The Book of Amos was the first prophetic book.

Amos lived in Judah but preached in the northern kingdom of Israel. His messages of impending doom and captivity because of Israel's sins were unheeded because times were good in Israel.

Amos prophesied of God's coming judgment on Israel, the Northern Kingdom. He called them to repentance and to turn away from their self-righteous sins and idolatry. God raised up Amos as an act of mercy to the people who had repeatedly disobeyed Him.

In chapters 1-3, Amos prophesied that Israel's wicked neighboring nations of Damascus, Gaza, Edom, and Tyre will be punished.

2:4 For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed.

3:7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.

In chapters 4-8, Amos warns that Israel will also be destroyed. He prophesies that God's judgment is coming to the Northern Kingdom and prophesies that the Day of the Lord will bring punishment and judgment to the wicked city and that it will be exiled by the Assyrians. He declares: Seek good and not evil so that you may live and so that Lord God of hosts may be with you. 5:14.

In chapter 9, Amos prophesies of of the eventual restoration of Israel. In that day I will raise up the fallen home of David and wall up its breaches. I will raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old. 9:11.

9:14 God said, I will bring back my exiled people Israel. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine. They will make gardens and eat their fruit.

Most of the other prophets included redemption and restoration in their prophecies against Israel and Judah, but Amos did so only the final five verses of his prophecy. He prophesied against the privileged people of Israel who failed to practice love for their neighbors, but who instead took advantage of them and only looked out for their own interests.

Amos held God's people accountable for their bad treatment of others. He pointed out their failure to embrace God's requirement for justice. They oppressed and took advantage of the poor and helpless and abused women immorally. They were focused only on their own success and improving their wealth. They disregarded God's desire for them to take care of one another. So Amos rebuked them because they forgot God in their moral decay. They were arrogant, idolators, self-centered, and materialistic. Amos proclaimed God's disdain for their hypocritical lives.

Underneath Israel's external prosperity and power, the nation was corrupt. Their sins included neglect of God's Word, idolatry, pagan worship, greed, corrupt leadership, and oppression of the poor. Amos pronounced judgment upon all of the surrounding nations, then upon Judah, and finally on Israel. His visions from God revealed that judgment was near. The book ends with God's promise of a future restoration of the remnant.