The Book of Amos

Interacting with the Word

1. How is the book of Amos different from the other books regarding judgment?

2. Why does the Lord start with speaking bout the foreign nations instead of Israel?

What did you learn from today’s learning?

Jesus is the purpose sacrifice. Check out this short teaching on how Jesus and the Nazarite vow connect.

Interacting with the Word

1. What is a Nazarite?

2. Why do you think the Prophet's were not allowed to prophesy?

What did you learn from today’s learning?

Interacting with the Word

1. According to God, who is guilty?

2. What questions did the Lord ask Israel in Chapter 3?

3. Why do you think God asked them that question?

4. Why did God say He would punish the altars of Bethel?

Activation from God's Word

Prophesy

Can two walk together unless they agree? Do a lion roaring the forest when he has no prey? does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something?

Amos 3:2-4 -The Lord said that He does nothing without revealing His secret counsel to his servants the prophets.

The Lord was speaking to the fact that Israel's King Jeroboam had shut down the prophets and forbade them from prophesying.
Do you feel like your voice has been shut down because of religion? I challenge you to ask the Lord to begin to awaken His voice within you to speak the word of the Lord again.

Let's pray that anything that has attacked the revelation of the secret counsel of God through His prophets would be unleashed.

What did you learn from today’s learning?

Amos - the story

The prophet Amos lived among a group of shepherds in Tekoa, a small town approximately ten miles south of Jerusalem. Amos made clear in his writings that he did not come from a family of prophets, nor did he even consider himself one. Rather, he was “a grower of sycamore figs” as well as a shepherd (Amos 7:14–15). The main theme of the book is not to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the poor.

Interacting with the Word

1. You have not returned to me", declares the Lord. Why do you think Isreal failed to return to the Lord?

2. For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind And declares to a man what are HIs thoughts. Amos 4:13 God is dealing with Israel's is stubbornness returning from the ways of unrighteousness. If God gives a man His thoughts, why do you think it was so hard for Israel to return to the Lord?

What did you learn from today’s learning?

Challenge Questions

1. What did the rich do to the poor that caused God to be displeased?

2. Why does God say "Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you, just as you have said! Hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate?

3. What does it mean according to Amos 5 to establish justice in the gate?

Interacting with the Word

Jesus said that you will have poor with you always. Many use this scripture to say that we don't need to care for the poor.

1. Why do you think Jesus said this? Do you believe He was negating everything God spoke about caring for the poor?

2. What do you believe God means?

What did you learn from today’s learning?

Challenge Questions

The Lord says "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion."

1. What was his accusation against them?

2. What was God going to do because of Israel's disobedience?

Interacting with the Word

Re-read Daniel 5:18-24

For the man who has everything, what is key is humility? As daughter's and sons of God, we have been given every good thing by our Father. Humility is best reflected in the person of Jesus Christ.

• Ask God what Humility in His Kingdom looks like?

Activation from God's Word

God gave Daniel the ability to interpret the writing on the wall. There are some who try to make everything an unusual sign or wonder. In Daniel's case, it's clear that God was showing off to get the King's attention. God will often use signs to release strange occurrences. For this activation, ask the Lord to give you the wisdom to interpret unusual signs and wonders.

Pray that God was revealed to you when He is speaking through strange occurrences and give you the wisdom to interpret those moments accurately.

What did you learn from today’s learning?

Challenge Questions

1. Did God decide to destroy Isreal with a locust? What was Amos's response?

2. God then decided to destroy Israel with fire? What was Amos' response?

3. How did God respond to Amos' request not to destroy Israel both times?

4. How did God call Amos and what was unique about Amos? Interacting with the Word?

Interacting with the Word

What is the plumb line? A line with a plumb attached to it, used for finding the depth of water or determining the vertical on an upright surface. The purpose of God using the symbol of the plumbline was to teach Amos (who was a shepherd and probably used to manual labour) about how God was measuring Israel. The plumbline was meant to measure. It represented God's judgement.

We know that Jesus took on himself the judgements of God in order to spare His children from judgement. What does it mean for God to judge his people in a new testament context? Do you believe God still judges and if so, what happens when he judges?

What did you learn from today’s learning?

Challenge Questions

1. What does the basket of Summer fruit represent?

2. Why did God judge Israel?

Interacting with the Word-Understanding Prophetic symbolism

God often uses Prophetic symbolism in order to explain things in language that the "hearer" can understand.
For many of us, the summer fruit in Amos 8:1 would not have represented something negative but in its context, it represents the end for Israel. Symbols don't always have a negative connotation. The summer fruit isn't negative, it simply represents the end of something. Yet, in this context, it was negative because it represented the end of God's patience and that Israel's sin has come to maturity or had ripened.

That's why we must ask God about the symbols instead of assuming we know what they mean. Activation from God's Word

God gave Daniel the ability to interpret the writing on the wall. There are some who try to make everything an unusual sign or wonder. In Daniel's case, it's clear that God was showing off to get the King's attention. God will often use signs to release strange occurrences. For this activation, ask the Lord to give you the wisdom to interpret unusual signs and wonders.

Pray that God was revealed to you when He is speaking through strange occurrences and give you the wisdom to interpret those moments accurately.

Activation from God's Word

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a picture then ask Him what it means. Write down the interpretation.

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a picture then ask HIm what it represents. Begin to do this as the Lord shows you more and more images.

What did you learn from today’s learning?

Challenge Questions

1. What does God reveal about His relationships with the other nations in the first nine verses of Chapter 9?

2. What does Chapter 9:11-15 say about God's plan to redeem Israel?

3. What does Amos reveal about Jesus?

Interacting with the Word

Behold the days are coming, declares the Lord when the ploughman will overtaketh reaper and the reader of grapes who so seed, the mountain will drip sweet wine.

Amos 9:12

Do you find it interested that Amos, who wasn't a noble like Daniel, or a son of the prophets was chosen to prophesy against Israel? Also, the language than some of the other books. God is speaking about ploughing and grapes, which would have been easy for Amos to understand. God is speaking to Amos in a language that He understands. He uses familiar themes to assist Amos in comprehending the message. In a similar way, God uses symbols that are often familiar to the person He is speaking to in order to communicate.

Prophetic Activation

Ask God to show you some things about a friend or neighbour, then instead of jumping into interpreting, ask them if the symbol means anything to them. Then ask the Holy Spirit for the interpretation.

What did you learn from today’s learning?

Now that you have read the Prophet Amos,

• What can you learn from the life of the Prophet Amos?

• How can you apply these words to your life?

THE END

Thanks for joining the bible study series on the Book of Amos.
We look forward to seeing your responses to our questions.
Post them in the GroupChat and let us know what you learned from the book.
We hope you enjoy reading God’s word.