Notes

God wants us to overcome our challenges and become better people, however he doesn't want us to do it alone. He guides us through prayer, scriptures and prophets. A prophet is someone who has been called by God to help and guide the world. The prophets spoke for God to the people, receiving God’s message through visions, dreams. The prophetic message varied with the circumstances. When things were going well, the prophets warned the people about doom if they did not change their ways. When things were going badly, they supported the people with words of encouragement and hope.

Some prophets showed that there was always time for repentance. As it was, their fellowship with God was broken by faithlessness and the service of false gods; and their fellowship with one another was broken by oppression, injustice and guile. God therefore wants them to amend their ways by rendering to Him pure service and turning away from idols; and in their dealings with one another they must let "justice run down as waters and righteousness as a perennial stream"

Prophets delivered God’s word to sinful people. As sin had divided a Holy God from people, a prophet served as a sort of bridge to convey God’s word to a group in need of hearing that message. The message Amos gave exposed Israel’s ruling powers. His harshest words, however, were aimed at Israel itself, specifically its religious hypocrisy and the oppression. Amos condemned the 'superior' for enriching themselves at the expense of the poor, and he made it clear that they were doomed, with no chance of avoiding disaster. The heart of Amos’ -message is: “Let justice roll down like water.” Just like a modern prophet said- Martin Luther King Jr- in his speech. Amos begins with the justice of God, then, and shows how that relates to justice in society. The entire book of Amos shines a powerful light on Israelite society, revealing its dishonesty, corruption, and violence. That being the case, God is perfectly right to bring the overwhelming disaster of which Amos speaks.