Amos, the shepherd-prophet from Judah, emerges in the northern kingdom of Israel to deliver the words of God. How is the Lord speaking? God "roars from Zion," and as His voice goes out from Jerusalem, Amos reports that the pastures of the shepherds wither and the top of Carmel dries up (vs. 2).
Amos takes it in turns to describe God's wrathful message directed at the kingdoms around Judah and Israel.
The first section describes Damascus and the consequence of punishment that awaits its people because "they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron" (vs. 3). God's verdict is that He shall "send a fire on the house of Hazael" and break the gates of Damascus, sending its people into exile (vs. 4-5).
Next, Amos turns his wary attention to Gaza. They also are full of guilt for handing entire communities over to Edom (vs. 6). So the Lord will "send a fire on the wall of Gaza" and visit judgment upon the Philistines (vs. 7-8).
Tyre is the next object of God's wrath. It is also guilty of delivering up entire communities to Edom, thus God is sending "a fire on the wall of Tyre" as well (vs. 9-10).
Edom, the nation which was mentioned twice earlier, here is accused by the Lord of war-mongering without remorse. Like the others, Edom will experience a fire set against it that shall destroy its strongholds.
Finally, the Ammonites are summoned for judgment. Once again, the Lord is angry with them for their mistreatment of others - in this case, "because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead in order to enlarge their territory" (vs. 13). In response, God says He will "kindle a fire against the wall of Rabbah" that shall devour its strongholds and send the people into exile (vs. 14-15).
To each of these nations, the prophet warns that fire is coming for their severe misdeeds. And he's not done yet.
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