Amos & Hosea The Prophets of God

Amos and his harsh message He is from Judah but was called to preach to Israel Amos is angered by Israel’s disregard for God’s law Israel has become like other nations: wealth is in the hands of a few, justice has been corrupted, and poor people are oppressed.

The Lion of God Is known as the prophet who roars like a lion Because his message is harsh, blunt, and angry Criticizes harshly the worshipers’ rich attire Compares the rich women of Samaria to fat cattle Because they eat lamb, drink wine, and anoint their skins with expensive perfumes at the expense of the poor Condemns the unjust and their exploitative actions toward the poor and weak and tells them that God will punish them for that

Empty worship Amos says that the Lord dislikes and abominates processions, sacrifices, and hymn singing that do not come from sincere hearts.

Visions Locusts eating the crops Fire ravages the land The crooked wall Israel is being destroyed by the people’s sins Israel is helpless to survive the fate it has brought upon itself God measured a crooked wall with a plumb line about to collapse Amos pleads for Israel to God God responds that Israel has chosen evil and he will leave it to its own destruction

Hosea: God as a betrayed Husband Hosea is from the North and preaches in the North: Israel His story begins with his unhappy marriage He is married to Gomer He loves her Gomer deserted Hosea for other lovers Hosea uses his own experience of betrayal to criticize the unfaithful Israel

Betrayal When Hosea speaks of himself and Gomer, he is telling Israel a parable of its own betrayal of God Hosea loves Gomer as God loves Israel Gomer deserted Hosea for other lovers as Israel has deserted God for the Canaanite god Baal

3 children= 3 messages Hosea and Gomer have three children to whom Hosea is told to give strange names The names are symbolic of how God regards the children of the Covenant with Israel Jezreel (boy) meaning shameful butchery Implying that God will punish and destroy Israel Loruhamah (girl) meaning not pitied God will no longer have pity or forgive Israel for their mistakes Loammi (boy) meaning not my people God rejects the Israelites as God’s chosen people.

The Punishment of Gomer Hosea takes Gomer to court where he testifies to her unfaithfulness and ingratitude He is angry and his plans for her are harsh He gave her everything he had: grain, wine, oil, silver, and gold Hosea will take those gifts away She has given some of these away to her lovers He will punish her and take away everything until she returns to him

Reconciliation Like Hosea desires to be reunited so does God with the Israelites God will punish them until they repent and come back to God Punishment in the form of penance for their sins God will not wipe out the Israelites even though they deserve it Hosea is the first book to feature the relationship between God and Israel as a marriage and uses the language and images of marriage To God, infidelity in Israel’s behavior means betrayal of justice, compassion, integrity, and true worship

The first Conquerors Regardless of the warnings by the Prophets, the Israelites did not listen and were conquered by the Assyrian empire. The Assyrian emperor forced the many of the Israelites into exile The Assyrian became the new leaders in the Northern kingdom and within sometime, began to intermarry with the Israelites that were allowed to stay in Israel. Some of the people of Israel sought refuge in the Judah, Southern Kingdom, hoping that their brothers/sisters in faith might welcome them and understand them.