The prophet Amas was from Tekoa, a town in the Judean hills southeast of Bethlehem.

Amos was a harvester of sycamore-fig trees and tenders livestock in Judah. But God has a message that He wants His people to hear.

Times were prosperous in Isreal. Assyria, Babylon and Egypt are weak. It was an era of optimism and Amos' message of sin doesn't seem well timed.

But God knows that in a mere 30 years Israel will fall to Assyria.

The facade God's people were putting up, with it's wealthy people living in mansions, and sleeping on bed made from ivory, was ugly an example of the way they lived. The wealth had been built by oppressing the poor.

God was not pleased, by their traveling to the calf-god alter in Bethel, that was set up by Jeroboam, and God wanted them to know He was not pleased at all.

God told Amos first to speak judgement to the nations around Israel. The people were like people these days, loving judgement put on other people, but not looking at where they could be failing themselves.

God told them other nations had been evil, yes. But I have told you the way that my kingdom works, it is a way that brings life. A stern rebuke indeed, you look nothing like My people or My Kingdom, yet you are associating yourself with me. God had seen it and had had enough.

Because God Loved and loves His people, He spoke the Truth to them. God hates evil, and God will punish His people for their evil, but He always does so with the intention of bringing them back to Him.

A message for us today, "Seek good, not evil that you may live, Then The Lord God almighty will be with you, just as He says He is". Amos 5 verse 14

What the world calls good, might not necessarily be good to God, knowing what is good in God eyes, comes from having a relationship with Him.

Remember He has plans for all our lives, if we continual seek out the things that please Him

God Bless

OFJ.