What does Amos 1:2 mean?
And he said: "The LORD roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers (Amos 1:2).
In this verse, Amos is informing his audience of the impending judgment of God. It’s an illuminating verse full of divine hints of what has happened and will happen.
In Amos 1:2, Amos, inspired by Holy Spirit, compares and contrasts who is truly sovereign over all (Amos 4:13; 5:8; 9:5-6). We see that Baal thunders but the sovereign Lord roars. Baal doesn’t control the weather, God does (Amos 4:7; Job 37: 3, 6, 10-13; Psa. 147:8; 148:8; Zech. 10:1). And he is the one who gives lushness to the fields and mountaintops. He’s also the one who brings judgment: the pastures of the shepherds are without vegetation to feed the sheep and the top of Mt. Carmel, which is normally lush, is withering away. This is a picture of the judgment the Lord will bring!
Israel had become wicked like its pagan neighbors (Amos 1:3-2:3). Israel should have recalled the Pentateuch and remembered how Lot first pitched his tent "toward" Sodom (Gen. 13:12, KJV), then moved there (Gen. 19:1-2) and became intertwined with their evil ways (2 Pet. 2:7). Judgment came upon Sodom, and here God promises judgment would come upon Israel (Amos 2:4-16).
Dr. Joseph R. Nally, Jr., D.D., M.Div. is the Theological Editor at Third Millennium Ministries (Thirdmill).