Amos Coastland University

Key Verse Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.

The Writing Prophets of the Divided Kingdom Stage Author Years of Ministry Dates (B.C.) Destination Obadiah 10 850- 840 Edom Jonah 35 785- 750 Nineveh Nahum 30 650- 620 Amos 7 760- 753 Israel (NK) Hosea 60 760- 700 Joel 841- 834 Judah (SK) Isaiah 58 739- 681 Micah 735- 700 Zephaniah 20 640- 620 Habakkuk 3 609- 606 Jeremiah 52 627- 575 Lamentations --- 586

Who Was Amos? Amos means “burden” or “borne” Layman, shepherd, and ‘tended’ to fig trees From Tekoa in Judah (Southern Kingdom) About ten miles south of Jerusalem

Shikmim = sycamores = wild figs Artificial Ripening and The Riddle of Amos’ Occupation Amos 7,14 - I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit. The English phrase “gatherer of sycamore fruits” is an “odd” translation of the Hebrew Boless shikmim Shikmim = sycamores = wild figs Boless = obscure, mentioned only once in the Bible The Problem The Hebrew word for gatherer is Ossef The Hebrew word for gash is boless Thus, boless probably means gash, pierce, or wound

Knives used for gashing of sycomore figs in Egypt

Bas-relief showing a sycomore tree with gashed fruit Bas-relief showing a sycomore tree with gashed fruit. Found at Thebes, Egypt.

Gashed Sycomore Fruit from Egypt.

Who Was Amos? (cont.) Amos wrote this book probably about 760- 750 B.C., time during which he served as a prophet to Israel This was the time during the reigns of Jeroboam II king of Israel and Uzziah (Azariah) king of Judah

Who Was Amos? (cont.) God gave him a vision of the future Told him to take His message to Israel (Northern Kingdom)

• Tekoa Amos was from Tekoa, south of Jerusalem His Prophecy is directed toward the Northern Kingdom of Israel. ISRAEL • Tekoa JUDAH

Amos 7:14-16 14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, "I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the LORD took me from following the flock and the LORD said to me, 'Go prophesy to My people Israel.'16 And now hear the word of the LORD: you are saying, 'You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you speak against the house of Isaac.'

God’s Temperament in Amos In Amos God is portrayed as a ferocious lion and a consuming fire But even in anger God is merciful. He always warned his people before inflicting punishment upon them

God’s Judgment God proclaims: “For three sins of _______, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath].” Sins of… Damascus (Aram-Syria, etc.) Gaza (Philistia) Tyre (Phoenicia [North West Palestine]) Edom – descendents of Essau – half breeds Ammon – sons of Lot by his daughter Moab – eldest son of Lot by one of his daughters Judah Israel

Historical Setting Political Setting Economic Setting Defeat of Judah Fall of Aram Decline of Egypt and Assyria Economic Setting Religious Setting Pluralistic Religion Religion without Reality ISRAEL JUDAH

God’s Reasons for Judgment Because of God’s blessings, Israel had become rich and prosperous- they became self-sufficient, greedy, corrupt, and unjust 2 Kings 14:23-28 They were cruel to and were oppressing the poor, even selling them into slavery They also had a hypocritical religion- had turned away from God but still carried on religious traditions and worshiped idols

Covenant Lawsuit Parties Introduced (3:1). Covenant Indictment (3:2). Sovereignty of the Sovereign (3:3-8) Summons of the Guilty (3:9). Judgment (3:10-15).

ISRAEL Bashan JUDAH

Amos 5 Seek Me that you may live (5:4) Seek the Lord that you may live (5:6) Seek good and not evil, that you may live (5:14)

Amos’ Visions of Judgment Swarm of locusts (7:1-3) God was preparing punishment upon Israel but he delayed it because Amos prayed that He have pity them Fire (7:4-6) God was preparing to devour Israel with fire but Amos intervened again Amos would pray saying: “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” (7:2,5)

Amos’ Visions of Judgment (cont.) Wall and plumb line (7:7-17) God would see if his people were crooked and, if they were, He would punish them Basket of ripe fruit (8:1-14) The people were ripe for punishment; they were once beautiful but now they are rotten God standing by the altar (9:1-10) Judgment would begin and punishment executed

Amos Gets Rejected Amaziah, priest of Bethel, sent this message to Jeroboam: (7:10-11) “Amos is sending a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel against you in the very heart of Israel.” Amaziah said to Amos: (7:12-13) “Get out you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore in Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”

The famine of God’s Word… Amos 8:

Israel’s Restoration Because Israel was a chosen people (3:2) God punished them for their sins and destroyed them. But God promised that he would not blot out their name completely. Some, the true believers, were saved God’s covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 stated that one of David’s descendants would always sit on his throne

Israel’s Restoration (cont.) The promise was not to be fulfilled by an earthly political leader, but by the Messiah, who would renew the spiritual kingdom and rule forever 9:11,12 “In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name,” declares the Lord, who will do these things.

Israel’s Restoration (cont.) 9:15 “They will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have give them,” says the Lord your God.