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Divinity for Advanced Secondary Schools

God’s response to Amos’ prayers averted accumulate a lot of wealth. They also
the punishment, indicating hope for the expected to receive God’s blessings,
Israelites. Amos says that the taking of especially the blessings he had promised
the children of Israel to exile was not them through Abraham, their ancestor.
because God did not love them, but it They expected their vineyards and olive
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was intended for repentance. This was oil gardens to produce plenty. They also
indeed a message of hope to the people expected corn to grow very fast.
of Israel.
The Israelites expected God to send rain
Activity 5.2 at the right time so that people could
plant and harvest enough food. They
Search the internet and listen to the lecture expected God to forgive their sins and
about the message of doom and hope. begin living harmoniously with them.
The number of Israelites, with their

Exercise 5.2 domestic animals, was expected to
increase. They expected trade to boom
1. As a Divinity student, how can you so that they would make a lot of profits
use Amos’ message of hope to bring on the day of the Lord. They expected to
consolation to a desolate person? live in peace and never to be disfigured
by their enemies.
2. How can you use Amos’ message of
doom to caution immoral people in Understanding the day of the Lord
your society? according to Prophet Amos (Amos
5:18ff)
Israelites’ understanding of the day of Amos rejected and attacked the
the Lord Israelites’ view of the day of the Lord.
The people of Israel were longing for For Amos, the day of the Lord would
the day of the Lord. Even though they be a day of darkness and not of light
greatly sinned, the Israelites had a (Amos 5:18). Amos said that the day of
positive perspective on the day of the the Lord would be a day of terror and
Lord. They expected God to show his disaster, not a day of rejoicing as they
power over the pagan nations. In other thought. It would be a day when all
words, they believed God would not the sinful people, namely the priests,
allow the pagan states to defeat them. merchants and women of Samaria,
They expected the day of the Lord to would meet their death. He said it would
be a day of victory and glory in battle be a day of gloom and doom (judgment
for Israel. That is to say, they hoped to and punishment).
defeat all their enemies.
According to Amos, there will be wailing
More so, the Israelites expected to and misery on that day in all towns, cities
begin living in material prosperity and
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