Thy Strong Word — Amos 3:1-15: Unveiling Israel’s Sins

Amos offers a compelling insight into Israel’s unique relationship with God, where privilege comes with great responsibility. Through vivid imagery and pointed questions, the passage uncovers the nation’s persistent sins, making it clear that judgment is on the horizon. The message carries a sense of urgency, as God’s warnings emphasize the need for repentance to avoid the looming consequences.

The Rev. Jason Bredeson, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sacramento, CA, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Amos 3.

Amos, a simple shepherd and fig tree farmer from Tekoa, was called by God to deliver a powerful message to Israel—a nation steeped in corruption, injustice, and complacency. Unlike the professional prophets of his time, Amos was an outsider, chosen to proclaim a divine warning against the moral decay and social inequalities that plagued the northern kingdom. Through vivid imagery and uncompromising language, Amos called out the wealthy elite for their exploitation of the poor, condemned the nation’s empty religious practices, and foretold the impending judgment that would come if they did not repent.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

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Amos 3

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

3 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:

²“You only have I known
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.

³“Do two walk together,
    unless they have agreed to meet?
⁴Does a lion roar in the forest,
    when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
    if he has taken nothing?
⁵Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
    when it has taken nothing?
⁶Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
    unless the Lord has done it?

⁷“For the Lord God does nothing
    without revealing his secret
    to his servants the prophets.
⁸The lion has roared;
    who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?”

⁹Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod
    and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
    and see the great tumults within her,
    and the oppressed in her midst.”
¹⁰“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
    “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

¹¹Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“An adversary shall surround the land
and bring down^[a] your defenses from you,
and your strongholds shall be plundered.”

¹²Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part^[b] of a bed.

¹³“Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,”
    declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,
¹⁴“that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
    I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
¹⁵I will strike the winter house along with the summer house,
    and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses^[c] shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

Amos 3:11 Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the land—he shall bring down
Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
Amos 3:15 Or and many houses

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe

Native North Carolinian Rev. Dr. Phil Booe serves pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio. His parishioners probably think he can’t teach Bible study without a mug of coffee in his hand, and he’ll always be happy to eat a plate of sushi. When he’s not shepherding his flock or teaching on the radio, you might find him watching bad movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and especially binging RiffTrax and MST3K episodes. Some day he’d love to travel to the Lutheran homeland in Germany, but for now he spends time in Minnesota with his wife, son, daughter, and cat, and looks forward to Holy Week every year.