a Rough Sketch of Amos

Amos was a prophet in the days of Jeroboam the II of Israel, while at the same time Uzziah was the king of Judah, this is the period of the divided Kingdom. Born in Tekoa in Judah sometime in the early 8th Century BC. Although he was a native of the Southern Kingdom, Judah, he prophesied in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. This is a time of social unrest where the rich are getting richer on the back of the poor and the poor are no longer poor but becoming slaves to the empires they are under. That is why Amos is so interesting, he is not seen as a 'professional' prophet, in stark contrast to many other Old Testament Prophets such as Samuel, Elijah and Elisha etc. Amos had two main occupations before God called him to be a prophet, he was a shepherd and the keeper of sycamore fig trees (Amos 7:14). Since it is clear from the text that he was a particularly clever man who was fully aware of the political and cultural issues within his societal context, the text suggests that he was most probably from a wealthy background, and thus the owner of flocks and sycamore groves rather than simply a Sheppard or hired help.

The text of Amos tells us that two years after Amos had his visions an earthquake happened in the area (1:1). Josephus, a Jewish historian, believed that the earthquake happened at the same time as Uzziah's capture of the office of High Priest and thus according to some this is what caused his subsequent affliction with leprosy. Amos was a contemporary of Isaiah, Micah and Hosea. Under Jeroboam II, the kingdom of Israel reached the pinnacle of its prosperity and thus the gulf between rich and poor widened. Yahweh called Amos from his rural home to remind the rich and powerful of God's requirement for justice (2:6-16). He claimed that religion that is not accompanied by right action is wrecked before God (5:21), and prophesied that the kingdom of Israel would be destroyed (5:1-2; 8:2). This is similar to the book of Deuteronomy where God says, ‘You may think that your strength and the power of your hands has made you prosper, but remember the Lord your God, that he has given you the ability to make wealth.’

Amos' message was, perhaps understandably, unwelcome in Israel as the same message is unwelcome in our current context of the American empire. Not only was he a foreigner (an immigrant) from the southern kingdom, but his prophecies of doom and gloom were completely at odds with the prevailing political and socio-economical goals of hope and prosperity (the American Dream). The Nation of Israel under the leadership of Jeroboam II expanded their territory into modern day Syria, taking advantage of the nation's weakness after a recent defeat by the Assyrians. Assyria, the central threat to Israel's power, was temporarily out of commission resulting from internal strife, allowing Israel to flourish politically and economically. Due to this the nation became affluence, the main focus of Amos' mission came to a head soon after Jeroboam came to power in 781 BCE, Amos was called to speak to the people of the Northern Kingdom as an outsider. He was from this point constantly in conflict with the governing authorities, as demonstrated in the text by way of a dialog between Amos and Amaziah, a priest of Bethel. The priest, loyal to Jeroboam (the State), accuses Amos of stirring up trouble and conspiring against the king, and commands him to stop prophesying. Amos responds with an oracle: “Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will certainly go into exile, away from their native land."(Amos 7:17) Do we really get how intense this is? Through Amos God has some very harsh things to say to those who are more concerned with an earthy Nation than with the Kingdom of God, which has nothing to do with realm but everything to do with reign in all areas of our life and world.

One of Amos' most interesting claims is found in Amos 7:14, "Amos answered Amaziah, 'I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.'" While this was often understood to mean that Amos was reluctant to prophesy or that he was poor, scholars today see it as bolstering Amos' claim to be financially independent and not a part of the corrupt religious system of his day. He didn’t need to depend on the empire for his well being. His agricultural holdings as a shepherd and a tender of trees were seen in his day as signs of means, which he used to point out that he was not in the prophetic calling for money. Rather his message predicted that many of Israel's neighbors (including Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab, but especially Judah) and the nation of Israel would suffer because they "knew" God, yet rebelled against God’s reign in their lives.

Much of the prophecy of Amos is directed at the heartlessness of wealthy merchants who ignore the suffering of the poor, the lack of any real justice for the righteous among them, and the emptiness of religious ritual apart from true faith. This is a call from for the rich to be generous in with their wealth and to be rich in good deeds. Amos is a classical prophet, concerned with the well being of the people and the actuality and participation of the faith. He does not have the apocalyptic views of later prophets, nor does he rely on esotericism or mystical signs, rather he relies upon the word of God. The prophecy of Amos is clear and direct to all who heard it, and subversive to the empire. He ends his message with a distinct proclamation of hope and restoration for the people of Israel, if they mend their ways: "The days are coming, declares the LORD, when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the LORD your God.” (Amos 9:13-15)

From this case study I find that Amos might as well be speaking directly to the leaders of our own Nation, we are an Empire in this world that works upon the backs of the poor. (Example: Capitalism, who makes our stuff? Much of it is made in factories by the poor who are not paid enough to work themselves out of poverty, but only to remain in poverty, this is not an accident or a coincidence.) The gaps between the rich and poor are growing wider, what I fear is that much of the patriotism that has been fused with our faith, the Christian faith and the American empire have actually allowed the name of God to justify our greed. Our money says in God we trust, but our economy reeks of the seven deadly sins. We need people like Amos, an immigrant that commands those who are rich in this present age not to place their hopes in wealth but to be rich in good deeds, in faithfulness to the Lord their God. After all Jesus said, God takes care of the lilies and the sparrows, God will take care of you too. We need more prophets who are willing to stand up to any authority when what is conspiring to happen is not only unrighteous but it is sinful. Just my thoughts enjoy…