Amos: An Invitation to the Good LifeSample

Here Comes the Judge

Pause and ask God’s Holy Spirit to guide you. Then read Amos 1:2-10. But brace yourself, it won’t be pretty!

Did you notice how each judgment began? What opening statement did all the judgments have in common?

Amos used this phrase (or a similar phrase) eight times in his prophecy. It was his special way of communicating sin and judgment.

The “for three . . . even for four” phrase was Amos’s way of communicating excess.

Calling out “even for four” is like saying you’re overflowing—you’ve outdone yourself—and this thing is out of control! The way Amos introduced these condemnations with the “for three . . . even for four” phrase just shows how self-defeating and self-sabotaging sin can be.

So why does it matter to you that some ancient rogue nations misbehaved and paid the price for it? It matters right now in your real life because of who these nations were, who they were messing with, and what it says about God and you.

Read Zechariah 2:4-5. I want you to see something so reassuring. How did God describe who He would be to Jerusalem?

The principle of this promise applies to you and me today. This may make more sense as a visual. Funny, right? The blind woman is giving you a visual. Well, go with me. If you look at a map, you’ll see the three places (Damascus, Gaza, and Tyre) mentioned in our study today, plus the three nations Amos is about to call out surround Israel. They literally form a circle around God’s people. Now, imagine judgment falling all at once on those nations. What would you see? A ring of fire. God will be like a wall of fire around you. He is the One who will avenge and pronounce judgment on the enemies that surround you with hate or abuse. He will be the glory in your midst. His presence is forever with you.

Sometimes, like ancient Israel, we have been wronged. Meanies barge in and destroy our sense of security. They topple our sense of stability. They overwhelm, overtake, and overrun us. God takes it seriously. He wants you to know you are surrounded by His wall of fire. He is the glory in your midst.

You are surrounded by the love and care of God, my friend. No matter what else surrounds you, God is greater.