Name means: “Burden Bearer.”
Home: Tekoa, a town about 10 miles south of Jerusalem.
Occupation: Sheepbreeder, sycamore cultivator (Amos 7:14), and prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II (c. 782–753 B.C.).
Best known as: A prophet who denounced the northern kingdom of Israel for its idolatry, injustice, corruption, and oppression of the poor. Amos’s warnings of the Lord’s judgment came to pass when Assyria overran Israel a generation later.
More: As a sheepbreeder, Amos worked in one of the most common occupations in Israel. To find out more about his work, see the entry for “Shepherd” in the Jobs and Occupations index.
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Amos repeatedly referred to episodes of judgment that would ruin urban infrastructures, especially those used for defense. For example, the house of the Syrian ruler Hazael and the palaces (or citadels) of his son Ben-Hadad III would be burned by fire (Amos 1:4). The “gate bar” of Damascus, a massive beam used to bolt the city gates shut, would be broken in two. The walls and citadels of Gaza, Tyre, Bozrah, Rabbah, Kerioth, and Jerusalem would all be engulfed in flames (1:7, 10, 12, 14; 2:2, 5).
Ancient city walls usually incorporated small fortresses or citadels at strategic points along their expanses, particularly near gates. These reinforced structures provided a perch for commanders and a secondary point of defense if walls were breached. Amos’s descriptions of these important defenses’ downfall would have signaled total annihilation for the cities inside.
More: For more on strategies used to penetrate ancient cities, see “Five Ways to Capture a Walled City” at 2 Kin. 25:1–4.
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Philistia comprised five principal city-states. The Lord singled out four for judgment: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron. The fifth, Gath, may have already been destroyed by the time of Amos’s prophecy (compare Amos 6:2). For more about these Philistine cities, see Ashkelon’s profile at Judges 14:19; Gaza’s profile at Judges 16:1; Ashdod’s profile at 1 Samuel 5:1; and Gath’s profile at 1 Samuel 27:3. To learn more about Philistine society, see “The Philistines” at Judges 13:1 and “The Philistine Threat” at 1 Samuel 28:4, 5.
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Deception always leads people astray, and Amos warned that his listeners were already in trouble largely because they were living according to their ancestors’ lies. Israel’s history shows that patterns of deceit can cause suffering for generations.
We often deceive ourselves about the true nature of lying. Euphemisms like “shading the truth,” “telling a white lie,” or “skirting the issue” can cloud the issue or even suggest that lying is normal, inevitable, and excusable. The greatest tragedy is when we end up telling and believing lies about God (Rom. 1:25) and ourselves (1 John 1:10).
Lying is not an inescapable fact of human nature. God does not lie (Num. 23:19; Titus 1:2), and in the Ten Commandments He instructs His people not to speak falsehoods (Ex. 20:16). Paul urged Christians not to lie to one another (Eph. 4:25; Col. 3:9). It is possible to speak and live with honesty, and it is self-defeating to practice deception. Sooner or later liars trust no one, including themselves.
More: Scripture is clear that deceit tends to turn on its source. See “The Trouble with Lies” at Jer. 28:15–17.
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Amos observed an alarming fact about Israel: “They do not know to do right.” The nation had discarded its conscience. Its people no longer bothered to discern between right and wrong. And so the nation was in dire trouble. In Israel’s case, enemies awaited just around the corner (Amos 3:11, 12).
When people lose their conscience—misplace their ability to tell right from wrong or become apathetic about questions of morality—then we have a responsibility to act as agents of conscience. We can challenge the people around us to consider the consequences of their actions, and we can apprise them of their responsibility to reverence God. We will not always be well received, but God will honor us for standing up for His ways.
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Amos preached to a nation where whole cities had to evacuate to nearby communities because of a lack of water. These wandering cities were a sign of God’s judgment (Deut. 28:24) and a reminder for the people to return to the Lord.
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Amos’s prediction that Israelite cities judged by God would lose 90 percent of their population gives new meaning to the word decimate. The term comes from the Latin decimare, meaning “to remove or destroy by one-tenth.” The Roman army and others practiced decimation on military units in which soldiers had mutinied or committed other major crimes. One-tenth of the offenders were chosen by lot for execution.
But in this instance, instead of every tenth person facing death, only one out of ten would be spared from death. Amos’s grim prophecy was fulfilled when Sargon II of Assyria destroyed Israel’s cities (722 B.C.), ending the Israelite kingdom (2 Kin. 17:5, 6). Most survivors were deported to Assyria, while Israel was repopulated with outsiders (17:6, 24; see also “Scattered Among the Gentiles” at Jer. 9:16).
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During the boom years of the reign of King Jeroboam II, Israel split into a two-tiered society made up of haves and have-nots where the powerful oppressed the poor to maintain their luxurious lifestyles. In this respect, the Israelites had become like the Canaanites they had displaced (see “The Canaanites” at Josh. 3:10). Excavations at Tirzah from the eighth century B.C. have found evidence of this sharply divided society (see Tirzah’s profile at 1 Kin. 15:33 and “The Great Equalizer” at Ps. 49:2).
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Christian thinking has long asserted that social reform comes from spiritual rebirth—that is, people become more just and loving toward others after experiencing inner change through salvation in Christ. Grace, in other words, leads to justice. But Amos told the Israelites that if they acted more just and loving, God might change His plans to destroy their society. In short, justice would lead to grace.
Amos mandated a threefold formula for change: “hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate.” The “gate” was where civic and commercial matters were handled, the ancient equivalent of city hall (Ruth 4:1; Esth. 2:19–21; Prov. 31:23; see also “The Gates of Hell” at Matt. 16:18). To establish “justice in the gate” meant to do business, enact and enforce laws, and conduct public transactions in ways that honored God and served His people.
The Israelites did the opposite. They loved evil, hated good, and institutionalized injustice (Amos 2:6; 5:11, 12; 8:4–6). Amos demanded that God’s people do better. He cried, “Let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream” (5:24).
As we ponder our own impact on society, we should consider how our public acts might open people to receive God’s grace. Grace does lead to justice; people transformed by Christ treat others in ways that reflect Him (for example, see “Startling Change” at Luke 19:1–10). And when we work toward a just society, we give people hope and earn a hearing for our message of Christ’s love.
More: For the Old Testament prophets, true religion and worship were clearly associated with public justice. For example, see “What Is Religion?” at Jer. 7:2–4.
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Evaluating Our Self-Indulgence
The affluent people addressed by Amos enjoyed the sort of lavish lifestyle that many modern people aspire to attain. But the prophet pronounced woe on the wealthy for allowing their easy living to lull them into spiritual slumber. Their self-indulgence deadened their sensitivity to God.
Amos pushes us to evaluate our own self-indulgence—to consider whether we have constructed our lives to make ourselves feel good and satisfy our own desires, with little thought about others’ needs or God’s concerns. We can challenge ourselves by carefully reading Amos’s description of the Israelites’ lifestyle and contemplate the following questions. The point is not to feel guilty about having material things but to consider the “deceitfulness of riches” (Matt. 13:22) that can strangle our spiritual life.
1. What kind of home do I live in? Do I aim to endlessly upgrade or to make others envious? How do I use my home to benefit others?
2. Do I spend more on clothing or dining out than I do on helping others? Who benefits from my disposable income?
3. What percentage of my income do I donate to church, religious organizations, or charities? Is my giving increasing or decreasing? How much is my giving determined by tax advantages or other benefits I derive?
4. Do I aspire to be rich? How do I define rich? How much income is enough for me? Could I live on 10 percent less than I earn now? Thirty percent? Fifty percent?
5. How much do I spend on pampering myself—hair care, manicures, pedicures, massages, cosmetics?
6. How much do I spend on entertaining myself—movies, television and magazine subscriptions, video games, going out with friends?
7. How do I spend my leisure hours? How much time, energy, and money do my hobbies consume?
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Israel’s “palaces,” or fortresses and strongholds, underscored their confidence in military defenses. The nation’s capital, Samaria, for example, was built on a hill three hundred feet above the surrounding valleys, making it virtually impregnable (see Samaria’s profile at 1 Kin. 16:24). It took a three-year siege by the Assyrians to finally capture the city (722 B.C.). So the “pride of Jacob” abhorred by God refers to Israel’s smug self-reliance. The Lord hated the Israelites’ choice of self-sufficiency over reliance on Him. Their misguided mentality was doomed to fail.
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Name means: “Let the Kinsman Plead.”
Not to be confused with: Jeroboam I, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel.
Home: Samaria.
Family: Son of Joash (Jehoash); father of Zechariah, his successor.
Occupation: King of Israel (c. 782–753 B.C.).
Best known as: The king who extended Israel’s borders almost to where they stood under Solomon (1 Kin. 14:25). Yet the prophet Amos denounced him for permitting severe injustices during his 40-year reign. Amos’s grim prophecy of the Lord’s sword rising against Jeroboam’s family (Amos 7:9) was fulfilled when an assassin named Shallum killed Zechariah and briefly seized control of Israel (2 Kin. 15:10, 13).
More: Jeroboam was Israel’s last gasp of greatness. A succession of mediocre kings followed, and within a few short decades Israel was overrun by the Assyrians. See “The Divided Kingdom: The North” at 1 Kin. 12:19.
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Amos ends an otherwise unhappy book of prophecy with a beautiful allusion to all the Gentiles who will be called by the Lord’s name. The Lord offers hope to people not descended from Jacob, promising access to Him even to those outside Israel. At the same time that His judgment was coming upon Israel and other nations, the Lord promised that out of the chaos and calamity He would raise up a place of worship for all who will come to Him. This promise was fulfilled in Jesus, who broke down the wall of separation between Jew and Gentile, so that everyone may enter into God’s grace (see “Breaking Down Walls” at Eph. 2:14–18).
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