Introduction to Amos

I once saw a photo of a man sitting in a deckchair in the sun reading a newspaper. It looked an idyllic picture except for the fact that the man was positioned on the railway tracks, obviously not expecting a train. It is an apt image of the situation in which Israel lived in Amos’ time. This was the most prosperous and peaceful age the people have experienced since the time of Solomon, yet within less than twenty years the landscape would change with the growing threat of Assyrian expansion from the north. In another twenty years after that Israel would be fighting for its existence eventually to be wiped out, taken into captivity never to return home again. Amos stands at the crossroads seeing stormy weather ahead and warning the people of disaster even as they bask in the sun and ignore him.

The prophet Amos

There is no mention of Amos elsewhere in the Bible, so what we know of him comes from the book containing his prophecies. The superscription (Amos 1:1) describes him as a sheep breeder (older translations have sheepherder) from Tekoa and Amos 7:14 adds that he also grew sycamore figs. His hometown, Tekoa lay about 16km south of Jerusalem in the hill country of Judah, which was too high an altitude for sycamore trees (they grow lower down by the Mediterranean, in the Jordan Valley and near the Dead Sea). It is likely that he travelled extensively, probably into the northern kingdom of Israel on business as well as perhaps even to the neighbouring countries. Judging from his prophecies against the surrounding nations in chapter 1, he was aware of their recent histories. He was not from the prophetic guild (the sense of not being ‘the son of a prophet’, Amos 7:14), but had a prior profession and was called by God from there. He, a southerner, was to preach to the northern kingdom of Israel, a thankless task since Israel and Judah were rivals and sometimes even at war with each other.

Historical background

Amos’ ministry (Amos 1:1) fell into the time of Jeroboam II of Israel (786-746 BC) and Uzziah of Judah (783-742 BC). Details of their histories can be found in 2 Kings 14:23-29 (Jeroboam II), 2 Kings 15:1-7; 2 Chron 26:1-23 (Uzziah). This was a rare period when the great powers, Assyria to the north and Egypt to the south, were internally weak or preoccupied with other threats and not expanding, so that Israel and Judah had an era of respite from wars. Jeroboam II managed to restore Israel’s borders close to what the kingdom had been in Solomon’s time (2 Kings 15:25) and Uzziah was successful in wars with neighbouring countries (2 Chron 26:6-8) followed by a time of building projects, prosperity and peace. The earthquake mentioned (Amos 1:1) cannot be dated but Amos’ attacks on the people’s luxury projects and the general sense of prosperity in the prophecies (Amos 3:15; 5:11; 6:4) indicate the latter part of these kings’ reigns (760s-750s BC). Israel’s collapse and Assyrian captivity took place in 722 BC.

The message of Amos

Spiritually, Jeroboam’s reign in the north is summed up in the characteristic phrase of Kings that ‘he did evil in the sight of the Lord’ (2 Kings 14:24) and the reference in the same verse to Jeroboam I. hints at idolatry and syncretism (1 Kings 12:25-33). Amos denigrates the people’s complacency at a time of peace and affluence and the abuse of the rich in subverting justice in the courts and exploiting those who are weak to enrich themselves further. Although they clearly are religious with lots of worship and sacrifices going on, this fervour is misplaced because it is not combined with ethical living and personal integrity. In other words, Israel is unfaithful to the covenant, which requires them to be a just society reflecting God’s righteousness and compassion. Based on Deuteronomy especially (e.g. Deut 28:15-68; 30:15-20), Amos preaches that the breaking of the covenant will lead to disaster and exile. Despite their seeming security, Israel is on a collision course with disaster.

Structure of the book

Unusually for prophetic books, Amos starts with a series of oracles against foreign nations into which Israel and Judah are slotted in at the end. The middle of the book is a string of indictments against Israel that will lead to their judgment and the book concludes with a series of visions and a brief pointer towards restoration in the distant future.

• Amos 1-2 – Oracles against nations
• Amos 3-6 – Indictment and judgment on Israel
• Amos 7-9 – Visions of judgment and future restoration

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