Amos 1-2 (The Daily Walk Bible).

Amos engages in what the military call “fire for effect.” He is zeroing in on his real target, the people of Israel. He circles around them until he hits the bullseye!

Can you imagine how the people must have felt? They were probably cheering him on, getting more and more excited, maybe even rejoicing when Judah was mentioned, and then BOOM! Amos centers in and delivers God’s warning.

Sometimes it’s very easy to see the shortcomings of others, and even rejoice when they receive the just reward for their sins. But we would do well to remember the words of Jesus: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).