Amos: Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters

Prophets Series

The Prophet Amos as depicted by Gustave Doré: PUBLIC DOMAIN

Amos is the prophet who refuses to flatter God’s people.

He does not speak from the courts of kings or the schools of prophets. He comes from the hills of Judah, from the village of Tekoa, a shepherd and a keeper of sycamore figs — a working man sent north to confront a prosperous, religious, and dangerously complacent nation.

Amos prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, a time of political strength and economic expansion in Israel. Outwardly, the nation was thriving. Inwardly, it was rotting.

And Amos names the rot.

Not a Professional Prophet

Amos makes a point of telling us who he is — and who he is not:

“I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit.” (Amos 7:14)

He is not trained, credentialed, or attached to the religious establishment. That is precisely why God sends him.

Amos stands as a reminder that God’s word does not belong to institutions.

It belongs to God — and He may put it in the mouth of a shepherd if priests have gone silent.

Judgment Begins at Home

Amos opens with oracles against the surrounding nations — Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab. Israel listens approvingly.

Then the hammer falls.

Israel herself is guilty — not of ignorance, but of hypocrisy.

The charges are blunt:

• The poor are crushed

• Justice is sold for silver

• Worship continues while righteousness collapses

• Religious feasts mask moral decay

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God is not impressed.

“I hate, I despise your feast days…But let judgment run down as waters,and righteousness as a mighty stream.” (Amos 5:21, 24)

Amos teaches a hard truth: correct worship without righteous living is an offense, not an offering.

Visions of an Unavoidable End

In the latter chapters, Amos records a series of visions:

• Locusts

• Fire

• A plumb line

• A basket of summer fruit

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Each image declares the same message: the time for delay has ended. Israel is out of alignment, and judgment is no longer hypothetical.

The plumb line is especially severe. God measures Israel — not against other nations, but against His own standard — and finds her crooked.

There will be exile. The sanctuary at Bethel will fall. The songs will turn to wailing.

Hope After the Fall

Yet Amos does not end in darkness.

In the final verses, judgment gives way to promise:

“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen…and I will bring again the captivity of my people.” (Amos 9:11, 14)

God will restore. God will rebuild. God will plant His people again.

Judgment is not the last word — but repentance must come before restoration.

Why Amos Still Speaks

Amos confronts every age that confuses success with blessing.

He speaks to churches rich in activity but poor in mercy. To believers fluent in worship language but silent about injustice.To nations confident in power yet careless with the weak.

Amos reminds us that God sees — and that righteousness matters.

Not eventually.Not symbolically.Now.

Closing Reflection

The shepherd from Tekoa still calls to us:

Do we want God’s presence — or just His approval?

Do our songs match our lives?

Does justice flow where we worship?

The Lord who spoke through Amos still measures His people.

And still, mercifully, He offers restoration to those who return.

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Lord, search us and set us straight.

Let our worship be true for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

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On ev­ery side a voice I hear

That loud­er speak­eth year by year,

A voice I dare not light­ly treat,

Prepare, pre­pare thy God to meet.

The fall­ing leaf, the fad­ing flow­er,

The sink­ing sun at ev­en­ing’s hour

All ev­er­more to me re­peat,

Prepare, pre­pare thy God to meet.

The fu­ner­al train, the toll­ing bell,

The grave, where, dy­ing, I must dwell,

My ach­ing heart speaks with each beat,

Prepare, pre­pare thy God to meet.

Where’er I turn, what­e’er I do,

This warn­ing mes­sage thrills me thro’,

In si­lent hall, or noi­sy street,

Prepare, pre­pare thy God to meet.

--Words & Mu­sic: Hugh H. Mc­Gra­na­han, in Songs for Young Peo­ple, by Ed­win O. Ex­cell (Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio: Curts & Jen­nings, 1897)