1. Amos 5:18 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What did Israel expect the day of the LORD to be?

Amos 5:18 (ESV)

18 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light,

Amos is the first person in Scripture to make mention of the day of the Lord. Most probably finding its roots in memories of famous victories like Joshua over the Canaanites (Joshua 7:1 – 11:23),  Gideon over the Midianites (Judges 7:1–25), or David over the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:17–25), the day of the Lord came to be used in reference to a future conquest of God’s enemies (Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 28:21).1 Amos’s criticism shows that Israel expected the day of Yahweh to be a time of vindication and victory over their enemies.