Here is Lawrence Boadt’s introduction to the book
of Amos….
The first thing we discover about prophets is
that they tell us almost nothing about themselves. Generally the books reveal
little beyond when a prophet spoke and to whom. The message was everything, the
messenger very little. Amos was no exception. The book notes that he came from
a small village named Tekoa in Judah to preach in the northern kingdom at the
shrine of Bethel, and that he was not
a professional prophet attached to some temple but a farmer and herdsman by
trade. Chapter 7 gives a single biographical incident from his life when he is
challenged by the royal priest of Bethel about his right to prophesy. Amos
protests that he had not chosen to come so far from home to preach; on the
contrary, God had forced this mission upon him: “I am no prophet, nor the son
of a prophet! I am a herdsman and a tender of sycamore figs, and the Lord
brought me from behind the flock and said to me: Go! Prophesy to my people in
Israel” (Am 7:14-15). Amos then delivers strong words of judgment against both
the king and the people of northern Israel: you shall lose your land and be
sent into exile and your leaders shall be killed. Amaziah the priest is
naturally unhappy with these words and warns Amos to leave and make his living
prophesying in his own country, but he never challenges Amos’ claim that God
was speaking through him. Clearly the political division between north and
south did not mean that the two kingdoms rejected the idea that they were still
one people of Yahweh.
Since Amos makes little reference to the terror
of Assyrian attack, he probably lived just before the rise of Tiglath-pileser III,
perhaps in the period from 760 to 745. If we can learn little about the
personality of the prophet himself, we can at least find out what he thought by
the examination of his oracles. The book contains numerous individual messages
delivered on different occasions. It has an order, but it is not one that
attracts modern readers. It does not follow the oracles in order of time from
earliest to latest, nor does it collect all the words on one subject or theme
together in one chapter and then move on to new topics. It rather moves in
dramatic fashion from a large scale condemnation of the evil in other nations
(chapt 1), to the terrible injustice and evil found in Israel (chapters 2-6),
to visions of the divine punishment coming upon the people (chapters 7-9).
The basic message of Amos stresses God’s moral
rule over the entire world and the divine demands for justice and concern for
the outcast or oppressed. Amos has a surprising universalism in his outlook.
God cares for every nation: “Are you not like the people of Ethiopia to me, O
Israel, says the Lord. Did I not lead Israel out from the land of Egypt, the
Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?” (Am 9:7).
And yet, since God has specially chosen Israel
and entered into a relationship of knowing and loving them, he holds the nation
particularly responsible for a just and upright way of life. “You only have I
known among all the families of the earth; therefore I am going to punish you
for all your wickedness” (3:2). Amos connects the injustice he sees around him
to a society bent on wealth and prosperity and forgetful of the true worship of
God. No more powerful condemnation has been spoken than Amos’ first words
against Israel: “…they sell the just person for money and the poor for a pair
of shoes, and trample the heads of the impoverished into the dust of the ground
and shove the afflicted aside on the road; a man and his father sleep with the
same slave girl so that my holy name is profaned…and drink wine in God’s house
taken from those who are in their debt” (2:6-8). He condemns the selfish luxury
of the women of the nobility: “You cows of Bashan, who live on the mount of
Samaria, who oppress the poor, crush the needy, and demand of their husbands,
‘Bring more drink!’” (Amos 4:1). He lashes out at the merchants who can hardly
wait until the Sabbath ends so that they can make “the ephah small and the
shekel great and use false weights to cheat people; that we may buy the poor
for money and the impoverished for a pair of sandals and sell worthless wheat”
(Am 8:5-6).
Here are a few questions to consider as you
meditate on the Book of Amos: Have you ever felt called by God to leave what
you are doing (like Amos tending sheep) and do something that will specifically
serve God’s kingdom (like being a prophet)? We may find it hard to identify
with Amos, but the truth of the matter is that God is calling all of us to
serve him all the time. The only question is: are we listening for God’s call?
Secondly, how do you think our world would fare
today if Amos were out there preaching? Are we doing any better at caring for
the poor and needy than Israel was doing in Amos’ day? What might we do to
rectify this problem? Supporting organizations like Compassion International that help the poor worldwide is one good way to begin addressing the issue.
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