Amos Part 01

The next Minor Prophetic book that we will dive into is the Book of Amos. Today we will look at the author, when, where and why the book was written, and the main theme of the book.

Author

The book was written by the prophet Amos. There is no other mention of anyone by that name in the entire Bible. In Hebrew, Amos means “burden.” From the book we know that Amos was a shepherd (“sheep breeder”) and tended sycamore fruit (Amos 7:14-15). Sycamore figs were small and required piercing a small hole in them to ripen properly. It’s possible that Amos may have done this for hire in return for grazing rights in western Judah, and/or in lower Galilee. Sycamore figs grew there, and many shepherds went there when other pastures dried up. Amos was from Tekoa, a small town about 12 miles southeast of Jerusalem

When

The book of Amos was prophesied during the reign of Uzziah in Judah and of Jeroboam II of Israel making it contemporary with Hosea. It was likely around 753 BC. Amos 1:1 states that it was “two years before the earthquake.” Information in Josephus’s history indicates that the earthquake was in 751 BC, and two years earlier would have been 753 BC. This was a time of great prosperity in Israel, and Jeroboam II was popular, but this was not many years before the Assyrian conquest.

Where

The prophecy seems to have been given at Bethel in Israel. This was one of the places where Jeroboam I had set up a calf idol. Amos was from Judah, but he seems to have come to Bethel, stated the prophecy, and then left. Of course, Amos may have written his prophecies later, and perhaps back in Judah.

What

This was a prophecy of immediate warning with a call to repent! It also contains end-time prophecy of the Day of the LORD. Hebrew scholars say Amos’s writing is characterized by beauty of expression and lofty thought. His parallelisms are exact with very detailed descriptions. He uses an energetic style, with many images from nature. Amos describes God’s righteousness and makes clear that He does not compromise with sin.

The first two chapters use a literary device to pronounce judgement against:  

• Damascus (capital of Syia)  
• Philistia (4 cities named, but not Gath)  
• Tyre (chief Phoenician city)
• Edom
• Ammon
• Moab
• Judah
• Israel

A phrase used multiple times in Amos 1 and 2 is, “For three transgressions of ____ and for four, I will not turn away punishment, because . . .” This seems to imply repeated sins. Not necessarily a literal number as if God would have pardoned them if they had only sinned once or twice, but they had gone far beyond, and He had enough!

God promises many times to send, “a fire” in the first two chapters (1:4: 1:7; 1:10; 1:12; 1:14; 2:2; 2:5). Some commentaries consider “fire” to symbolize war. Interestingly, Assyria is not named though it would be the nation that would conquer them.

Why

Amos was written to warn of the results of sin, and to call for repentance. It also gives prophecy of the end-times and some of the millennium as well. Visions and prophecies demonstrate the poor moral condition of the people and their need to repent. Much of it seems to describe “cause and effect prophecies” similar to “blessings and cursings” in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. The description of moral failings could lead us to see much of this as describing our modern times and conditions.

Minor Prophets class is taught at ABC by Dr. Frank Dunkle

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.