Totally Lacking #2

 Read Amos 2

Background: Amos continues what he started in chapter 1: announcing judgment on nations surrounding Israel for their violations of God's law and His heart.  Here he first addressed Moab, which had 'burned the bones to lime" of the king of Ammon; there was a total lack of respect for human life.  Next Amos addressed Judah, Israel's closest "neighbor", and her lack of obedience to the Law of God.  Finally, Amos gets to his main target: Israel herself.  Whereas with all the others Amos begins his accusation with "for three, as for four"... here he actually goes into details on their offences: there was no justice for the poor; they committed all kinds of incest; they worshipped pagan gods; they not only "forgot" the goodness of God - they tried to drown out those who would seek to remind them.

Key verses: 13 “Behold, I will press you down in your place,
    as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14 Flight shall perish from the swift,
    and the strong shall not retain his strength,
    nor shall the mighty save his life;
15 he who handles the bow shall not stand,
    and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself,
    nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16 and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
    shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the Lord.

Thoughts: Here we see Amos' agricultural lifestyle used to illustrate what judgment will look like: Their enemy will press their bodies down hard in a cart, getting as many in as they can, just like a farmer would press as much wheat as he could into each cartload.  Everything Israel would try to draw from would fail: their speed, strength, and courage would all fail them, and they would run away with nothing - not even the "shirts on their backs."