Amos

The book of Amos starts out by speaking of sins committed by Israel's neighbors and the judgment that is going to come upon the neighbors of Israel.  Particularly focused on are Moab. Amon, Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, and Edom.  The book then shifts its focus to witnesses that are summoned against the Israelites.  God speaks to the nation of Israel through Anmos of how he chose them to spread the message of God to the whole earth but they horded it up for themselves and they did not even live by it alone but followed after other gods as well.  Amos speaks of the conquest of Israel which happened in 721 BC thirty years after the book was written.  The Lord then encourages Israel to return to him like the days when she was a virgin.  Of particular importanc eis chapter sic when the Amos speaks to the complacency of the people in Zion.  Many of us as Christians often times become complacent.  That's one of the reasons Christendom is starting to fall in  our society.  Hosea speaks of a vision of locusts fire and a plumb line.  This represents judgment that would come on Israel through the form of locusts and intense heat.  The plumb line was a string with a weight attached on the end by which buildersascertained the straightness of a wall.  Israel was found by God to be out of line.  Amos in his prophecies much like Jeremiah was persecuted even by his own people including priests.  The priest Amaziah of Bethel(the house of God) told Amos to quit prophesying against the nation.  However, Amos continued and told Amaziah that now was the time that the nation needed to hear the prophecy.  Chapter 8 of Amos deals with a basket of ripe fruit representing that the time is ripe for the Lord to judge his people Israel.  You may think it odd for judgment to be represented by a basket of ripe fruit however, it is the fear of judgment that brings about repentance in each one of us.  While, we shouldn't do things our whole life out of the notion of eternal fire insurance, it is the fear of Hell or even often times a state of hell that brings us unto God.  Then, much like we grow in our love relationships on earth, we also grow to be more and more in love with God.  Chapter 9 speaks of Israel as being destroyed, but then Amos promises the nation that it will one day be restored.