by Aaron Lawrence
The Restoration Herald - Jun 2026
One major sin of Jeroboam I was introducing the worship of false gods to Israel, causing them to turn away from the one true God. Jeroboam II, mentioned in Amos 1, continued in this sin with Israel, and Uzziah did not remove idol worship from Judah. These things were very displeasing to God, so He sent Amos with a message of coming destruction.
Amos 1:1 says, “The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.”
If you are like me, you may be asking, " What earthquake? Well, I only find one reference to it in Zechariah 14:5: “Then you shall flee through my mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.” The earthquake in Amos may have had some connection with God’s judgment against Israel’s sin.
When I think of an earthquake, one thing that comes to mind is God’s power, His power to shake the earth and to hold it all together when shaken. The people in Amos’s day had to know about God’s great power. Think of some of the things that had happened: the flood, the plagues, and the Red Sea crossing. They should have known of His power and that God would punish their wickedness. They should have repented at the warnings from Amos, but as a nation, they did not.
In Amos 2:11-12, the Lord tells what He did: “I raised some of your sons as prophets, and some of your young men as Nazirites. Is it not so, O you children of Israel?” Then the Lord tells what Israel did: “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets saying, ‘Do not prophesy!’ Not only did they reject God’s messages, but they caused some who had not rejected His messages to join them in sin; therefore, God’s judgment would come upon them.
When I think of earthquakes in the Bible, I cannot help but think of God’s judgment. Five earthquakes are mentioned in the book of Revelation, each a result of God’s wrath being poured out against the sins of mankind.
Amos 7:10-15. The earthquake in Amos seems to point to the coming judgment he was proclaiming in his message. In our text, Amaziah the priest, who seemed to be corrupt, ratted out Amos to Jeroboam and said this in Amos 7:10-11: “The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said: ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive from their own land.’” Throughout the book, Amos prophesied judgment and destruction against the sins of the people, especially Judah and Israel. But again, they rejected God’s message. God’s own priest told Amos to stop prophesying at Bethel in Amos 7:12-13, “Amaziah said to Amos: ‘Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. They eat bread, and they prophesy. But never again prophesy at Bethel.’” Thankfully, Amos could not help but deliver God’s message. He said in Amos 3:8, “A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”
There are two other earthquakes that I want to draw your attention to; in both cases, God sets the captive free. In Matthew 28, there was an earthquake after Jesus arose from the dead, and the angel rolled back the stone from the opening. In Acts 16, there was an earthquake when Paul and Silas were in prison; their chains shook free, but the real freedom came when the jailer and his family obeyed the gospel.
Now, answer this question: Why did God send Amos to His people with this message of coming judgment and destruction? Or more importantly, why has God ever sent any messenger with a message of His coming judgment? God sends messages to cause people to repent and turn back to Him before it is too late, before His judgment and destruction come. These are messages of hope for those who believe them and obey Him.
Friends, we live in a time where we have more evidence of God’s power, of His judgment against evil, than anyone has ever had. We also have His complete message of freedom and how to escape His wrath.
These passages from Amos generate two questions. First: will we accept it or reject it? Second: Will we, like Amos, stand to proclaim it even before kings and rulers with authority? Remember, the power of the message does not come from the messenger; it comes from God, the God of creation.
I think I will attempt to answer the question in three parts: 1. I should not go out of my way to be unnecessarily offensive. 2. I should not be afraid of being offensive when necessary. And 3. I should get busy doing practical good deeds that, in general, people will find it hard to object to.
In his 2015 book, “Extreme Ownership,” author Jocko Willink defines the title concept as follows: “On any team, in any organization, all responsibility for success and failure rests with the leader. The leader must own everything in his or her world. There is no one else to blame. The leader must acknowledge mistakes & admit failures, take ownership of them, and develop a plan to win.”
A few years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to become a part of the Board of Directors of International Disaster Emergency Service (IDES). I’ve been exposed to IDES and their incredible ministry for as long as I can remember and have, on several occasions, had the joy of sharing in its work. From participating in work trips to a storm-ravaged Pearlington, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, to helping with shed building projects after a tornado ripped through our neighboring region in 2012, to volunteering with numerous “God Always Provides” (G.A.P.) food packing events, IDES has always been a familiar and beloved mission to me.
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