Introduction: If each prophet of the one and only true and living God has his unique oratorical style, Amos’ is surely among the most memorable: “For three transgressions of . . . and for four, I will not revoke punishment.” You find it, among others, repeated in Amos’ book of the Old Testament: 1:9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6, etc. The point, of course, is emphasis. It’s a poetic way of saying, “Don’t miss this.”

But don’t miss what exactly? Judgment for sin.

Historical Context: Amos was a shepherd-farmer in the 700s B.C., during the time of Uzziah, the time of the prophet Isaiah. Economically, Amos lived in a time when Israel and Judah were materially prosperous. But accompanying all that material wealth was massive spiritual corruption. As the people became fat with material blessings, they were spiritually bankrupt. And so, God calls this man to speak forth truth, to be a prophetic voice in his generation, to tell the people: God judges sin, so don’t think there’s not a cost to your spiritual rebellion. You will be made to care, in other words.

Listen to just three of the warnings from Amos’ opening salvo:

For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron (1:3, ESV).

For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity (1:11, ESV).

For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border (1:13, ESV).

Connections to Today: Sounds like today’s violence, terrorism, invasion, and illegality, doesn’t it? Because it is. And what happened then is what will happen now: God’s judgment of our sin.

Amos was a shepherd who spoke forth the word of God to stubborn people who were under judgment for their sin.

Why did Amos do this? To be faithful to God’s call. To love people enough to tell them the truth. So that people would be saved from the wrath of God’s holy and just judgment.

Takeaway & Encouragement: The role of the prophet is a tough one, you see, because it entails speaking God’s truth to a morally recalcitrant and hard-hearted people. But that’s the cost of bearing witness to the truth. And it’s a picture of the gospel in microcosm in Amos. Ultimately, God’s wrath was executed upon the one and only fully faithful Shepherd, and that is Christ, who took the blame and bore the wrath, in order that those who flee to Him in the gospel will be saved from the judgment we deserve. All of Scripture, in other words, is pointing you to what God has done in Christ for all who will attend to the word of truth.