The book begins (v1) with, “The words of Amos, who was among the sheep breeders 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.”
He was a prophet to Israel, and he served in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam the son of Joash in Israel. Estimated between 760 and 750 BC, the people had been a divided nation, Judah and Israel, for more than 150 years. Despite there being ungodly kings of Judah the southern kingdom, Uzziah (also known as Azariah) was a godly king and Jeroboam one of the better ones though hardly a godly one (2 Kings 14:24 simply says that he did evil in the sight of The LORD) in the northern kingdom of Israel. There is no independent record of the earthquake, so it doesn’t help us to fix the date. Zechariah (14:5), some two hundred years or more later, refers to an earthquake but we are not given a date.
It is thought that the Northern Kingdom under Jeroboam was prospering, people were secure, and the upper classes were living in the lap of luxury. Deuteronomy 6:10-13 warned against this, and Israel was deaf to the warnings. These conditions were a breeding ground for spiritual poverty, even as we see today in the 21st century. God hates the oppression of the poor and Amos was living in the south, but he was brave enough to be a prophet and speak God’s words to all.
Notice that Amos spoke words which he ‘saw’. God had revealed it to him, possibly in a vision, but whatever way it was he took careful note of it as it was important.
In verse 2 he commenced his message – “And he said: “The LORD roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the top of Carmel withers.”” The phrase three or four transgressions, is, I think, a figure of speech not a numerical calculation of their sins because one sin is abhorrent to God.
This was a message of judgment, and the first two chapters contain God’s judgment against Gentile nations, then Judah and Israel. He first reminds Israel that the centre of worship is Jerusalem, but they had set up other places of worship at Dan, Bethel and Gilgal which was in disobedience to the instructions of God. Interesting that Amos starts with shepherds mourning, which they would if God’s judgment came upon the land. You may also recall that Mount Carmel was where Elijah met and overcame the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19-40).
He predicted coming judgment on seven nations in spite of economic prosperity and commenced with judgment on Damascus (v3-5) “…. because they threshed Gilead with implements of iron”. Gilead belonged to Israel and God’s judgment would be on Damascus for coming against His people with great cruelty with iron threshing implements. The prophecy also said that the people of Syria (Damascus) would go captive to Kir, which came to pass in 2 Kings 16:9 when King Ahvaz of Judah paid the king of Assyria to attack Damascus.
Next comes judgment on Gaza a city of the Philistines (v6-8) because they took captive God’s people to Edom. Gaza is on the coast to the west and the judgment was also against Ashdod, Ashkelon and Eklon, cities of the Philistines. The whole population of all ages were taken as slaves for profit and sold to Edom.
In verses 9,10 Amos turns to Tyre in Lebanon who, like the cities of the Philistines, took and sold the people as slaves to Edom. Their punishment was the burning of the walls of the city which would leave them defenceless.
Edom itself now faces judgment (v11,12) for attacking their brothers and showing no pity. The people of Edom were descendants of Esau, brother of Jacob, sons of Isaac. Esau didn’t care about his father’s blessing and was a godless man. Edom attacked Judah (2 Kings 8) but they had not allowed the children of Israel to pass through their land on their journey from Egypt. They persisted in their anger and wrath against God’s people and against God, even taking their brother as slaves as mentioned in the judgments against Gaza and Tyre. They had showed no pity, and God would show none to them. The next nation to face God’s judgment would be Ammon (v13-15). They were the descendants of Lot and his incestuous relationship with his younger daughter. The people were guilty of aborting babies (ripping open women with child) in Gilead to enlarge their territory. God would set fire to the wall of Rabbah, demolish their castles and send their king and his princes into captivity.
