The Prophet Amos
The major theme of the Book of Amos is God's displeasure with Israel and its neighboring nations.
Amos describes the judgment that the Lord will bring against the nations of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and Judah. He then calls on Israel to repent its sins or suffer the judgment of the Lord, from which there will be no escape. He says that the day of the Lord is coming, but it will be a day of darkness, not light.
Amos ends his book with a description of the restoration of the house of David, and says that the day is approaching when Israel will be given their own land where they will never be moved again.
Amos was a shepherd of Takoa, five miles south of Bethlehem. He lived in the eighth century B.C.E. and preached in Bethel sometime around 760 B.C.E. He was particularly hard on the greedy upper class and would encourage people to show mercy to the poor, perhaps because he had come from a poor background himself.
The book of Amos is important in salvation history because it begins to reject the Old Testament theme of Deuteronomic Dualism, that if a person is suffering, it must be as repentance for a sin. Instead he encourages a view more suited for the New Testament. A view of mercy for the downtrodden, especially the poor.
An Outline of the Book of Amos from the New American Bible
1. Judgment of the Nations
2. Words and Woes for Israel
3. Symbolic Visions: Threats and Promises
4. Epilogue: Messianic Perspective
Here is a great quote from the Book of Amos
By the sword shall all sinners among my people die, all those who say,
Evil will not reach or overtake us on that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David.
I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.
Amos 9: 10-11
Review
1. Where was Amos from?
2. Where did he preach?
3. Why is the Book of Amos important to Salvation History?
4. What job did Amos have before becoming a prophet?
Answers
Some links to info about Amos
Catholic Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
Biblia.com
Bibliography
Stulmueller, Carrol. Collegeville Bible Commentary vol. 15 Amos, Hosea, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1986.
The New American Bible: School and Church Edition. Wicita, Kansas: Fireside Catholic Publishing, 2006-07
Email any questions, comments, or complaints to pmjerry@sbcglobal.net