Introduction

In the days of Uzziah and Jeroboam II, God calls a lowly shepherd from Tekoa, near Bethlehem in Y’hudah, to prophesy against several nations, but principally Isra’el. He concentrates instead on rebuking both Isra’el and Y’hudah for the meaninglessness of their worship, whatever its form. He advocates for consistency in one’s religious practices and daily ethical behavior. His message is presented first in the form of eight “burdens” directed against various nations. According to the first verse of this prophecy, ‘Amos prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah (792–740 B.C.) in the southern kingdom of Y’hudah and Jeroboam II (793–753 B.C.) in the northern kingdom of Isra’el. This means that he preached around 760–750 B.C.

Preface

1 ¹ The words of ‘Amos, one of the sheep owners in T’koa, which he saw concerning Isra’el in the days of ‘Uziyah, king of Y’hudah, and Yarov‘am, the son of Yo’ash, king of Isra’el, two years before the earthquake;

Judgment Against Nations

² he said: Adonai is roaring from Tziyon, thundering from Yerushalayim; the shepherds’ pastures will mourn, and Mount Karmel’s summit will wither.

This verse sets the theme of the book: God is like a roaring lion. This symbolically portrays His giving a message to His prophets and His readiness to pounce and attack (see 3:4–8).

Against Syrians

³ Here is what Adonai says: “For Dammesek’s three crimes, no, four – I will not reverse it – because they threshed Gil‘ad with an iron-spiked threshing-sledge; ⁴ I will send fire to the house of Haza’el, and it will consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad. ⁵ I will break the bars of Dammesek’s gates. I will cut off the inhabitants from Bik‘at-Aven, and him who holds the scepter from Beit-‘Eden. Then the people of Aram will go into exile in Kir,” says Adonai.

God denounces Syria (whose capital city is Dammesek’s) because it had committed awful atrocities against the people of Gil‘ad, which was in the northern part of Isra’el. There was constant war between Dammesek’s and Isra’el, and during these times the people of Dammesek’s had inflicted great brutality (see 2 Kings 10:32–33 and 13:22). When Amos described the sins of Dammesek’s as threshing ‘Gil‘ad with sledges having iron teeth’, he was saying that they had torn the people of the northern area of Isra’el apart in much the same way as the sharp teeth on agricultural threshing implements tear the heads of grain from their stalks.

Because of this, their punishment will be like fire consuming them. The people of Syria will be punished by the destruction of all their palaces and pleasant places of recreation (i.e., the places frequented by Hazael, the King of Syria). The self-important Syrians, who held power in the Valley of Aven and in Beth Eden, would be scattered and flee far away to Kir (the location of which is unknown today), from which they had originated (see 9:7).

Against Philistines

⁶ Here is what Adonai says: “For ‘Azah’s (modern Gaza) three crimes, no, four – I will not reverse it – because they exiled a whole population and handed them over to Edom; ⁷ I will send fire to the all of ‘Azah, and it will consume its palaces. ⁸ I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon. I will turn my hand against ‘Ekron, and the rest of the P’lishtim will perish,” says Adonai, God.

The people of Philistia (Gaza) who lived along the southern coastline, guarding the road which led up from Egypt, were also to be punished for their sins. The Philistines had been a continual ‘thorn in the sides’ of the children of Isra’el as they had sought to establish themselves in the land during the time of King Saul and King David. In the days preceding those of Amos, these same people had ‘[taken] captive whole communities and sold them to Edom’. They had done this for gain, as had the people of Tzor (see 1:9 that follows). Edom had long been the enemy of Isra’el (see below). Because of their sin, each of the local leaders of the Philistines, the kings of Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron, were going to be destroyed. This prophecy is echoed in Zephaniah 2:4–7.

Against Tzor (Tyre)

⁹ Here is what Adonai says: “For Tzor’s three crimes, no, four -I will not reverse it – because they exiled a whole population to Edom and did not remember the covenant with kinsmen; ¹⁰ I will send fire to the wall of Tzor, and it will consume its palaces.”

Tzor was the chief city of splendid Phoenicia, which had been one of the leading seafaring nations of the past. In 1 Kings 5:1 and 12, we read that the king of Tzor and King Solomon had made a treaty of friendship. But selfishly, the people of Tzor had broken their agreement and had sold slaves to their enemy (Edom). God takes a very dim view of covenant-breakers; therefore, He is going to destroy Tzor and all its great wealth.

Against Edomites

¹¹ Here is what Adonai says: “For Edom’s three crimes, no, four – I will not reverse it – because with sword he pursued his kinsman and threw aside all pity, constantly nursing his anger, forever fomenting his fury; ¹² I will send fire on Teman, and it will consume the palaces of Botzrah.” [1]

Edom was a nation set up high on the rocks to the south of the region. Their territory guarded the south-west entry into the Promised Land. When Moshe arrived at Kadesh (having travelled through the desert for many years), he asked the king of Edom for permission to pass through his land. This consent ought to have been given readily and cheerfully because the Edomites were descended from Ya’akov’s brother, ‘Esav, but it was rudely and vigorously refused (Numbers 20:14-21). This set up a stream of hostility which continued throughout the generations until the time of ‘Amos.

As you read through Amos 1:1-12, you may find yourself questioning the state of your own family relationships. Perhaps there is a family member you’ve been avoiding or a conversation you’ve been postponing due to past grievances. This week, identify one person in your family with whom you need to reconnect and set aside time for a heart-to-heart talk. Be open, listen well, and allow the Lord to guide your words. This act of reconciliation echoes the message of justice and concern for relationships central to ‘Amos’s prophecy.

In our next post, we will continue to learn about the Prophecy of ‘Amos.

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[1] ‘Amos 1:1-12.