Faith & Reason Nexus

MEANING: “Burden” or “Burden Bearer.”

AUTHOR: Amos

TIME WRITTEN: Likely around 755 B.C.

POSITION IN THE BIBLE:

• HOLY BIBLE
• CHAPTERS: 9
• VERSES: 146
• WORDS: 4,217
• 30th Book in the Bible
• 30th Book in the Old Testament
• 8th of 17 Books of Prophecy (Isaiah – Malachi)
• 3rd of 12 Minor Prophets (Hosea – Malachi)
• 36 Books to Follow It

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT AMOS:

• Amos delivered his prophecies in Bethel around 755 B.C.
• He was a farmer who transitioned into a prophet.
• The name Amos appears solely in the Book of Amos in the Old Testament.
• Amos hailed from Tekoa in Judah, situated approximately twelve miles south of Jerusalem.
• Astronomical data suggests a solar eclipse occurred in Israel on June 15, 763 B.C., which might have influenced Amos’ prophecy in Amos 8:9: “And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord God, That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight.”
• Amos ministered after Obadiah, Joel, and Jonah, and before Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah.
• His time was marked by:
• Optimism in Israel.
• Significant prosperity.
• Near-ideal economic and military conditions.
• Weakness of Assyria, Babylon, Syria, and Egypt.
• A period three decades before Israel’s fall to Assyria.

KEY THEMES IN THE BOOK OF AMOS:

• The central theme is God’s judgment of Israel.
• The sins condemned include:
• Empty ritualism in religion.
• Oppression of the poor by the wealthy.
• Idolatry.
• Deceit.
• Self-righteousness.
• Arrogance.
• Greed.
• Materialism.
• Callousness.
• Despite Israel’s breaches of their covenant with Jehovah, God’s mercy and love are evident in His sending Amos to warn them of the consequences of their failure to repent.
• Repeatedly, God declares, “I will send fire.”
• Promises from God include:
• The reinstatement of the Davidic line.
• Renewal of the land.
• Restoration of the Temple.