The book of amos is a prophetic book of the hebrew bible largely dating to the 8th century bce and considered to be scripture by modernday jews and christians. Israel to be destroyed i saw the lord standing by the altar, and he said. The lord sent warnings to israel in the form of hunger, thirst, blight, locusts, plagues, and military defeat, but the people had refused to see his hand in these amos 4. He was not a man of the court like isaiah, or a member of a priestly family like jeremiah and ezekiel. Biblical bookbybook summaries peace of christ roman catholic. Amos is a prophet of divine judgment, and the sovereignty of the lord in nature and history dominates his thought. He speaks of hope for the children of israel when they will be restored to a kingdom under the house of david.
Amos called by the lord to prophesy to the northern. The third section of the book chapters 79, apart from the historical account of amasiass opposition to amos 7. In these words he puts himself in line with all the prophets who, in various modes of expression, claim a direct revelation from god. Amos 1 the words of amos, who was among the herdmen of tekoa, which he saw concerning israel in the days of uzziah king of judah, and in the days of jeroboam the son of joash king of israel, two years before the earthquake. The first chapter begins with the locusts attack which already happened. Amos was walking with god when he left his livelihood in judah and followed the call of god to become a prophet in israel. And yet they thought that no evil could come upon them, as they were the people of god. Summary the prophet micah was a contemporary of isaiah. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him. Amos ministered according to his own indication during the time of king uzziah of judah 791 740 bc and king jeroboam ii of israel 793 753 bc. This book is based on the true story of a fifteenyearold boy who was captured by slave traders in africa and brought to new england in the early 1700s. Editors and copyists added comments to the prophets original oracles that they deemed appropriate in light of events that occurred after his death.
In a vision of the plumb line which the lord was holding to measure israel amos learns that the lord is going to judge the nation and especially the house of jeroboam for their corrupt worship 7. The book begins with the lord all vengeful and full of wrath, and it ends with nahum doing a snoopy dance on assyrias grave. Amos was from tekoa, a small town in judah about 6 miles south of bethlehem and 11 miles from jerusalem. Isaiah jeremiah lamentations baruch ezekiel daniel hosea joel amos. The prophecy is amos s great burden from the lord concerning the national sin of gods chosen people, as well as the judgment that must fall upon them unless they repent. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. The books of 1 and 2 kings or 1 and 2 chronicles do not mention this prophet, and he should not be confused with amoz, the father of isaiah the prophet. The israelites had a unique and privileged relationship with god. Amos 8 a basket of ripe fruit this is what bible gateway.
The overall theme of the book is the day of the lord. God orders a numbering of the people by census before they set out on this journey. He earned his living from the flock and the sycamorefig grove 1. Amos has a vision of the lord at the temple, supervising the work of destruction. Summary the book of amos, which is the earliest of the prophetic writings to be. The names israel, ephraim and samaria all refer to the northern kingdom. The book of amos was written during the era of divided kingdoms of israel but in an age which is much prosperous than the previous times especially the northern kingdom of isreal with ruler jeroboam ii reached at such a level of growth and prosperity as was not seen after david and solomon. The book of hosea written hundreds of years before daniel and is addressed to the northern kingdom of israel. I am filled with power, with the spirit of the lord, and with justice and might, to declare to jacob his. Amos comes, announces gods coming judgment to the northern kingdom and uses the phrase, the day of the lord referring to god intervening to punish and judge the wicked city, which would eventually be exile by the assyrians. But the same divine spirit influenced isaiah and daniel in the court, and amos in the sheepfolds, giving to each the powers and eloquence needful for them.
Amos, like many of the other prophets of god, prophesied of the day of the lord. Not one of the recognized prophets of israel, nor was he a priest, not even a native of israel but a farmer called of the lord from judah to warn the northern kingdom of the coming judgement. But zechariah is two, count em, two minor prophets in one. The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and the second in the greek septuagint tradition. When they had stripped the land clean, i cried out, sovereign lord, forgive. Not all of the material found in these chapters came from amos himself. Amos, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, was active c. His book ends with the return of the prophet elijah to get gods people to repent so god will not come and strike the land with a curse. Amos chapter 8 kjv king james version we have come to the 21st century and prophetically we are living during this time of the church lacking the word of god, no prayer in the schools, ten commandments taking out of the courthouses. In the first eight chapters of his or their book, zechariah is a more imaginative version of haggai. The main purpose of a summary is as a simplification highlighting the major points from the original and much longer version of the subject.
The prophet amos lived in the eighth century bc and was a common herdsman and keeper of sycamore fig trees 7. The words of amos reveal jehovahs mercy towards an unworthy people. Obadiah describes an encounter with god, who addresses edoms arrogance and. This book is all about relationship gods relationship with his people which is falling apart owing to their adulterous behaviour. Amos is a shepherd and a fruit picker from the judean village of tekoa when god calls him, even though he lacks an education or a priestly background. A significant portion of biblical prophecy, including much of the book of revelation, refers to this period of endtime events. The book of the prophet amos the prophet amos lived in the eighth century bc and was a common herdsman and keeper of sycamore fig trees 7. The days are coming, declares the sovereign lord, when i will send a famine through the land not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the lord. The words of amos, who was among the sheepherders from tekoa, which he envisioned in visions concerning israel in the days of uzziah king of judah, and in the days of jeroboam son of joash, king of israel, two years before the earthquake.
This book provides a detailed exploration of this theme and other important elements of the theology underlying the book of amos. Study guide for amos 1 by david guzik blue letter bible. And he said, the lord will roar from zion, and utter his voice from jerusalem. Although hosea is believed to have arrived a little later on the prophetic scene, hosea did marry a prostitute, which, scholars believe, is a lot spicier than anything that amos ever did. As in the book of hosea religion was prospering but faith in the one true god yhwh was on the decline. Apr 06, 2011 amos sees a vision of locusts, and a vision of fire. No better testimony could be given concerning amos than his own 7. Amos gives an introduction and the theme of his repeated message 1.
More than almost any other book of scripture, the book of amos holds gods people accountable for their illtreatment of others. Many scholars believe that amos was the earliest of all of the biblical prophets to have his words put in writingminor, major or somewhere inbetween. Amos 9 israel to be destroyed i saw the lord bible gateway. The book of jonah has been an inspiration for countless attempts to understand the all too human failure to do the right thing, including the classic mobydick by herman melville. The kings and inhabitants of the northern kingdom had turned their back on jehovah and therefore could no longer be entitled to his promises.
Notice, it is the word of the lord coming from the mouth of amos that has spoken against them. Amos believed that god is lord over all human history and that all men are equal in his sight. Then amos answered amaziah, i am no prophet, nor a prophets son. Then the lord said to me, the time is ripe for my people israel. Amos was apparently a peripatetic prophet who kept repeating a basic message, the summary for which is given by amaziah in 7. God makes his priorities clear from the opening of the book of hosea, when he tells the prophet to wed a devotee of open marriage named gomer as a symbol of.
Since there is no shmoop in ancient israel, god himself has to explain what they mean. If they were to seek the lord and live they would be forgiven, which is. The lord took me from following the flock, and the lord said unto me, go, prophesy unto my people israel amos 7. He prophesied in israel at the great cult center of bethel, from which he was finally expelled by the priest in charge of this royal sanctuary. The work chronicles the visions that the ancient author of this book believed he received from god in order to warn israel of its impending doom and. The lord will sift the house of israel, as grain is sifted in a sieve. God orders the prophet hosea to marry a prostitute, have a few kids and then violently abuse his whole family.
To drive home the point the prophet hosea marries an adulterous prostitute. Amos was a sheepbreeder of tekoa in judah, who delivered his oracles in the northern kingdom during the prosperous reign of jeroboam ii 786746 b. The book describes the early years after israel became a divided kingdom, with jeroboam ii ruling in the north and uzziah ruling in the south. The times of absolute monarchy of these two kings coincided from 767 753 bc so that amos ministry is to find during this period mainly. The students discover that although amos message was very bad news to gods people because of their wickedness they would be punished. According to scholars who hold that joel was historically the first book of the minor prophets, joel 1. Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Although there are sermons using a verse or part of a. From the way amos introduces the subject, it is plain that the jews in israel thought the day of the lord was something desirable, and they looked forward to it. Not much is known about the real amos fortune, so this book is not a biography. The book of amos, which is the earliest of the prophetic writings to be preserved in book form, consists of nine chapters.
Even though the book of amos is a message of impending doom, it isnt without notes of hope and restoration. A real relationship with god should show in social justice and righteousness. The tabernacle of david will be repaired and restored, however. He walked with god as he called out loudly to the people that the lord god has an appointment with us all.
He was preparing swarms of locusts after the kings share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. This summary of the book of amos provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of amos. Amos mission is directed to his neighbor to the north, israel. Hosea means salvation and this is what the lord offered to israel if they would turn from their idolatry or adultery. The book of jonah has been an inspiration for countless attempts to understand the all too human failure to do the right thing, including the. The purpose of the book of amos was to announce gods holy judgment on the kingdom of israel the northern kingdom, call them to repentance, and to turn from their selfrighteous sins and idolatry. Amos protests that israel is small and unworthyhow will it survive these plagues. Amos 12 new international version niv 1 the words of amos, one of the shepherds of tekoa the vision he saw concerning israel two years before the earthquake, when uzziah was king of judah and jeroboam son of jehoash a was king of israel. It also includes chapters on the text itself, providing a critical assessment of how the book came to be, the original message of amos and his circle, which parts of the book may have been added by later scribes, and the. Amos 7 visions of judgment and the power of the prophets prayer a. Amos 9 israel to be destroyed i saw the lord bible. Not much has been written about it in the new church.
The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration. Because god had entrusted them with his law, and he had done that with no other nation, they were more responsible for their sins. That is restored under the rule of christ for he is the son of david, the messiah. Book of amos overview insight for living ministries. Amos, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, 2 was active c. Book of amos summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of amos for bible study or sunday school lessons. Amos with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. He prophesied in israel at the great cult center of bethel, from which he was finally expelled. Where god has brought material blessing to his people through honest hard work and diligence, such blessing should be received gratefully and enjoyed. This phrase is used 19 times in the ot and five times in this small brief book of joel. Amos is a sheepbreeder of tekoa a simple farmer with no prophetic or.
The main themes of amos and lessons that we learn from this book are. They were selling off needy people for goods, taking advantage of the helpless, oppressing the poor, and the men were. The book of amos is the earliest of the book of the twelve prophets, and is relevant today, as it addresses social injustice, so prevalent in our world. Amos 8 new international version niv a basket of ripe fruit. The prophecy of amos carries an urgent message for the global church in the twentyfirst century. The prophets, such as amos, walk together with god and show us our need. The first two visions include destruction by locusts and fire. Amos was the first prophet to use the phrase the day of the lord.
It repeatedly points out the failure of the people to fully embrace gods idea of justice. Since i started working on this study of amos, i have searched our library holdings with the hope i would turn up a hidden or forgotten study by some new church scholar. All the biographical information we do have comes from his book, particularly todays passage, which tells us he was among the shepherds of tekoa amos 1. Amos urges the people to seek the lord that they may live am 5. Amos many scholars believe that amos was the earliest of all of the biblical prophets to have his words put in writingminor, major or somewhere inbetween. The book closes with a series of prophetic visions. This book of the prophet amos is the only mention we have of this man in the old testament. The fact that they longed for the day of the lord tells us that to these jews the day of the lord was a time of special blessing from god. Amos pleaded for the lord god to relent and he changed his mind deciding that this too would not come to pass upon israel 7. The book of amos was likely written between 760 and 753 b. If they were to seek the lord and live they would be forgiven, which is very good news. Amos 9 niv bible i saw the lord standing by the altar. Because of israels false worship and abuse of the poor, needy, and upright in the land, the lord their god promises to judge the people and jeroboam their king, as he will the nations around them, by leading his people into captivity. Behold, the days are coming, says the lord god, when i will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water.
As the son of a priest, iddo, zechariahs interested in the restoration of the high priests and the holy temple in jerusalem. Amos chapter one commentary by ron beckham audio bible stu dy amos 1. There is a further vision of a plumb line to see if israel are straight by gods standard. Unlike most of the other writing prophets of the old testament, amos lifelong calling was not that of a prophet but involved agriculture.
Though they dig down to the depths below, from there my hand will take them. Apr 02, 2020 book of amos, the third of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book under the jewish canon titled the twelve. God raised up the prophet amos, as an act of his great mercy to a people who repeatedly shunned and disobeyed him. He prophesied in israel at the great cult center of bethel, from which he was finally expelled by the priest in charge of this royal sanctuary 7. Amos 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Jonahs preaching in nineveh must have been similar. Amos, a judaean prophet from the village of tekoa, was active in the northern kingdom of israel during the reign of jeroboam ii c.