olive tree, Israel (Rom. 11:11–24). This study will examine the meaning of these prophecies in light of God’s promise to restore his people, Israel.
Emphasis will be placed on how Israel’s lack of social justice in Amos’s time—seen as a violation of God’s covenant—contributed to the fall of David’s tent and what this means for the New Testament church. Ultimately, this study will argue that because the fall and restoration of David’s tent are intricately tied to Israel’s covenantal relationship with the LORD, these two prophecies have a parallel (typological) fulfillment—perhaps even to a greater degree—in the future of the New Testament church under the new covenant.
Furthermore, these prophecies serve as a warning for any nation or society that follows Israel’s path of corruption and disobedience to God. Having a righteous remnant within such a society will not prevent its destruction. This specifically applies to the United States in the 21st century.
The False Security of Israel—And the Church Today
A close reading of Amos reveals the possibility of a typological understanding of God’s judgment and promise of restoration to Old Testament Israel, particularly in 5:18–20 and 9:11–15. This typology suggests parallels between Israel, the United States, and the New Testament church at large. Israel violated its covenant with the LORD by forsaking his law and breaking his moral code while maintaining an outward appearance of religious ritual and sacrificial worship. Likewise, the United States has largely abandoned its Judeo-Christian foundations and, to use a biblical metaphor, has “gone whoring after other gods”—embracing new-age philosophies, wokeness, liberal ideologies, and the like. Meanwhile, the American church has taken a backseat and has declared itself content! At the same time, false teachers pervade the church, even as it claims to profess faith in the Son of God and his redemptive work on the cross.
Sadly, in the Old Testament, Israel refused to heed the LORD’s voice—despite his repeated calls to repentance—and continually spurned his warnings. Likewise, the New Testament church has abdicated its role as the salt of the earth and the light of the world, embracing strange doctrines while rejecting the call to return to the orthodox teaching of God’s word, dismissing it as “too conservative.” Just as Israel devoured the fatherless and the widow like a lion devours its prey, the church today permits teachings and practices that openly contradict Scripture—all in the name of love, inclusion, and desire to appeal to the masses. This includes, among other issues: approving same-sex marriage, supporting abortion, and teaching that a professing believer cannot lose his salvation regardless of his or her obedience to God’s commandments and personal walk with the Lord in holiness. This also includes promoting the “wealth and prosperity gospel,” the so-called “name it and claim” doctrine, and turning the supernatural work of God into a multi-million-dollar industry, teaching that divine healing is guaranteed as long as one has “enough faith.” Israel also saw itself as immune from God’s judgment because it had God’s law. Likewise, the New Testament church clings to doctrines such as “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1)—failing to recognize that since its sin and self-righteousness parallel that of Israel’s in the Old Testament, so too will its judgment!
Many believe that because God would never punish the righteous and the wicked alike, a land with a faithful remnant will never face judgment. But can a small minority within a society turn away God’s wrath and save it from destruction? Can the American church—as large as it may be, yet still a minority—spare the United States from total annihilation? The answer in Amos is a resounding No! Even at the height of its corruption, Israel (and Judah) had a faithful remnant (1 Kings 19:18). Yet, this did not spare them from God’s judgment. A nation cannot be preserved simply because of the righteousness of a few, confined within the four walls of a church. Unless true repentance and transformation sweep across a society, judgment is inevitable. Unfortunately, more often than not, both of these require going to exile at times.
Thus, Amos demonstrates that both Western civilization and the New Testament church are ripe for a harsher divine punishment than Israel. God’s punishment of his own people is far more severe than that of those who do not know him. The church of the New Testament can thus claim no “exempt” status from God’s punishment. Grace does not acquit the wicked; grace is a call for multiplying punishment for the unrepentant (Rom. 2:3–5).
If the LORD’s message through Amos was that Israel should not take refuge in its status as God’s chosen people—having the law, the covenants, and the promises—because this actually made them subject to harsher judgment for violating his covenant, then how much more severe will be the judgment of the New Testament church if it violates the new covenant, founded on the blood of the Son of God?
A Call to Repentance: Heeding the Warnings of Amos
The Israelites of the Old Testament rested in God’s covenants with their forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They found reassurance in being the only nation on earth to receive God’s law through Moses. They took solace in God’s promises to David and Solomon, convinced that no judgment would befall them. Even if they strayed, God’s mercy, longsuffering, and compassion would always bring restoration—or so they thought! Despite God’s repeated calls through his many prophets—Amos included—they refused to repent and gave God the back and not the face (Jer. 2:27). They continued saying, “Peace, peace, when there is no peace”! (Jer. 6:14; 8:11). Yet, as seen in Amos (and all throughout the Old Testament prophets), the LORD called them to repentance and promised judgment if his calls were not heeded—and they were not!
Just as Old Testament Israel rested in its ancestry, the law, and the covenants, the New Testament church finds reassurance in declaring, “We are under grace, not under the law!” Yet, this privileged status mirrors Israel’s false assurance. Israel rested in being chosen by God; the New Testament church rests in the grace of God. But neither can annul the justice of God, who does not hold guiltless those who disobey his commandments and violate his law. The LORD, who did not spare Israel despite their privileged status as his chosen people, will not spare his New Testament church if it likewise violates the terms of his covenant. Being under grace is not an invitation or encouragement to play fast and loose with God’s commandments; it is not a green light to take advantage of the leniency of God. Rather, it is a call to urgent repentance, knowing that God stands ready to forgive.
Regarding future restoration, American civilization and the New Testament church—after enduring God’s judgment and purification through fire—will ultimately be restored. Israel experienced that restoration in the form of a remnant returning to their land. Western civilization and the church will experience restoration when the wheat is separated from the chaff by the winnowing fork of trials and tribulations. Instead of a remnant simply “returning,” some will likely be consumed while others will be redeemed. “In that day,” some sheep, who are not currently among the flock, will enter the fold so that all the sheep become one flock under one shepherd (John 6:16). Many who are now “inside” will be cast outside, and many who are now outside will be brought in.
Restoration or Ruin? The Choice Before Us
The book of Amos proclaims both judgment and future restoration to the United States and its church! However, there is no guarantee of a returning remnant—only the prospect of total renewal or even replacement of the status quo. The sinful state of the American society and the passive and marginalized condition of the New Testament church have made both ripe for judgment (and restoration) just as Israel’s sins ripened it for exile (and return). As the church and society read and study the book of Amos, they must heed the warnings of the LORD’s impending judgment spoken by Amos and must not find comfort in walking “under grace” while breaking the LORD’s commandments.
