NOTES for Amo 1:1-2:16
Through the prophet Amos, God addresses the nations that inhabited the Near East around the eighth century BC, and He denounces them for unrighteous behavior, pointing out that punishment inevitably follows sin. The denunciation begins with the pagan nations, but it does not stop with them. God speaks far more about His own people, Judah and Israel, the Southern and Northern Kingdoms. We should note that the main guilt of the pagan nations is not that they do not believe in the true God, but that they violate their own rules. The sin of the people of God is their failure to keep the commandments of Moses, their lack of love for God and neighbor.