What must Amos have thought? Here he was just an ordinary shepherd minding his flocks in the rugged sheep country in Judah. And God calls him to prophesy against the nations. What do they think of him when he rebukes Israel and Judah for the meaninglessness of their worship? He is, after all, just a lowly shepherd. What does he know about worship?

Isn’t that just like God, He calls ordinary people to do extraordinary things!

There are many connection today with the prophecies against the nations, including many current events that have taken place in just the last few days.

“Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.”
God doesn’t pull a “sneak attack” if people are watching and listening.  He tells us in His word what His plans are.  "The Sovereign Lord has spoken - who can but prophesy?"

In the books of the prophets, there is most often a literal prophecy and a figurative prophecy, sometimes of things yet to come in our future. Even though they warn of future doom they were constantly reminding the people of all the good things that God had done for them. And yet no matter how God warned the people they still ignored Him. Often the people returned to God during the low points, however during the time of Amos they did not.

In today's reading, God warns the people about bringing offerings to the altar and then bragging about it. The people then were wealthy, powerful, greedy, and unjust. They only pretended to be religious.

Amos delivers a prophecy against the Ammonites and the Moabites both descendants from Lot and his daughters. (see Genesis 19)

It seems as if the prophecy against Judah is a warning of an adulterous relationship, while the prophecy against Israel is a warning against prostitution. 

Amos was just an ordinary person until God called him. Since God calls us ordinary people to do extraordinary things, what things has He asked each of us to do?