They weren't new marching orders. What Amos got was a clear image of just how bad things were and he was to "go and tell." In chapter 7, God put a plumb line up against his people. He said to Amos "Here is the line, and the people are not meeting the rules. They are not living the way I told them to."
That was a clear picture for Amos – clear enough that he went out and began saying "You are not meeting God's requirements. You haven't been and don't want to play by the rules, so you don't get to play anymore."
Needless to say, that really got some people a little upset with Amos. In fact, one king told Amos he needed to stop telling people how they ought to live and go back to his country. Period![more]
It's more than a little interesting that even today, people don't want to hear how God expects us to live. We want to interpret what He has said in light of some cultural, environmental or historical perspective.
But God has not changed!
History stands as witness to what Amos said. Everything he said for God actually happened to the Isrealites. Still we don't want to know that. We don't want to hear "someone" telling us how to live our lives, or what the punishment might be for not living that way. We can't believe that God would use "tough love" on us – that he would actually punish people for not following His rules. After all, we live in a different age, and know more, and have so much more, and besides, "He is a loving God."
Listen to the words of Amos in chapter 8 as he condemns the people for "not counting accurately, cheating on the scales, hiking prices and putting the dirt in with the wheat. Remember those "plumped chickens" in that commercial?
Once upon a time, I kicked a student out of one of my classes. He just happened to be a very good semi-pro boxer (had me by about 75 pounds and 3-4 inches). He wanted to fight me over being kicked out, and I agreed, saying "Okay, I'll fight you but we'll use my rules." His immediate response was "You can't do that, there are rules to boxing." My response was "Well, there are rules to attending this class, and you chose not to follow those rules, so why should you expect me to follow your rules in boxing."
Needless to say, he did not want to fight me under my rules, which we never even talked about.
What's your measure for living? Your rules or His?