This month our Bible reading plan takes us to the Minor Prophets. To help us assemble these books and understand their message, here are a number of resources to Amos, the first book of The Twelve. You can find more information about the Minor Prophets here.

An Outline of Amos

Amos is a complex book with many layers of judgments and visions. The most simple outline of the book is provided by The Bible Project. The ESV Study Bible (p. 1658) and The Message of the Twelve (pp. 112–43) provide more comprehensive outlines.

The Bible Project

1. Message to Nations and Israel (ch. 1–2) — the list of nations comes to center on Israel
2. Message to Israel and Its Leaders (ch. 3–6)
3. Amos’ Visions (ch. 7–9)

ESV Study Bible

1. Superscription (1:1)
2. Oracles of Judgment (1:2–6:14)
   1. Judgments on Israel’s neighbors (1:2–2:5)
   2. Judgments on Israel (2:6–6:14)
      1. Introductory announcement of judgment on Israel (2:6–16)
      2. Detailed announcements of judgment on Israel (3:1–6:14)
         1. An oracle of warning (3:1–15)
         2. An oracle of doom (4:1–13)
         3. An oracle of entreaty (5:1–17)
         4. An oracle of woe (5:18–6:14)
3. Visions of Judgment (7:1–9:15)
   1. A vision of inescapable judgment (7:1–17)
      1. The vision itself (7:1–9)
      2. An experience reinforcing the vision (7:10–17)
   2. A vision of the terrible end (8:1–14)
   3. A vision of the Lord standing beside the altar (9:1–15)
      1. The thresholds shaken (9:1–10)
      2. The booth of David restored (9:11–15)

The Message of the Twelve

1. Introduction (1:1)
2. Summary Oracle (1:2)
3. Three Sets of Oracles (1:3–6:14)
   • 1:3–2:16 — The Trap is Set for Israel (#1)
   • 3:1–4:12 — The Guilt of Israel (#2)
   • 5:1–6:14 — The Death of Israel (#3)
4. Five Visions of Judgment (7:1–9:6)
   • 7:1–3 — The Vision of the Locusts (#1)
   • 7:4–6 — The Vision of Fire (#2)
   • 7:7–9 — The Vision of the Plumb Line (#3)
     • 7:10–17 — Autobiographical Interlude
   • 8:1–3 — The Vision of Summer Fruit (#4)
     • 8:4–14 — Announcement of Judgment
   • 9:1–4 — The Vision of the Lord Standing at the Altar (#5)
     • 9:5–6 — A Hymn to Exalt the Name of Yahweh (cf. Amos 5:8)
5. The Salvation of Israel (9:7–15)

Video Overview

Overview Sermons on Amos

• Does God Care? The Message of Amos by Mark Dever
• Major Points from Joel and Amos by John Blanchard 

Sermon Series on Amos

Alistair Begg

1. Amos: An Introduction (Amos 1:1–2)
2. This is What the Lord Says, Part One (Amos 1:3–15)
3. This Is What the Lord Says, Part Two (Amos 2:4-16)
4. The Lion has Roared (Amos 3:1–8)
5. Divine Alienation (Amos 3:9–15)
6. The Point of No Return (Amos 4)
7. A Funeral Song (Amos 5:1–17)
8. The Day of the Lord (Amos 5:18–27)
9. The Curse of Complacency (Amos 6)
10. The Sovereign Lord (Amos 7:1–9)
11. The Making of a Man of God (Amos 7:10–17)
12. Dark Days and Shaved Heads (Amos 8)
13. The Dawn of a New Day (Amos 9)

Books on Amos

• Hosea, Amos, Micah (NIVAC) by Gary V. Smith
• The Book of Amos (NICOT) by M. Daniel Carroll R.
• The Message of Amos by J. A. Motyer

Books on the Prophets in General

• Peter J. Gentry, How to Read and Understand the Prophets (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017).
• O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2004).
• Aaron Chalmers, Interpreting the Prophets: Reading, Understanding and Preaching from the Worlds of the Prophets (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2015)

Books on the Minor Prophets

• Richard Alan Fuhr, Jr. and Gary E. Yates, The Message of the Twelve: Hearing the Voice of the Minor Prophets (Nashville: B & H Academic, 2016).
• Paul House, The Unity of the Twelve (New York: T & T Clark).

Soli Deo Gloria, ds