AUTHOR

The prophet Amos was from Tekoa, a town in the Judean hills southeast of Bethlehem (1:1). When God encountered him, he was a “herdsman” (sheep breeder) who “took care of sycamore figs” (7:14). God called him to go to the northern kingdom of Israel and speak a message. His activities of dealing in sheep and sycamore figs evidently led him to travel a lot, and it was not unusual that he traveled to Samaria and Bethel in the north. Amos wanted his readers to know that he did not seek the calling of a prophet, nor did he seek to gain financially from his calling. He simply received a message from the Lord and delivered it despite opposition from the king and the religious leaders (7:10-15).

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF AMOS

Amos prophesied in “in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel” (1:1). This would place his ministry between 767–753 BC. But a historically verifiable earthquake happened two years after he began to preach, and so it is possible to place Amos’s ministry more precisely between about 765–760 BC.

Jeroboam II had a long reign and restored Israel’s borders to Lebo-hamath in the north and to the Dead Sea in the south (2Kg 14:25). The expansion was set against a background of bitter hostility between Israel and her northern neighbor, the Aramean (Syrian) kingdom of Damascus. The Arameans were kept busy with the ever-increasing incursions of the Assyrian Empire to the west, enabling Jeroboam II to succeed in his military efforts. Peace between Israel and Judah led to great prosperity and unhindered commerce along the major trade routes through the two countries.

THE MEANING OF AMOS’S MESSAGE

Amos told the northern kingdom of Israel that God was about to bring it to an end. He showed that Israel’s outward displays of worship could not compensate for a lack of the compassion and humanity that the covenant with Moses demanded. Just because the Israelites had been chosen by God did not mean they could ignore the conditions of the covenant handed down to them by Moses.

Would God abandon his eternal covenant with his people? Amos responded with a decisive no! The Lord had always been full of compassion and mercy in his dealings with Israel, and past judgments were intended to bring the people back to their God. Although there would be no escape from complete destruction, Amos held out hope for a restoration of Israel in a new Davidic era. A righteous remnant would always exist to inherit the promises of the messianic kingdom.

Amos preached against injustice and oppression, anticipating themes that are in the New Testament (see Lk 1:52-53; 4:16-21; 18:22; 19:8-9; Jms 5:1-6). He also anticipated the teaching of Jesus Christ when he condemned worship that considers only outward form and not acts of love and compassion in the life of the worshiper (see Mt 5:23; Jn 15).

The book of Amos provokes questions about the relationship between private morality and public morality. It reacts not merely against hardhearted individuals but also against corrupt social structures. Amos invites the reader to look for general principles that could be applied to any governmental system. For example, Amos showed that God is concerned that a government provide channels for addressing issues of justice for all its citizens (2:6-8; 5:24; 8:4-6).

Amos revealed that the Lord is sovereign over the nations of the earth, expecting righteousness from all peoples, especially Israel and Judah. That perspective sees that the Lord created the earth and all its inhabitants. Creation theology permeates the book and will have decided consequences for those who seek to understand their relationship to the world.

What the Lord expected of Israel is not so far removed from what he expects of his people today. We should glean from Amos issues that are universal in scope. The book of Amos has much to say to the church about requirements for justice among Christians as well as about a sense of compassion and generosity in one’s dealings with society in general.