Amos, Day 1 Readings

God's Patience is Exhausted  

Today's reading is the beginning of Amos, who has warnings of God's upcoming judgment.  The book begins with prophecies of punishment for several nations, culminating in a long warning for the northern kingdom of Israel.  Some of these nations are guilty for the ways that they have treated foreign nations, which they have captured and subjugated.  Some are guilty of the ways they have treated their own citizens.

The last nations prophesied against are Judah and Israel, with the harshest words for Israel.  Both have rejected God's teaching; however, the wrongdoings in Israel seem to be far worse than those of Judah, touching on issues of sexual morality, greed, and authority.  In some ways, it seems that Judah and Israel will receive harsher punishment from God because they had received God's teaching directly (and should have known better).

Read Amos 1:1-2:16  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

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Reading the Bible in Its Entirety

If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read Amos 1-2 today.