Session 1 Amos 2:4-16
Read Amos 2:4-8
aloud, directing the group to listen for God’s indictments of His people.
4 The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Judah for three crimes, even four, because they have rejected the instruction of the LORD and have not kept his statutes. The lies that their ancestors followed have led them astray. 5 Therefore, I will send fire against Judah, and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.
6 The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Israel for three crimes, even four, because they sell a right-eous person for silver and a needy person for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample the heads of the poor on the dust of the ground and obstruct the path of the needy. A man and his father have sexual relations with the same girl, profaning my holy name. 8 They stretch out beside every altar on garments taken as collateral, and in the house of their God they drink wine obtained through fines.
Guide the group to identify the charges against both Judah and Israel.
Record the charges on the board or a large sheet of paper.
By virtue of their relationship with God, Judah was expected to live a life of obedience that reflected His character.
The people of God had reverted to their old way of life prior to their knowledge of God,
and Amos sounded the warning that their sins would not go unpunished.