Amos: A Cry for Justice

By Stuart L. Love

Eight centuries before Jesus Christ walked this earth, a prophet named Amos denounced the society he saw around him. What he condemned in and around ancient Israel - the wealthy oppressing the poor, idolatry corrupting worship, and a host of other vices - parallels to a remarkable degree our own society's conditions. In this short, well-written study, Stuart Love takes the reader through a directed reading of the entire book of Amos, offering the seeker opportunities to reflect on both the ancient text and its applications for the 21st-century world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leafwood Publishers
• Release date: Jul 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9780891129776

Stuart L. Love

Stuart Love teaches religion and Greek at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and edits the journal Leaven. He has ministered for over 40 years in churches across the United States. He has written and published extensively, on topics ranging from the roles of women in the early church to ecclesiology in the Gospel of John.

Book preview

AMOS

A CRY FOR JUSTICE

Stuart L. Love

Amos: A Cry for Justice

1648 Campus Ct.

Abilene, TX 79601

www.hillcrestpublishing.com

Cover Design and Typesetting by Sarah Bales

Copyright © 2003

Stuart L. Love

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise designated, are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

All rights reserved. Except as provided in the Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from HillCrest Publishing.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 0-89112-265-6

1,2,3,4,5

To Mark and Jon,

Beloved sons,

Who know well the message of Amos for today.

FOR TEACHERS AND CLASS LEADERS…

The word of God is powerful. This belief is the driving force behind the Streams of Mercy Study Series. Assigned reading, brief commentary, and questions for reflection and class discussion are presented for each section of the biblical book. The goal is changed lives–changed by the power of the Word.

Consider the following suggestions as you prepare for class:

Even though class members may have read the passage assigned for the week, select some verses to be read aloud in class: let the Word speak.

Give a brief summary of the points made in the lesson, then begin working with the questions. As you prepare for your class, explore the possibility of a variety of answers to the questions. Don't be afraid of momentary silence when you ask the questions; give people a chance to think, but be prepared to prompt the discussion.

Be creative with your classroom time. Sometimes, have the class work in small groups to discuss the questions. Consider having someone prepare to comment on a particular question for the next scheduled class meeting. Perhaps, you could ask someone to be prepared to share his or her experience with finding time to work on the lesson in the middle of work and family obligations–in this way we acknowledge the struggle to make time for Bible study. Give someone the task of praying for the whole class throughout the coming week as they all find time for study. Let the class know this will be happening.

Ask class members to make a plan of action that puts into practice the things the text calls for. This may be a service project or a commitment to pray for help in overcoming specific problems the text brings to light. Be prepared to suggest plans of action and to get the class involved in brainstorming about this. Avoid taking charge too much, let the class get involved.

Find out if anyone in the class would like to create banners or any kind of visuals pertaining to the study. This is a good way to validate the gifts of others.

Try to inspire excitement about the class working together each week to hear and understand the word of God. Stress that this is one of the ways we are in fellowship with one another.

Be sensitive to people who don't want to speak in class. Encourage those who want to speak, but who may be a little tentative. Practice good leadership by not allowing any one person to dominate the discussions.

Try to keep the discussions on target. One complaint we often hear about Bible classes is that the group too easily gets off the subject. These volumes are designed to promote discussion of the biblical text. Pray for help to keep the class focused without preventing healthy discussion.

Nothing is more important than seeking God's guidance as you prepare for class. Ask him to open your heart so the text speaks to you and convicts you, then you will be more prepared to lead the group. May the Lord bless all of you as you seek his will, and may you know the everflowing streams of his mercy.

The Editors

INTRODUCTION

My first serious introduction to Amos took place in a graduate seminar on the eighth century prophets. Before then, I tended to view the prophets and prophecy in the Old Testament with an idealized—perhaps romanticized— perspective. In other words, prophets like Amos more or less held a crystal ball in which they could see the future of God's people. I thought I knew differently, but I really didn't, because I hadn't come to grips with the prophets, the people of a time thousands of years removed from our lives today, and the issues and controversies they addressed. In the example of Amos, I hadn't thought through what it was like for a peasant farmer to lose his land through exorbitant taxation or fines, to be sold into slavery without any actual redress in the courts because the legal system was stacked against him. I didn't realize sufficiently that Amos's indignation grew out of what he actually observed, business people hurrying away from worship so that they could make money in their shops at the expense of the poor and needy—using false weights, selling the chaff and the sweepings of the wheat that the peasants had grown but were now forced to buy back at prices