Amos

What makes Amos special?

Amos wasn't a professional prophet like the members of a prophetic guild (1 Sam 19.18-24) or those who served the king (1 Chr 21.9; 25.5). He was a farmer who raised sheep (1.1) and took care of fig trees (7.14) near the small town of Tekoa, located south of Jerusalem in the southern kingdom (Judah). But the Lord gave Amos messages to preach to the people and leaders of the northern kingdom (Israel). See the map on MAP6.

Although Israel had many prophets before the time of Amos (1 Sam 9.9-13; 2 Sam 12), his prophecies are thought to be the first to be written down and preserved as a book of the Bible.

Why was Amos written?

Amos was sent to tell the people of Israel that the Lord was going to punish them, because the rich and powerful people of the country were robbing the poor and treating them unjustly. Also, many of the people and their priests worshiped other gods besides the Lord at new worship places built by Israel's kings. Amos preached his messages at the city of Bethel (7.10), where Israel's Jeroboam I had earlier built a worship place (1 Kgs 12.25—13.10). Amos' message also included words of judgment against several countries that were neighbors of Israel and Judah.

What's the story behind the scene?

The first verse of the book says that Amos preached during the time Uzziah was king in Judah (781-740 b.c.) and Jeroboam II was king of Israel (786-746 b.c.). It is not clear which earthquake he is referring to in the same verse, but it may be one that happened in 760 b.c. So, Amos likely preached his message for about one year somewhere between 762 and 750 b.c. Jeroboam II ruled Israel during a fairly peaceful time. Without having to worry about a major military threat, Israel became a fairly wealthy nation. Many people became rich, built fancy homes (3.15), and had all they wanted to eat and drink (4.1). But the rich people did not use their wealth or influence to help others. Instead they were greedy for more, so they cheated honest people and made the poor pay heavy taxes. The people continued to celebrate the religious festivals, but the Lord grew tired of their insincere rituals. What the Lord really wanted them to do was to treat others with justice and fairness, and to be faithful to the Lord alone. For more, see the article called “From Joshua to the Exile: The People of Israel in the Promised Land,” XXB 7.0.

How is Amos constructed?

Amos can be divided into two main sections: The first section (1.1—6.14) includes Amos' messages of judgment against Israel and neighboring nations. The second section (7.1—9.15) includes Amos' visions, which tell of the Lord's coming judgment against Israel, and also describes a future time when the Lord would help Israel rebuild its kingdom and prosper once again (9.11-15).