Amos 1:9-15

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Three More Prophecies Of Judgment

What is meant by a “minor” prophet?
List the major prophets.
What do the following phrases mean? Name the major and minor prophets during each period. a. Pre-exilic b. Exilic c. Post-exilic
Where did Amos live? Where did Amos prophesy?
Outline the book of Amos.
What was Amos’ strategy in prophesying?

A minor prophet gets his title from the size of his writing. A minor prophet wrote a book small enough that before the printing press it could be hand-copied on a single scroll.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
a. Pre-exilic was the time before the Jews were exiled to Babylon from their seventy year captivity, in the sixth century B.C. Pre-exilic prophets were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah. b. Exilic was the time during the captivity. Ezekiel and Daniel were exilic prophets. c. Post-exilic was the time after the Babylonian captivity. Prophets writing during this time were Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
Amos lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, but he prophesied to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Chapters 1-2: 8 prophesies Chapters 3-6: 3 sermons Chapters 7-9: 6 visions
He prophesied against the sins of the foreign nations surrounding Israel, then he zeroed in on the sins of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Amos prophesied judgment against Tyre and Phoenicia. Their outstanding sin was that they not only sold prisoners of war as slaves to Edom, but in doing so they broke the covenant of brotherhood. (See 1 Kings 5:12.) The breaking of covenants is wrong, whether it be international treaties or marriage covenants. Discuss some of the broken covenants that have occurred today. Do you believe that God will judge the breakers of covenants?
Edom was denounced for pursuing his brother with a sword and showing no pity, and for continual anger and fury against the Jews. Do you see the deep hatred of the Jews in Amos 1:11? God said that He would bless those who bless the Jews and curse those who curse them. Consider the history of nations who have persecuted the Jews. God judges nations that are anti-Semitic. What is your heart toward the Jews?
God judged Ammon because in its ruthless pursuit to enlarge its territory they exterminated women with children. Does this say something about the unborn child of today? What rights does he have in the womb?

Examine your heart for jealousy. Are you jealous of someone right now? Be careful! You could be out of control and not even realize it. Take a lesson from the Edom’s sin against the Jewish people. What have you done to show love for the Jewish people?