Amos means "to bear," "to place a load upon," or "a burden-bearer". He lived up to his name very well. God called him to do a most unenviable task, a Jew to preach to the self-sufficient materialistic Israelites. He bore his burden well and fulfilled his mission.
From Amos 1:1 , we see that Amos was a shepherd who lived in Tekoa. Tekoa, in Southern Judah, was a small town situated in the highlands about 5 miles south of Bethlehem and10 miles south of Jerusalem. From this elevated city (2,700 ft high) one can see the Mount of Olives and the Mount Nebo where Moses viewed the Promised Land which was beyond the Dead Sea.
God called him to be His prophet and he obeyed readily. He had no formal training from any "school of prophets" (The existence of such schools is reflected in 2 Ki. 2:3 , 5 , 7 ; 4:1 , 38 ; 6:1-7 ). Amos 7:14-15 says, "Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel." He left all and followed the LORD. He was a Jew ministering to the Israelites (from the north). He was a "farmer" who was sent by God to contend with THE SOPHISTICAITON OF NOBILITY (kings included), A PROFESSIONAL PRIESTHOOD (non-Levites at all cf. 2 Chron. 11:13-17 ), and A PEOPLE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE AND SECURE IN ITS MATERIALISM.
a herdsman of the unusual kind where the sheep he reared were the small rugged type of sheep called nakads. The wool from this kind of sheep was of superior quality and great value. The sycamore tree was found at a lower altitude than that of Tekoa's. This suggests that Amos roamed from Tekoa eastward through the wilderness and toward the Dead Sea. The fruit of this tree is fig-like, slightly sweet and watery and somewhat woody in its nature. It was eaten by the poorer people and had to be pinched or bruised before it would ripen (Hailey, 82-3).
This description is confirmed by the use of the word wilderness to describe Tekoa (2 Chron. 20:20 ). Amos might be said to have had a tough life. From the frugal life of an out-of-doors man, accustomed to the wilds of nature and to hard honest toil, Amos would have little sympathy for the luxurious and profligate life he would find among his northern kinsmen (Hailey, 83).
Yet Amos was no untutored ignoramus. From this book we see that he had a deep knowledge of history and of the problems of his day. For example, we see many points of contact with the Pentateuch in his prophecy:
2:7 -- cf. Deu. 23:17-18 -- against religious prostitution.
2:8 -- cf. Exo. 22:26 ; Deu. 24:12-13 -- garments taken in pledge.
2:12 -- cf. Num. 6:1-21 -- the consecration of the Nazarites.
4:4 -- cf. Deu. 14:28 ; 26:12 -- tithing after three years.
4:5 -- cf. Lev. 2:11 ; 7:12 -- the sacrifices of thanksgiving.
Amos uses the terms for sacrifice which suggests that he had intimate knowledge of the Pentateuch -- Amos 4:5 (free-will offering); Amos 5:21 (solemn assembly); Amos 5:22 (meal offering, burnt offering, peace offering).
We have in Amos a man well equipped, prepared and disciplined and spiritually enabled by God to fulfill his calling. If God calls He will make us competent for the task. We must realize that the "past" training and discipline come from God. There is no inert ability within each of us but the ability and gifts given graciously by the Almighty God (2 Cor. 3:5 ).
One notable point in Amos' life was his deep knowledge of God's Word and his interpretation of it in relation to the problems of his day (2 Tim. 2:15 ). The call came and he went. He was a man who was diligently engaged in his present task of shepherding and planting when God called him. He was no idler lazing in the sun when God called him. Amos was a righteous no-nonsense man whose straight sense of justice marked his entire message.
The date of Amos' prophesying and the writing of the book is almost unanimously placed by scholars between 760-750 B.C. The general date of about 755 B.C would be a good estimate. The clues are: he prophesied in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah and of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, the king of Israel (Jeroboam II). Uzziah reigned in the period 793 -739 B.C. (over 50 years) and Jeroboam II reigned from 792-753 B.C. (a period of over forty years).
In the kingdoms at the time there was peace in the land. The apparent stability of long reigns by both the Northern and Southern kings, and great commercial wealth had lulled the people into a spiritual stupor. In the south Uzziah had strengthened his fortications and built up his armies, successfully engaged the Philistines in the West, and recaptured the important port of Elath on the Red Sea from the Edomites. In the North, Jeroboam II had followed the energetic action of Jehoash in checking the growing Syrian power and had even occupied the Syrian capital city of Damascus, his most dangerous enemy at that time. [Ray Beeley, Amos, (London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1969), 13-4.]
The wealth of the people was seen in Amos' prophecies: palaces (Amos 3:11 ), couches (Amos 3:12 ), winter and summer houses (Amos 3:15 , houses of ivory (Amos 3:15 ), and house of hewn stones (Amos 5:11 ).
1) Justice between man and man is one of the divine foundations of society;
(2) Privileges implies responsibility. Israel had enjoyed special privileges; therefore, she had been given special responsibilities;
(3) Failure to recognize and accept responsibility is sure to bring punishment;
(4) Nations -- and by analogy, individuals -- are obligated to live up to the light and knowledge granted to them;
(5) The most elaborate worship is but an insult to God when offered by those who have no mind to conform to His commands. NOTE: "The distinguishing characteristic of heathenism is the stress which it lays upon ceremonial" (Hailey, 87-8).
This book may be divided into two main sections. They are the: Prophecies against the Nations (AM 1:3-15, AM 2:1-16 ) and Detail Prophecies against Israel (AM 3:1-15, Amos 4, Amos 5, Amos 6, Amos 7, Amos 8 AM 9:1-15 ). The outline is adapted from Hailey' book.
The words of the LORD which Amos saw while he was working in Tekoa. It was as if he had no choice and if given a choice he might probably not wish to do what had called him. It was not a pleasant task at all to say the least.
This earthquake in the days of Uzziah is also mentioned by Zechariah (Zec 14:5 ). Nothing is known of it more than the mentioning by these two prophets. This means destruction and perhaps even death in Judah.
This sets the tone of the message of Amos. Like the roar of a lion which sends panic and fear to the strong hearted, the LORD will send a fierce message to Israel and other nations. From the book we see that the LORD will not limit His judgment to only the nations of Israel and Judah but to six other nations as well. Three are not related to Israel and Judah at all -- Damascus, Gaza, and Tyre and three that are related -- Edom (Esau, elder and twin brother of Jacob), Ammon, and Moab (incestuous relationship of Lot with his daughters, Gen. 19:30-38 ). But whether related or not, or whether heathen or God's own people, the wicked and ungodly will be impartially and fairly judged by the LORD God of Israel. The God of the Jews and Israel was also the God of the heathen nations. This is seen in the first two chapters of Amos.
The judgment of God against all these nations begin with "Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions . . . and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because . . . ". This is not to be taken literally. It is not as if God is saying that heathens can sin up to three times maximum and after that when they sinned the fourth time then God would judge. This phrase simply means that the sin of the respective nations have been growing and increasing and is now full in the sight of the LORD. It is time for the LORD to "reward" them for their iniquities.
The startling difference in these judgments of the LORD is that the heathen nations were judged because of their INHUMANE AND CRUEL TREATMENT OF OTHERS whereas Israel and Judah were judged because of THEIR UNFAITHFULNESS TO GOD AND HIS LAW.
The sins of the Syrians -- they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
The judgment upon Syria -- 4But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad. (Hazael murdered Ben-hadad I king of Syria and reigned in his stead, 2 Ki. 8:7-15 )
5I will break also the bar of Damascus, i.e. the arms of protection of the city of Damascus will be broken leaving it a city defenseless for her enemies to come in.
and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven i.e. plain of vanity -- a house of idolatry, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden i.e. a pleasure resort for the king: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir (means "a walled place"), the exact locaiton is not known.
Gaza was a chief city of Philistia near the coast southwest of Jerusalem. The city probably represented all of the Philistine cities. Their sin was that . . . they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:
The LORD's judgment against Gaza -- {7} But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof: 8And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD. All the chief stronghold cities of Philistine will be destroyed.
Tyre was the chief city of Phoenecia. The sin of the city was . . . they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant: The covenant refers either to David and Hiram, kings of Judah and Phonecia (2 Sam. 5:11-12 ; 1 Ki. 5:1 , 2 Ch 2:3 ), or to the attitude they should have had toward their own people. It is probable that it refers to the former. They have forgotten this covenant and thus were judged by the LORD.
The judgment of the LORD upon the city -- 10But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.
The Edomites were the descendants of Esau. The sins of the Edomites were . . . .pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever: No particular sin was mentioned except that it harboured a perpetual hatred for her brother Israel. Edom gloated over the destruction of Judah many years later (cf. Psa. 137 ).
The judgment from the LORD was -- 12But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.
The Ammonites were related to Israel through Lot. The sin of Ammon was . . . they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border: The crime was a cruelty of the basest sort. Helpless pregnant women were viciously killed by them. The reason for their atrocities was to enlarge their borders! For larger territorial rights, murdering helpless pregnant women was the result! What heinous nature of man is revealed here.
The judgment of the LORD -- 14But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah (their capital city), and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind:
It will be swiftly and thoroughly destroyed.
The Moabites, also related to Israel, through Lot. The sin of the people included . . . he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime: Moab demonstrated his fiendish spirit by burning the bones of the dead and making them into lime for the making of mortar. After a building has been built the people of Moab would probably gloat and say that the king of Edom is in here we have mixed his ashes with our mortar!!
The judgment of the LORD -- {2} But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth (pne of the chief cities of Moab): and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet: {3} And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD. The judgment would be so severe that Isaiah and Jeremiah will weep when they contemplate the destruction of Moab (cf. Isa. 15:5 , 16:11 ; Jer. 48:36 ).
Judah will be judged also. They who have been given much is also expected of them. The sin of Judah was . . . they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after that which their fathers have walked: The sin was religious apostasy. They have acted like heathens in their idolatrous worship so the LORD will also deal with them like heathen by sending them the same kind of judgment that He sent to the heathens.
The Judgment of the LORD -- {5} But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem. However through the efforts of and Isaiah, prophets of Judah, and the influence of the good king, Hezekiah (716-687 B.C.) the judgment was averted for135 years after the fall of Samaria (Jerusalem was razed to the ground by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.).
1. Israel's sins included:
a. they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; They oppress the poor. A poor Hebrew was allowed to "sell" himself to another of his people but he was not to be considered a slave. He was to be treated as a servant (Lev. 25:39-46 ). This law was violated by the Israelites.
The righteous were sold for silver i.e. they were innocent of crimes but were charged and found guilty because of the bribery of the judges. Justice was not meted out.
b. {7} That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: the rich were so greedy that they would even begrudged the poor of even the bit of dust that was on their heads. By turning the meek man away, they were free to carry on with their injustice and crimes.
c. and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: Utter contempt for God's law was shown son and his father sleeping with the same religious prostitute.
d. {8} And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. Further contempt was shown for God's Law when they held on to the garments taken in pledge. Deu. 24:12-13 says that these must be returned to the rightful owner before night fall because the poor man needs it for his covering.
Money taken from fines was used to buy wine and they drank them in the house of the golden calves.
Idolatry, rejection of God's law, hardness of heart toward the poor, greed and immorality are the charges that summarize the sins of Israel. Against these sins Amos would continue with his charges throughout the entire book.
2. A History Lesson to Israel -- God gave them the land when He helped them defeat the strongmen in the land of Canaan (Amos 2:9 )
The LORD was the One who brought them out of the land of bondage, Egypt. The LORD was the One who led them out of the wilderness wandering. He gave them manna, quail, clothing and shoes, that did not wear out, water whenever they needed it, shade in the day from the hot desert sun by means of a pillar of cloud, heat and warmth by night by means of a pillar of light, etc. The LORD helped them posses the land which they are living in right now (Amos 2:10 ).
The LORD gave them prophets (God's spokesmen) to aid them in their walk with God. He revealed Himself to them by His prophets. He made known to them His will. He honoured their sons by making them Nazarites. They were volunteers who dedicate their lives to serve God. God honoured them by accepting them. These were the non-Aaronic and non-Levite who wish to serve in the Temple of the LORD. They cannot touch wine not even the fruit of the vine, or dead bodies or have their hair cut. Samson was such a one. These were symbols of separateness unto the LORD for His service (Amos 2:11 ).
But the people caused them to stumble and break their vows. The prophets were commanded by the people of Israel to cease from their prophesying i.e. Israel does not want God's Word (Amos 2:12 ).
God will press you as a cart that is full of sheaves is pressed. The full force of the war will press upon the Israelites. No one will be able to escape (Amos 2:13-16 ).
Israel has sustained a special relationship to God as His chosen people; and because this had been violated, punishment must come. The prophet defends his right to speak (Amos 3:1-8 ).
The wealthy ruling classes were the first to be condemned. Ashdod and Egypt were called to witness the confusion in Samaria. Bethel will be visited (Amos 3:9-15 )
The profligate women of Samaria, called "kine of Bashan" were condemned with their lords. Their luxurious homes shall be broken down, and they shall go away captives (Amos 4:1-3 ).
The apostate worship is condemned as in irony the prophet calls upon the people to multiply their transgressions at Bethel (Amos 4:4-5 ).
Five chastisement were enumerated which had been sent by the LORD on the people. But to no avail, for they had refuse to be taught. Consequently the message from the LORD was, "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel" (Amos 4:6-13 ).
Amos 4:11 , " I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 12Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 13For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.
Facing the threat of Judgment, Amos takes up a lamentation over the nation, followed by an urgent plea that the people "seek the LORD" (Amos 5:1-9 ).
The man who would judge fairly is hated by the rulers; therefore, only the corrupt were appointed. In such a state, the poor received no justice (Amos 5:10-15 )
For such wickedness God must punish the nation. Wailing will be heard in every street, for "woe" to them when the day of the LORD comes (Amos 5:16-20 ).
The emptiness of Israel's worship is again condemned. The nation is charged with never having been completely faithful to God (Amos 5:21-27 ).
A second woe is announced, this time it was against the revelers in Samaria. Their luxurious feasts were described and condemned (Amos 6:1-6 ).
The LORD swears by Himself that the revelers must go. He declares His hatred for that of which Israel boasted. A nation will be raised against the people to execute the Lord's judgement (Amos 6:7-14 ).
A new section is introduced. Amos was shown a series of visions. The execution of the threat of the first two was averted by the prophet's intercession (Amos 7:1-9 ).
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, warns Jeroboam II of Amos's danger to the royal sanctuary, and interrupts Amos, urging him to return to Judah. Amos' classic response was that his mission and message were from the LORD (Amos 7:10-17 ).
Amos 7:16 , "Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. 17Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land."
The fourth vision: a basket of summer fruit, which the prophet interprets. The wicked practices of the merchants were exposed and condemned. The nation's sun shall go down at noon. This means that even when Israel was at the height of her power the LORD will bring her down. This means that the end is near (Amos 8:1-10 ).
A famine of the word of God was predicted. They had rejected the message, but the day will come when they will seek it (Amos 8:11-14 ).
The fifth and final vision is shown to Amos. The house of Israel will crash about his own head. The people cannot hide from the LORD, but will be sought out and punished (Amos 9:1-4 ).
The people will be swept away; the kingdom will be brought to an end. However, the righteous, if there are such, will not fall (Amos 9:5-10 ).
Amos 9:8 , "Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. 9For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. 10All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
From the crash and ruin of the kingdom the prophet looks to the glorious future under the Messiah. Spiritual promises fill his closing word (Amos 9:11-15 ).
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