As we continue our journey through the Trei Asar, we come to a navi who was a farmer from Tekoa. Even before we get into the details of this book, I want to make sure we recognize the significance of Amos’s vocation. He was a farmer! This is a great reminder that you don’t need degrees…an impressive resume…or to come from the right family to be used by God. He uses farmers, He uses kings, and he uses everything in between! Now, let’s take a look at this fascinating book.
In the first verse, Amos tells us a little about himself. He describes himself as one of the “herdsmen from Tekoa” who prophesied during the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II, king of Israel. It’s always helpful when a Biblical author provides precise chronological information like this. Because of this data, we can confidently date Amos to the middle of the 700s BC. But we learn another important biographical detail about Amos a bit later, in chapter seven. His calling as a prophet seems to have come completely out of the blue. Amos says:
“I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” (Amos 7:14–15)
So all indications are that Amos was minding his business, doing his thing, when he rather abruptly received a nevuah, a prophecy of judgment that needed to be delivered to the northern kingdom of Israel. But Amos doesn’t just have a word of judgment for the north. He also has a word for Judah in the south. And…he has a word for the nations surrounding Israel. To say the least, Amos was a busy prophet. And as a result, when he is finished delivering his messages, everyone is mad at him (in all directions!)!
But as we think about how things are unfolding in the broader corpus of the prophets, Amos is important because his words continue developing Israel’s understanding of what makes HaShem angry. And when I say angry, I mean angry! Amos wastes no time telling us.
In chapters one and two, Amos speaks against Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab. And what he describes is horrific. Edom pursued his brother with a sword. Damascus brutally slaughtered the people of Gilead. And Amos even describes the Ammonites ripping open pregnant women in order to enlarge their territory. This is why Amos begins his prophecy with such vivid language:
“The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem.” (Amos 1:2)
I imagine you share my fear about making HaShem roar. So, what makes HaShem roar from Zion? I think that’s a question worth considering, as uncomfortable as it is. Part of having the heart of Yeshua and the heart of the prophets is feeling something deep when we encounter injustice, abuse, and oppression. Abraham Joshua Heschel famously said that “a prophet is a person, not a microphone.” In other words, prophets are not simply delivering information. They feel something because they are deeply in touch with the heart of God and with what it means to be a person created in His image. There are plenty of things in our world that should make us ache, deeply, as well. But Amos isn’t finished.
HaShem is not only angry with the nations. He is also angry with Judah. And interestingly, the reason is different. Amos says: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes.” (Amos 2:4) So what is HaShem angry with Judah about? It’s pretty clear. The Jewish people are not keeping the Torah. Now, there is an important distinction to notice here.
Nowhere does Amos condemn the surrounding nations for failing to keep the particulars of Torah. Yet Amos’s flow makes it very clear that God still holds the nations accountable for their actions. This parallels something Paul says centuries later in Romans 2. Paul describes Gentiles who “do not have the law,” yet nevertheless demonstrate an awareness of right and wrong because “the work of the law is written on their hearts.” So according to both Amos and Paul, the nations are accountable to God for their actions on some level. But Amos’ major problem, like Hosea before him, is with the northern kingdom of Israel. And the crimes there are terrible.
Amos describes wealthy people who “oppress the poor” and “crush the needy.” In the northern Kingdom (aka the 10 northern tribes), Torah observance continued to some extent, but that doesn’t seem to be the big problem. The problem was that justice and righteousness were being neglected. Eventually, HaShem gives Israel this frightening warning: “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” (Amos 4:12)
Whenever God says, “Prepare to meet your God,” it’s not good! If that message gets to you, you know it’s time to do teshuvah. And do it fast. Sadly and tragically, the northern kingdom did not respond that way.
Things eventually come to a head in Amos 7 in a fascinating exchange between Amos and Amaziah, the priest at Bethel. Amaziah essentially tells Amos to run along, go back to Judah, and quit prophesying around there! Well, as a navi, Amos isn’t going to take that for a minute! Amos responds that he didn’t choose this job. HaShem took him from following the flock and told him, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” So Amos doesn’t back down. Well, after Amaziah rejects Amos and his message, the prophet announces a tragic fate for the northern kingdom. And I’d say there is an important principle here.
God’s mercy is great. As we have already seen repeatedly in the Trei Asar, God continually gives His people opportunities to do teshuvah (“repent” or “return” to Him). But what happens when God sends correction and we refuse to hear it? Let’s think about this personally.
A sure-fire way to invite HaShem’s displeasure is to be off course, have Him send us help, and then reject or even mock the help He sends. Yes, God’s mercy is great. But when we mock His mercy, we invite His judgment. Sadly, that is what happened to the northern kingdom. Rejecting the warnings of prophets like Amos and Hosea eventually led to its destruction and exile at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 BC. But like so many of the prophets, Amos does not end with judgment. He ends with hope.
At the conclusion of the book, God makes a beautiful promise:
“On that day, I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David…I will raise up its ruins, and build it up as in the days of old…I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of their land that I have given them.” (Amos 9:11, 15)
What a way to end this intense book!
Amos reminds us that God roars when there is injustice. And if He sends us correction, it’s best that we listen closely. But even when there is judgment, restoration will eventually come!
