1. Amos
Coastland University

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

3. The Writing Prophets of the Divided Kingdom Stage
Author
Years of Ministry
Dates (B.C.)
Destination
Obadiah 10
Edom
Jonah 35
Nineveh
Nahum 30
Amos 7
Israel (NK)
Hosea 60
Joel
Judah (SK)
Isaiah 58
Micah
Zephaniah 20
Habakkuk 3
Jeremiah 52
Lamentations
---
586

4. 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

5. 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

6. Knives used for gashing of sycomore figs in Egypt

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

8. Gashed Sycomore Fruit from Egypt.

9. Who Was Amos? (cont.)
Amos wrote this book probably about 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

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

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

12. 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.'

13. 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

14. 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

17. 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

19. 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

20. 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).

21. ISRAEL
Bashan
JUDAH

22. 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)

23. 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)

24. 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

25. 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.”

26. The famine of God’s Word…
Amos 8:

27. 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

28. 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.

29. 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.