Amos Part 06

Amos 8 begins with a vision of a “basket of summer fruit,” symbolizing that Israel was “fully ripe” for judgment. This vision represents the “last of the season,” meaning there would be no more delay and Israel’s fate was sealed. There also appears to be a play on words in the Hebrew: qayits (summer fruit) and qets (end), reinforcing the finality of the coming punishment. The reference to the “temple” likely points not to God’s temple in Jerusalem, but to the idol’s temple that Jeroboam built at Bethel. The Hebrew word used could also mean “palace,” referring to the king’s house.

Verses 4–6 describe some of Israel’s evil practices, including oppressing and cheating the poor and showing open contempt for the Sabbath. Instead of honoring the Sabbath, they were planning what to do as soon as it ended (see Isaiah 58). They were also “falsifying the scales by deceit,” which was explicitly forbidden in Deuteronomy 25:13–15. On top of this, they would “sell the bad wheat,” meaning rotten or substandard produce, showing complete disregard for justice or fairness.

Next, in verses 7–10, Amos delivers a pronouncement of the punishment to come. Verse 9 begins with the phrase “In that day,” a prophetic utterance that typically indicates end-time prophecy. The reference to the sun going down at noon points to darkness at midday, which likely refers to heavenly signs (Joel 2:10; Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:12). This suggests the passage speaks of more than just Assyria’s conquest of Israel; it may also point to future, end-time events. The disasters described would cause deep mourning, comparable to that described in Jeremiah 16:6, where people wear sackcloth and grieve severely.

The phrase, “Behold, the days are coming,” opens verses 11-14 with another prophetic phrase that is often used to introduce end-time prophecy. One of the most significant warnings here is the famine of the hearing of the words of the LORD:

“I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” 

This passage is often cited by the Church of God. There are several possible interpretations of this famine. Some say it’s already happening, due to the abundance of false teachers and the scarcity of truth. Others believe it refers to a future time when the Church will be unable to preach the gospel, perhaps because of censorship or religious persecution. Some even link it to the work of the Two Witnesses, suggesting it could precede the Great Tribulation or overlap with it. In any case, the message is urgent: we must share God’s truth while we can, as Christ said in John 9:4, 

“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”

In verse 14, the “sin of Samaria” is identified as the worship of golden calves. The phrase “your god . . . O Dan” refers to one of these calves, with the other located at Bethel. Israel continued to swear by and worship these false gods to the very end, maintaining “a great show of religion” but lacking real substance. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8:4, “an idol is nothing in the world.” The phrase “fall and never rise again,” may refer to the destruction of these idols, not to people. It doesn’t suggest that there will be no resurrection. Revelation 19:12 and Romans 14:10 affirm that everyone, both great and small, will stand before the judgment seat.

Minor Prophets class is taught at ABC by Dr. Frank Dunkle.

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.