Amos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Who was Amos?
Amos give us the following information about himself:
The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he envisioned in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. (Amos 1:1)
Here we are told that
- Amos came from the city of Tekoa;
- The prophecies he received came by way of visions;
- The prophecies he received were messages for the ten tribes in the north;
- During this time, Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II was the king of the ten northern tribes.
- Amos delivered these prophecies two years before some notable earthquake.
Tell me more about the city of Tekoa.
This was more a region than a city. It was on the edge of the civilized part of Judea and was south of Jerusalem. It was in this region, that herdsmen tended their flocks and farmers cultivated their crops. Because of this, we are not surprised to read that Amos was a shepherd and that he cared for sycamore-fig trees. (Amos 7:14-15)
Amos tells us that he received his prophecies by way of visions. In what other ways did the prophets receive visions?
See here.
What was the economic and religious situation of the ten tribes in the north when Jeroboam II was king?
Jeroboam II was in the fifth dynasty of kings who ruled the ten tribes in the north:
- Jehu
- Jehoahaz
- Jehoash/Joash
- Jeroboam II
- Zechariah
This was the golden age of the ten northern tribes. The situation was such that the major players Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria were all relatively weak during this time. Furthermore, we read that Joash, Jeroboam II’s father, had defeated Syria several times. (2 Kings 13:25) Then, the book of Kings gives us this information:
In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath [the northern boundary] as far as the Sea of the Arabah [or the Dead Sea, the southern boundary], according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. (2 Kings 14:23-25)
Here we see the kingdom of the ten tribes ruling the same territory that was ruled by David and Solomon.
Earlier, you had mentioned an earthquake. What do we know about this?
Earthquakes were common in this area. The one mentioned in Amos 1:1 must have been unusually powerful and memorable; it is also mentioned in Zechariah. (Zechariah 14:5)