Amos most probably also uses the lament as some sort of shock tactic. He does whatever he can to get the Israelites to listen! Crying and wailing in public as if Israel has fallen and all her armies have been destroyed, that would have certainly raised a few eyebrows and caused people to sit up and listen carefully. Amos is working really hard to get these people to listen and take his words seriously—not listen so as to be entertained but listen to change.

Amos’s concern for people to really listen should be taken very seriously. If you have followed the sermon series in Amos, then you will have already preached four sermons by now. We should ask ourselves: what has changed in my life as a result of this? How has the message of Amos made a difference in the way I think and live?

Most likely we are following the example of Israel. We find it very easy to tune out of what Amos is saying. I do not like making changes; we do not like making changes. We are good people. Yes, we are not perfect but we will be okay. Whenever we respond to God’s Word in such a way, we short circuit the whole message of Amos and we do not listen. Amos weeps about that because it really does matter that we talk about justice in society and the church. We must do so without being self-righteous or selective, and we certainly cannot ignore God or pretend that he has not spoken in his Word. When it comes to justice, including social justice, we must start with God, we must be humbled afresh by God, and through his Word and Spirit, we must make the painful changes and let our lives be shaped by God.