Inductive Study on the Book of Amos

Part 1: Table of Contents

Part 2: Analysis of the Book’s Structure
The majority of the book contains prophecy written in the form of Hebrew Poetry. This is shown by the poetic device graded numbers in the initial proclamation of judgement against the Judah, Israel, and its surrounding in the first two chapters: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment” (Amos 1:3, ESV). Furthermore, this is seen in the numerous uses of the various forms of parallelism throughout the whole book. The content of these prophecies, as well as whom they are addressed to helps to distinguish the major sections of the book. Also, the various narrative interludes that the author includes help to frame the prophecies, and also aid in distinguishing the section.

The first major section of the prophecy contains judgements against the nations surrounding Judah and Israel. After an introductory note, judgement is proclaimed against Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, the Ammonites, and Moab. These judgements follow a particular pattern, opening with the graded numbers poetic device “For three transgressions of… and for four, I will not revoke the punishment”, followed by the transgression of the offending nation, and closing with the judgement that will be sent against it.

While Amos 1:3 to 2:3 contained judgements against surrounding nations, Amos 2:4 turns the attention to Judah and Israel. These two judgements (verses 4-5 for Judah and 6-16 for Israel) follow the same poetic patterns of the earlier judgements against the surrounding nations. And so, they really ought to have been included in the previous division. However, as the shift is made to these two nations consisting of the people of God, I felt it deserved its own category. Nonetheless, what is clearly being shown in the first two chapters of Amos is that that there is no distinction between Judah, Israel, and its surrounding nations. They have succumbed to sin just as much as the evil nations surrounding them, and are just as deserving of punishment. This is reminiscent of a theme that was seen in the Book of Judges, the “Canaanization of Israel”. Although the people of Israel were supposed to transform the land of promise, they actually were themselves transformed by the land as a result of their apostasy from Yahweh.

Indeed, for that reason, not only does Israel deserve punishment as much as the surrounding nations, it will receive more. This is announced in the third major section, from Amos 3:1 to 4:13. This section is distinguished by the author’s narrative interlude in 3:1, “Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt” (ESV), which is different from the previous “Thus says the Lord” interludes that separated the previous pronouncements. Furthermore, the poetic structures change in the following judgements from being started by the graded number poetic device to just various forms of parallelisms. This section contains warnings against Israel.

The fourth major section, Amos 5:1 to 5:15, is also distinguished by the author’s interlude in which he first laments over their judgement, and then announces several ways for them to live: “Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said” (Amos 5:14, ESV). This hopeful section is short lived, however, as Amos 5:16 begin a new section of judgement that ends in 6:18. This section contain several subsections, following the initial pronouncement of judgement in 5:16-17, Amos 5:18 to 6:7 contain three woes directed to what seems to be the nobility and religious elite of Israel. Those who “desire the day of the Lord” (5:18), who are “at ease in Zion” (6:1), and who “lie in beds of ivory” (6:4). The section closes with a pronouncement of God’s punishment against them.

The sixth section of the book, the whole of chapter 7, turns its attention on the prophet Amos, who begins by attempting to intercede for the people of Israel, but who is then accused by these same people. Verses 1-6 alternates between Amos describing the destructive judgement that the Lord plans to deliver upon Israel, followed by Amos pleading for the Lord not to go through with that judgement, and then by the Lord relenting. Finally, the Lord shows Amos that he will be setting up a standard – a plumb line – in the midst of Israel, a standard which apparently the people will not be able to live up to. Indeed this is shown immediately as a short narrative sequence shows officials turning against Amos. To this, God makes the pronouncement “Israel shall surely go into exile from its land” (Amos 7:17, ESV).

This makes way for the next section, Amos 8:1 to 9:10, which declares that the end is nearing for the kingdom, and Israel will soon be destroyed. This prophetic section is marked by much poetry in the form of parallelism. It is not all bad, however, as the prophecy ends on a hopeful tone in the last section (separated for content, though part of the same poetry/prophecy) from Amos 9:11 to 9:15. This final section promises that a remnant shall remain and be restored to the land.

Part 3: Theme of the Book
The overwhelming theme of the book of Amos is the apostasy of the people of Israel and the coming judgement that will result from it. As already mentioned above, the book opens with a pronouncement against surrounding nations which, because of its poetic structure, indicates that at least part of Israel’s offence is how much it had become like the apostate nations around it. The further warnings against Israel in the third and fifth sections of the book, and even the fourth section which describe how one might “live” through the coming calamity, continue to build the case against Israel.

In terms of what Israel has done to deserve this punishment, the third section indicates that by and large, Israel has been oppressing the marginalized of society (Amos 3:9 & 4:1). This is made worse by their hypocrisy in continuing their religious service and sacrifices to God: “Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!” (Amos 4:5, ESV). Most clear, however, is that these two sinful acts are symptoms of Israel’s true problem: their growing distance from the Lord. This is shown by the fifth section which declares how the people might live through the calamity: “Seek the Lord and live” (Amos 5:6).

As if these prophetic pronouncements were not enough, a short narrative section goes on to illustrate further how bad the people of Israel have become. In Amos 7, despite successfully interceding for Israel, Amos is accused of conspiring against the nation. To this, the Lord responds: “You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’” (Amos 7:16, ESV). This is then followed by the final judgement that the Lord pronounces against Israel.

Part 4: General Observations and Theological Insights
Despite the clear pronouncement of judgement against the clearly shown apostasy and evil of Israel, glimmers of hope can be seen in the book. Though the images of punishment and destruction that abound throughout Amos seem terrifyingly finite, the Lord does not forget his promise, and what the perpetuation of the people of Israel means to that. It is first seen in the “Seek the Lord” passages of Amos 5, where the possibility of surviving the judgement is shown. It is further seen in Amos’ attempt to intercede for the people of Israel, attempts to which the Lord relents, until Amos is accused of conspiracy. Most powerfully, though, is the prophecy of a remnant that will survive. It truly shows that while all is lost, it is not lost for all.

Another theological theme that can be discerned from this scripture is God’s concern for the oppressed and marginalized, and the inherent connection between that and the people’s apostasy. It would seem that the book of Amos is teaching that a sure sign of turning away from the Lord is the neglect of those of society who are most in need.

Part 5: Ideas for Preaching or Teaching
If I were to preach or teach through the book of Amos, I would likely do so thematically, rather than going through the book verse-by-verse. Although that kind of exegetical work can be accomplished, doing so would require going through large sections of text and would be quite time consuming. Rather, a “biblical theology” approach of looking at the large theological themes (as outlined above, and whatever else can be drawn out by even closer study of the book) would be preferable.

Additionally, it would surely be an excellent book from which to teach about social justice and how it is connected to the Gospel and to right Christian conduct, indeed as it says in James 1:27, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (ESV)

Hey Everyone!

I hope you were all as challenged by Pastor Jay’s exhortation to be “saturated” in the Word of God as I was. And as a result of that, I hope that you would make the effort regularly reading the Bible. As Pastor Jay mentioned last night, there are some really great ways that some people have come up with in order to make it easier for you to do so. And so what follows in this message is a list of the different plans that are available online for you to download and print. Included are my own thoughts about each plan, and some recommendations that I have.

But before I get into those plans, really quickly, there are, of course, electronic resources available. I’m sure there are even apps that you can use to go through a reading plan. But just two that I want to highlight are...

YouVersion: (Multiple reading plans & versions of the Bible) http://www.youversion.com
ESV Bible: (Multiple reading plans for the ESV Bible) http://www.esvbible.org

One thing I want to say, and no I’m not trying to “convert” anyone to the ESV with this. Just an observation I’ve made... but it seems to me like Crossway (the publishers of the ESV) is head and shoulders over every other Bible publishing companies in terms of making use of recent technology to make the Bible available and accessible to everyone. Esvbible.org is already, in and of itself, an excellent resource, but in addition to that, I have you to find another app that can match the ESV in aesthetic appeal and ease of use.

Introductory Plans
These plans are a great way to start making Bible Reading a regular part of your day. They are shorter plans that give you an overview of some parts of the Bible. The first three plans are the shortest plans and are your most basic introductory plans. If you are a brand new Christian, I would suggest starting with the 30 Days for a New Christian, followed by the next two 30 day plans (with Jesus and in the Psalms). If you have been a believer for a while and know some things about the Bible, but haven’t had the chance to read through the Bible systematically, then I would suggest starting with the 30 Days with Jesus, followed by 30 Days in the Psalms. Of course, if you feel like you need it, then start with the plan for New Christians as well.

After doing the 30 day plans, then move on to the 60 Day, 90 Day, then 180 day overviews of the Bible. These plans will give you a big picture over view of the Scriptures (obviously, going deeper and deeper with each major sweep). Once you’ve gone through these and have built up the habit of reading Scriptures regularly (hopefully daily), then it would be appropriate to move on to the next “level” of reading the word.

30 Days for a New Christian
http://www.zondervan.com/m/readingplans/plan_new30_af_cms.pdf

30 Days with Jesus
http://www.zondervan.com/m/readingplans/plan_jesus30_af_cms.pdf

30 Days in the Psalms
http://www.zondervan.com/m/readingplans/plan_psalms30_af_cms.pdf

60 Day Overview of the Bible
http://www.zondervan.com/m/readingplans/60Day_af_cms.pdf

90 Day Overview of the Bible
http://www.zondervan.com/m/readingplans/90Days_af_cms.pdf

1-Year Plans
Before I get in to these 1-Year Plans, let me make it clear that you do not necessarily need to start with the shorter plans before doing these larger plans. The shorter plans tend to have less reading each day (say, 2 chapters for the 30-180 Day plans, and 4 chapters a day for these 1-Year Plans). Also, the shorter plans tend move you through the “highlights” of the Bible; the significant/milestone points in scripture that really help you understand the story as a whole. What I should mention about how much more “advanced” these 1-Year Reading Plans are than the shorter “Introductory” plans are that they tend to be more “unforgiving” in the sense that if you miss days, you fall behind, and it can be difficult to catch up. So it would be really important for you to be disciplined about building up the habit of reading scripture every day if you’re going to be “successful” in completing these plans.

Having said all of that, my favourite 1-Year plans are connected to a devotional book written by D.A. Carson. It’s called “For the Love of God” and there are 2 volumes to choose from. These two plans follow a modified version of the “M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan” which walks you through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice in the year.

An alternative to these two reading plans are the One-Year Bibles that are published by Crossway (for the ESV) and Tyndale Publishing House (for the NIV). These Bibles are actually rearranged so that you follow their reading plan (I think there are 4 readings per day, 1 each from the Old and New Testaments, and 1 each from Psalms and Proverbs.)

For the Love of God Volume 1
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tgc-documents/carson/1998_for_the_love_of_God.pdf

For the Love of God Volume 2
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tgc-documents/carson/1999_for_the_love_of_God.pdf

ESV One Year Bible
http://www.amazon.ca/ESV-One-Year-Bible-Standard/dp/1581347081/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327691597&sr=8-1

NIV One Year Bible
http://www.amazon.ca/One-Year-Bible-NIV/dp/0842324518/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327691597&sr=8-2-fkmr0

Horner's Bible Reading System
Horner’s Bible Reading System is the Reading Plan that Pastor Jay was talking about last night: the one where you read 10 chapters a day. It is a little “hardcore” and would be the next step for those who looking for something beyond the 1-Year Reading plans.

Horner’s method has you read 1 chapter each from 10 “Lists” of books of the Bible. Going through this system, you actually read through the Bible once every 8 months. BUT, having said that, the 10 lists that you read from are not equal in length. There are some parts that only have 28 chapters (Acts) and some, only 31 chapters (Proverbs). So while you go through the whole Bible in 8 months, what that really means is that you go through the 2 longest of the 10 lists in 8 months (List 8, the Historical books after the Pentateuch, is 249 days long; and list 9, which are the major and minor prophets, is 250 days long), while you go through the shorter lists multiple times over that same period of time (so, you read through List 8 once in 8 months, while you read through Acts almost 9 times).

The PDF I am providing in the link below gives you more details on how the system works and the justification for reading the Bible this way. It even has “bookmarks” that you can print out and keep in your Bible to keep track of your readings.

http://www.wbfva.org/files/professor_grant_horners_bible_reading_system.pdf

3-Year Plan
This final plan is a 3-year guided plan. It goes through the Bible chapter-by-chapter, but it does not simply go through it cover to cover. It does jump around to help break up the monotony of some parts of the Bible (like Leviticus).

This plan is also a great introductory plan because it is just 1 chapter of the Bible. Alternatively, I would suggest this plan, along with another resource like a good Study Bible, or Gordon Fee’s book “How to Read the Bible Book by Book” (http://www.amazon.ca/How-Read-Bible-Book/dp/0310211182/ref=pd_sim_b_1) for more in-depth Bible study that you can do *in addition* to your daily devotional reading.

http://www.zondervan.com/m/readingplans/3yrGddTour_af_cms.pdf

Alright, well that’s all for now. I really hope that these resources will be able to bring you yet one step closer to that goal of becoming “competent” and “confident” readers of God’s Word.

Shalom,

Chris

Basic Translation

Verse 5: and / to be (PAI 3sg) / the / message / to be (AAI 3sg) / to hear (PerAI 1pl) / from / him / to announce (PAI 1pl) / to you / for / God / of light / to be (PAI 3sg) / and / darkness / in him / not / to be (PAI 3sg) at all

Verse 6: If / to say (AAS 1pl) that / fellowship / to have (PAI 1pl) / with him / and / in / the darkness /to walk (PAS 1pl) / to lie (PDI 1pl) / and / not / to practice (PAI 1pl) / the truth

Verse 7: If / but / in / the light / to walk (PAS 1pl) / just as / he / to be (PAI 3sg) / in / the light / fellowship / to have (PAU 1pl) / with / each other / and / the blood / of Jesus / the son / of him / to cleanse (PAI 3sg) / us / from / all / sin

Verse 8: If / to say (AAS 1pl) / that / sin / not / to have (PAI 1pl) / ourselves / to lead astray (PAI 1pl) / and / the truth / not / to be (PAI 3sg) / in / us

Verse 9: If / to confess (PAS 1pl) / the sins / of us / faithful / to be (PAI 3sg) / and just /so that / to forgive (AAS 3sg) / us / the sins / and / to cleanse (AAS 3sg) / us / from / all / unrighteousness

Verse 10: If / to say (AAS 1pl) / that / not / to sin (PerAI 1pl) / liar / to make (PAI 1pl) / him / and / the word / of him / not / to be (PAI 3sg) / in / us

Full Translation

So, this is the message which we have heard from him and are announcing to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. If we say that we have fellowship with but we walk in darkness then we are lying and are not practising the truth! But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of his son, Jesus, cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we do not have sin, then we lead ourselves astray, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just so that he might forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, then we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

Cathy Ramos