The Lord says, "There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth. You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins." (Amos 5:10-12a) They are taking advantage of the poor while living lavish lives of luxury, not caring where the needy will lodge or what the needy will eat.
"There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil." (Amos 5:12b-13) The poor are being disenfranchised in the courts because whoever can bribe the judge can buy the verdict he wants. Those who would like to speak up for the poor are afraid to.
The Lord urges the people to repent of this wrongdoing. "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say He is." (Amos 5:14) The people still consider themselves God's people but the majority of them have forsaken Him. They are resting on the fact that He took them out of Egypt, provided them with the law and the commandments, and planted them in the promised land. In other words, they are depending on their heritage rather than on their own relationship with the Lord. This is like someone of our day considering themselves a Christian simply because they were born into a Christian family. For example, I can't stand on my grandmother's faith; her faith doesn't save me. I have to have my own relationship with the Lord. In this same way, the people of Amos' day can't trust in the faith of David or Moses or Abraham. They have to have their own relationship with the Lord, and most of them don't have a relationship with Him. They can't expect Him to protect and defend them while they live in defiance of Him. They can't expect Him to fight on their side for Moses' sake just because he was one of their ancestors. The Lord warned the people that if they forsook Him in the promised land, He would allow them to be conquered.
Amos is a prophet from the northern kingdom of Israel. His prophecy is primarily for those ten tribes, which is why the name of Joseph is referenced in this next verse because Joseph was the father of Manasseh and Ephraim whose tribes are part of the northern kingdom. "Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph." (Amos 5:15) Conditions in the southern kingdom of Judah are already deteriorating but the northern kingdom will fall approximately 130 years sooner because it has descended into idolatry and lawlessness sooner.
If the people do not repent and change their ways, disaster will occur within the lifetime of many of those who hear Amos' message. According to the timeline of the Old Testament kings and the timeline of the Assyrian kings, Israel will be conquered by Assyria within about 30 years after Amos preaches the word of the Lord. "Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: 'There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail. There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,' says the Lord." (Amos 5:16-17)
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