AN OUTLINE OF THE THEOLOGY OF AMOS

I. . The Bibliology of Amos.
A. The Word of God presented to Amos.
1. The Word of God came unto Amos in the form of a judgment to God’s people for their sin. (3:1-3) “Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, 2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. 3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
a. The Lord makes clear the purpose of His chastisement is to win His people back to Himself. (Deut. 7:6) “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
b. The Lord makes clear His desire to communicate with His people. (Ps. 147:19) “He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.”
c. The Lord makes clear the severity of His judgments. (Matt. 10:15) “Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”
d. The Lord commands His servants to be prepared for His coming. (Lk.12:47) “And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall
be beaten with many stripes.”
e. The Lord’s judgment’s are no respecters of men. (Rom. 2:9) “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;”
2. The Lord charges Amos to go and prophecy to Israel the judgment
For their sins. (7:16) “16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.”
3. The Lord foretells the end of His longsuffering and grace. (8:11, 12)
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the
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words of the LORD:12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east,they shall run to and fro to seek the word of
the LORD, and shall not find it.”
a. The Lord’s judgment is found when the preacher of the Word of God is not found in the land. (Ps. 74:9) “We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.”
b. The Lord’s judgment’s are seen in people not hearing or recognizing His Word. (Isa. 29:10) “For the LORD hath poured
out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.”
c. The Lord confounds and shames Israel for her sins. (Mi. 3:7)
“Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.”
B. The Lord speaks of the sins and the sacrifice of His people.
1. The sins of Damascus held accountable to the Lord. (Amos 1:3)
“Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:”
2. The Lord warns against withholding His Word from Damascus. (Amos 1:5) “I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.”
3. The Lord will not withhold His punishment for Gaza’s transgression. (Amos 1:6) “Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:”
II. The theology proper of Amos.
A. The holiness of God.
1. The holiness of God (Amos 4:2) “The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.”

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2. The righteousness of God (Amos 1:8) “And I will cut off the
inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from
Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the
remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD.”
3. The sovereignty of God (Amos 8:9) “And it shall come to pass
in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go
down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:”
B. The attributes of God
1. The generosity of God (Amos 4:5)“And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free
offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the
Lord GOD.”
2. The goodness and graciousness of God (Amos 5:14) “ Hate
the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate:
it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the
remnant of Joseph.”
III. The Soteriology of Amos
A. The Lord’s intervention in the lives of men
1. The Lord challenges those to seek Him early (Amos 5:6)
“Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire
in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to
quench it in Bethel.”
2. (Amos 9:1) “I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he
said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and
cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them
with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he
that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.”
B. The Lord’s possession is His focus
1. God’s people are saved out of the world (Amos 9:7, 8) “Are ye
not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel?
saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of
Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom,
and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will
not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.”
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2. (Amos 9:11) “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David
that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up
his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:”
IV. The worship of Amos
A. Amos was to make a thanksgiving offering to the Lord (Amos 4:5 “And
offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the
free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord
GOD.”
B. Obedience is deemed higher then sacrifice (Amos 5:25 “Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years,
O house of Israel?”
C. A warning was issued to Israel about not worshipping false gods
(Amos 5:26) “ But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.”
V. The Ecclesiology of Amos
A. Amos received the sayings from the Lord.
1. The Lord’s sayings set s divine president for truth and
prophecy. (Amos 3:7) “The lion hath roared, who will not fear?
the Lord GOD Hath spoken, who can but prophesy?”
2. The Lord charges Amos to tell Israel about Himself. (Amos 7:15)
“And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said
unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”
B. The Day of the Lord promised to Amos.
1. The Lord’s judgment is coming (Amos 9:11) “In that day will
I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the
breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as
in the days of old:”
a. God’s judgment will judge the pride of men (Isa. 2:11
“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the
haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD
alone shall be exalted in that day.”
b. God’s judgment overrules man’s plans (Micah 7:11
“In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall
the decree be far removed.” 4