In this book of Amos overview, hosts Kristofer Phan Coffman and Jennifer Wojciechowski welcome back Cory Driver, Director of Research at the Center for Life at Miami University and author of God, Gender and Family Trauma, to explore one of the Old Testament’s most pointed minor prophets. Cory explains how Amos draws Israel in with a “tour of sinfulness” against their neighbors, building confidence and comfort, before turning that same judgment back on Israel itself. The conversation digs into prophecy as a window into God’s emotional life: God’s love, disappointment, and frustration, expressed through a farmer turned reluctant messenger.

Cory and the hosts also explore the agricultural language that runs through Amos, Jeroboam II’s prosperous but unjust reign, and the famous Amos 5:24, the verse Dr. King made iconic on the walls of his memorial. They draw a surprising connection between Amos and the prophet Jonah, two prophets sent to people who weren’t their own, with very different responses.

Bible Bingo

  • Foreignness
  • Agriculture
  • Prophethood
  • Governance
  • Justice

7-Word Summary

  • Neglect justice to your peril.

Scripture References

  • Amos 1–2 (oracles against the nations)
  • Amos 5:10–15 (justice at the gate)
  • Amos 5:24 (“Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”)
  • 2 Kings 14 (Jonah’s prophecy to Jeroboam II)

Resources Mentioned