AMOS 8

MOURNING + HOPE CAN COEXIST 

Sharing another vision, Amos sees a bowl of ripe fruit. This image signifies Israel’s ripeness, how they are past their prime and rotting. God uses this image to express that the joyful songs of the temple will soon become bitter wailing.

God declares the impending end of Israel and warns that the Day of the Lord will bring darkness, mourning, and judgment upon Israel. Hundreds of years later, during the festival of Passover, Jesus will be crucified, and darkness will cover the sky (see Matthew 27:45).

God compares the mourning to the loss of an only son. This statement reflects upon the Passover and points to the future sacrifice of Jesus. There will be a famine in the land, not one of food or water, but one where they will not hear from God for four hundred years, the time that takes place between the Old and New Testament. This chapter points to God’s own sacrifice, darkness, and mourning on behalf of Israel.