Lesson 143: Amos 4:6
Amos 4:6
The Blueprint — The Verse
"I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
Memorization Practice
Click words to hide them and test your memory.
Without looking, enter the book, chapter, and verse for this passage.
Rate your recall:
Scripture quotations marked NIV are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Context — The History
Amos was a shepherd and fig farmer from Tekoa who prophesied to the northern kingdom during Jeroboam II's wealth. Prosperity masked injustice; Amos announced that famine and drought were divine calls to repent.
The Narrative — The Lead-Up
God lists failed judgments—famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war—each followed by Israel's refusal to return. Discipline intended repentance, yet the people persisted in unfaithfulness.
The Echo — Follow-on Verses
-
Amos 4:5
5Burn leavened bread as a thank offeringand brag about your freewill offerings—boast about them, you Israelites,for this is what you love to do,”declares the Sovereign Lord.
Read the verse immediately before this lesson (Amos 4:5) to hear the lead-in to the passage.
-
Amos 4:7
7“I also withheld rain from youwhen the harvest was still three months away.I sent rain on one town,but withheld it from another.One field had rain;another had none and dried up.
Read the verse immediately after this lesson (Amos 4:7) to continue the passage.
Discussion
- How does hardship call people back to God?
- What might God use to get your attention?
- What does 'return to me' require beyond feeling sorry?