•  Amos opens his book by pronouncing condemnation on seven nations.  They are Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammonites, Moab and Judah.
• The formula that he uses is the same for each.  It begins by announcing “For three transgressions of (name) and for four, I will not revoke the punishment.”  The second section is a statement that begins with “Because” and enumerates the specific sins of that place.  The third part of Amos’ formula begins with the word “So” and pronounces the punishment they will receive.  Within each nation’s punishment is the word “fire.”
• The first six nations are accused of bad treatment of their fellow man.  Judah is guilty because it rejected the law and did not keep God’s statutes (2:4).
• Beginning in Amos 2:6, attention is turned to the nation of Israel.  Notice that the formula is the same but more specific detail is given.  The charges against Israel are contained from 2:6 through 6:14.  The list is extensive.
• They sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of shoes (2:6).
• They trample the head of the poor into the dust and turn aside the way of the afflicted.  A man and his father go in to the same girl (2:7).
• They use garments taken in pledge and wine taken in fines for worship (2:8).  This means the sacrifices they offered in worship cost them nothing.  Cf. David – 2 Samuel 24:24
• God had favored them by destroying the Amorite and bringing them out of Egypt.  He had provided assistance by giving them prophets and Nazirites.  Their response was that they made the Nazirites drink wine (i.e. break their vows) and commanded the prophets “You shall not prophesy” (2:9-12).  Because of their actions, God promises disaster will overtake them (2:9-16).
• In chapter 3, God speaks to the “whole family” that he “had brought up out of Egypt” (3:1) much as a father would correct his children.  Amos confirms his authority by stating that God does nothing without revealing it to his “servants the prophets” (3:7).  God promises that he will “surround the land,” “bring down your defenses” and “your strongholds will be plundered” (3:11).  This will include their places of worship such as the altars of Bethel and their winter and summer houses (3:14-15).
• The cows of Bashan were the rich women who were encouraging their husbands to make money by oppressing the poor and crushing the needy (4:1).  They would be led away with fishhooks (4:2).
• God had given them five warnings they had not heeded: cleanness of teeth (4:6), he withheld the rain (4:7), struck them with blight and mildew (4:9), sent a pestilence (4:10) and overthrew them (4:11).  Therefore, they needed to “Prepare to meet your God” (4:12).
• This was being done by “the Lord, the God of hosts”  (4:13). Your Bible should indicate that LORD (in capital letters) refers to the name Jehovah.  For other scriptures dealing with the name of our God, see Exodus 6:3, Jeremiah 33:2 and Psalm 83:18.
• The hope for Israel is to change.  Amos’ advice is “seek me and live” (5:4 and 6) and to “seek good and not evil” (5:14) and “hate evil and love good” (5:15).  God says he hates what they are doing, which is feasts and solemn assemblies, along with burnt, grain and peace offerings and “the noise of your songs” (5:21-24).  God does not want disingenuous worship.  He wants lives that match worship with justice and righteousness (5:24).
• Woes are pronounced on Israel because they are putting their trust in riches such as: at ease in Zion (6:1), lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on their couches, eat lambs and calves, sing idle songs on instruments of music, drink lots of wine and anoint themselves with the finest oils (6:4-6).  Their destruction is sure (6:8-14).
• God shows Amos five visions of what will happen to Israel: 1. Destruction by locusts (7:1-3), 2. Judgment by fire (7:4-6), 3. Judgment by a plumb line (7:7-9), 4. Illustration of the basket of summer fruit (8:1-3) and 5. The command to strike the important places (9:1-10).
• After God pronounces judgment by the plumb line, Amos stops pleading with God (7:2 and 5), he is rebuked by Amaziah the priest and questioned about his credentials (7:10-12).  Amos’ reply was that he was no prophet nor prophet’s son but God had said, “Go prophesy to my people Israel” (7:14-16).  Amaziah commands him to not prophesy but Amos answers back that God will deal with Amaziah by making his wife a prostitute, his children falling by the sword and his land being divided up (7:16-17).
• The destruction would be so devastating that the mourning would be “like the mourning for an only son” (8:10).
• The saddest pronouncement was that of a famine.  This would not be a famine with lack of food and water but rather “of hearing the words of the Lord.”  They would seek the word of the Lord but “they shall not find it” (8:11-12; see Hosea 4:6; Jer. 9:23-24; Prov. 28:9).

Amos leaves the people with hope because God promises he will not “utterly destroy” the house of Jacob (9:8), he will raise up, repair, and rebuild the booth of David (9:11-12) and that he would “restore the fortunes of my people Israel” (9:14).