Introduction and Context
The book of Amos depicts God as Sovereign and the righteous judge of all. God blessed Israel, bringing them under His grace and covenant-relationship. However, they disobeyed God and worshipped the pagan gods of the neighboring nations. In this context, God called Amos who was a shepherd and also took care of sycamore-fig trees, to be God’s prophet to deliver His message of justice, righteousness, and judgement to the rebellious Israel and its neighboring nations. Ultimately, God gave the nation of Israel numerous opportunities to repent because He is willing to forgive those who repent, reconcile and return to Him.
Title, Authorship and Date
The book is named after its author, Prophet Amos, who was originally a devout lay man, shepherd, and a grower of sycamore-fig trees (Amos 7:14). The name Amos means ‘burdened’ or ‘burden bearer.’ He was a native of Tekoa in Judah (the Southern Kingdom), a small town, about twelve miles south of Jerusalem. According to Amos 1:1, Amos carried out his ministry during the reign of Jeroboam, son of Jehoash, the king of Israel (2 Kings 14:23-29) and Uzziah, the king of Judah (2 Kings 15:1-7). He was a contemporary to prophets Isaiah and Micah who ministered in Judah, and Jonah and Hosea who ministered in Israel. Most Bible scholars and historians agree that the book was written approximately between 760 BC and 755 BC.
Purpose of Writing
Amos served Yahweh during the first half of the eighth century BC. During this time, the nation of Israel enjoyed political stability and material prosperity under the reign of King Jeroboam, son of Jehoash (c. 786-746 BC). On the other hand, it was one of the worst times in the history of Israel socio-culturally and religiously. In this setting, God called and appointed Amos as His special herald to proclaim His message to His people, the Israelites. The purpose of Amos’ ministry was to:
- bring an awareness among the Israelites of how God called and positioned them in the center of His plan in order to be a blessing to the rest of the world through His Anointed One
- expose the sins of Israel of social injustice, idolatry, and immorality and to invite them to reconcile with their God and practice social justice, religious integrity, and righteousness
- proclaim the message of God’s imminent judgement upon Israel and its neighboring nations, unless they repent from their wickedness
The Urgency of God’s Call of Amos: The Socio-cultural and Religious Corruption in Israel
The nation of Israel reached the peak of their material blessings during the reign of Jeroboam (Amos 6:4-6 & Hosea 12:8). However, the prosperity caused them to shift their focus from God to themselves, forgetting God who is the source of all their blessings. Such egocentricity resulted in their own spiritual backsliding and increase of wickedness among them. For example:
- The material blessings resulted in their unfaithfulness to God
- Amos highlighted some of the sins of Israel in Amos 2:6-8
- They sold the righteous for silver (v. 6a)
- They sold the needy for a pair of sandals (v. 6b)
- They trampled on the heads of the poor (v. 7a)
- They denied justice to the oppressed (v. 7b)
- They profaned the holy name of God (v. 7c)
- They drank wine in the House of God (v. 8a)
- They levied heavy fine on common people (v. 8b)
- The widespread corruption and inequality in Israel (Amos 5:12)
- The rich became richer while the poor became poorer (Amos 6:4-6)
- The rich enjoyed their lives in summer and winter houses (Amos 3:15)
- The poor were denied justice and were oppressed (Amos 5:11)
- The Men lived immorally (father and son alike) (Amos 2:7b)
- The women’s wickedness in Israel (Amos 4:1)
- They oppressed the poor (Amos 4:1b)
- They crushed the needy (Amos 4:1c)
- They disrespected their husbands (Amos 4:1d) [The Israelite upper-class women were compared with the cows of Bashan (Amos 4:1) and men as bulls of Bashan Psalsm 22:12]
- Israel’s worsened religious ritualism (Amos 5:21-24)
- Israel’s trust in gods who cannot help them (Amos 8:14)
- Amos highlighted some of the sins of Israel in Amos 2:6-8
About prophet Amos
- According to Amos 1:1, he was from Tekoa, a small village situated about twelve miles south of Jerusalem
- According Amos 1:1, his call for ministry was during the reign of kings Uzziah (Judah) and Jeroboam (Israel)
- According to Amos 1:1, Amos’ ministry was about two years prior to the major destructive earthquake in Samaria (Zechariah 14:5)
- Confrontation of Amaziah, the priest of Bethel/Israel, with prophet Amos of Judah (Amos 7:10-17):
- Amaziah’s complaint against Amos’ prophecy against Israel (Amos 7:11): “Amos is saying, Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.”
- Amaziah’s warning against Amos (Amos 7:12-13): “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophecy anymore at Bethel because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”
- Amos’ response to Amaziah, the priest (Amos 7:14-15): “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, Go prophecy to my people Israel.”
- According to Amos 7:14, Amos was not officially a prophet, rather he was a shepherd and a sycamore-fig-tree grower
Major Divisions of the Book
The Book is Divided into Three Major Sections:
Section One (Amos 1:1-2:16)
- Introduction (Amos 1:1-2)
- The oracles of God’s Judgement upon the nations including Judah and Israel
- Oracle of judgement against Aram/Damascus (Amos 1:3-5)
- Oracle of Judgement against Philistia/Gaza (Amos 1:6-8)
- Oracle against Phoenicia/Tyre (Amos 1:9-10)
- Oracle against Edom (Amos 1:11-12)
- Oracle against Ammon (Amos 1:13-15)
- Oracle against Moab (Amos 2:1-3)
- Oracle against Judah (Amos 2:4-5)
- Oracle against Israel (Amos 2:6-16)
Section Two (Amos 3:1-6:14)
- Supplementary Oracles to Israel in order to expose their specific sins (Amos 3:1-6:14):
- Oracle regarding the forthcoming judgement upon Israel due to their sins (Amos 3:1-15)
- Oracle exposing Israel’s corruption in every part of the society (Amos 4:1-13)
- Oracle regarding National destruction and Exile (Amos 5:1-6:14)
- A lament for the fallen House of Israel (Amos 5:1-3)
- An invitation to repent and turn to the Sovereign Lord, and their unwillingness to repent and turn to the Lord (Amos 5:4-17)
- Corrupted religious practices and feasts of Israel (Amos 5:18-27)
- Warning against Israel’s pride (Amos 6:1-14)
- Supplementary Oracles to Israel in order to expose their specific sins (Amos 3:1-6:14):
Section Three (Amos 7:1-9:15)
- The Five Distinct Visions Amos saw about God’s Judgements upon Israel (Amos 7:1-9:10): According to the following references, God showed Amos five distinct visions about God’s judgement upon the nation of Israel:
Vision # One (Amos 7:1-3)
- Vison of Swarms of Locusts, Amos 7:1, “The Sovereign Lord showed me swarms of locusts …” God’s judgement on Israel by the swarms of locusts
- Amos’ intercession, Amos 7:2, “I cried out, Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small.”
God’s Response, Amos 7:3, “So the Sovereign Lord relented. This will not happen.”
Vision # Two (Amos 7:4-6)
- Vision of Fire, Amos 7:4, “… the Sovereign Lord showed me, God’s judgment on Israel by fire …” God’s judgement on Israel in the form of fire or sizzling heat that caused drought, drought caused famine, and famine caused death
- Amos’ Intercession, Amos 7:5, “I cried out, Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small.”
- God’s Response, Amos 7:6, “So the Sovereign Lord relented. This will not happen either”
Vision # Three (Amos 7:7-9)
- Vision of the Sovereign Lord standing with a Plumb Line in His hands, Amos 7:7 God measuring Israel with a plumb line (A plumb line is a tool made up of a string with a weight tied at the end, generally used to measure the straightness of a wall or a vertical entity)
- Amos’ Intercession: Amos did not Intercede for Israel this time
- God’s Response, Amos 7:8c, “The Sovereign Lord declared that He will not spare them any longer.” Due to this prophecy, Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, confronted Amos (Amos 7:10-17)
Vision # Four (Amos 8:1-3)
- Vision of a basket of ripe fruit (Amos 8:1) “The Sovereign Lord asked me ‘… what do you see …’”
- Amos’ Intercession: Amos did not Intercede for Israel this time.
- God’s Response (Amos 8:2b) The Sovereign Lord declared, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.”
Vision # Five (Amos 9:1-10)
- Vision of God standing by the altar in His sanctuary (Amos 9:1) In this vision Amos saw God standing in His sanctuary by the altar and He commanded Amos to strike the top of the pillars to bring them down on the heads of the people to destroy them all:
- God’s people who are inside the sanctuary by the altar practicing wickedness (Amos 9:1a)
- All the sinners among God’s people throughout the nation will be destroyed by the sword (Amos 9:1b, 10)
- Amos’ Intercession: Amos did not Intercede for Israel this time.
- God’s Response: The Sovereign Lord is ready to destroy all who practice wickedness including His chosen ones
God’s Promise of Future Restoration of the nation of Israel (Amos 9:11-15)
Although the book of Amos begins with God’s plan of sending calamity upon His people who were unfaithful to Him, the book ends with a hopeful promise that He would not destroy His people completely but will restore them from all corners of the world and establish them as His own chosen people (Amos 9:8c, 11-15).
- Amos 5:12-14 says, “For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore, the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil. Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say He is.”
Thus, He promises to:
- Restore and bring them back to their own land again (Amos 9:11, 14)
- Bless them and make them a blessing to all other nations (Amos 9:12)
- Make salvation available for all, including the non-Jews (Amos 9:11-12)
- The Sovereign Lord will be their God and they will be His people forever (Amos 9:13-15)
Divine Declaration of the Forthcoming Judgement upon Israel
- The immediate Judgement:
- Devouring swarms of locusts (Amos 7:1)
- Consuming fire from God (Amos 7:4)
- Famine of hearing the Word of God (Amos 8:11-12) [From Malachi to Christ, God neither spoke to His people nor sent His messengers to them for 400 years. This period is known as the dark age in Israelite history]
- Since God’s people rejected Him, He would not send his messengers to them to reveal His heart to them
- Whenever God’s people sought His face during this time, He would not turn to them
- God would give His people over to their own sinful natures during this era
- The Eventual Judgement:
- Israel’s national disintegration
- Israel will be sent into exile [away from their native land] (Amos 5:17; 6:7)
God’s Counsel to the Israelites
- Seek the Lord and live (Amos 5:4, 6)
- Seek God, not evil (Amos 5:14)
- Hate evil, love good (Amos 5:15) [King David said, “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14)]