The Book of Amos and Amos, the Person

1 Book of Amos

Summary of the Book of Amos

The purpose of the book of Amos was to announce God’s holy judgment on the Kingdom of Israel (the Northern Kingdom), to call them to repentance, and to turn from their self-righteous sins and idolatry.

2 Book of AmosGod raised up the prophet Amos, as an act of His great mercy to a people who repeatedly shunned and disobeyed Him.

Chapter 1-3 – Amos came as the days of the wicked Northern Kingdom were winding down. The people were religious but it was sadly superficial.

Amos announces that the neighboring nations would be punished. There were many of these wicked nations including Damascus, Gaza, Edom, and Tyre.

Chapters 4-8 – Amos warns that Israel will be destroyed, and gives examples of this judgment. He announces God’s coming judgment to the Northern Kingdom and uses the phrase, “the day of the Lord” which refers to God intervening to punish and judge the wicked city, which would eventually be exile by the Assyrians.

Seek good and not evil, that ye may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken (5:14).

Chapter 9 – Amos tells of the restoration and hope of Israel:

In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old (9:11).

Amos

Amos was a herdsman who lived in the village of Tekoa, before becoming a prophet during the reign of King Uzziah. Amos was not the first Bible prophet, but he was the first prophet to have his prophecies recorded in a separate book of the Bible, that being the book of Amos.3 Amos

Amos prophesied about 760 B.C. during the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah, and Jeroboam II of Israel. He left Judah and went to Israel. He had a short ministry. Amos predicted the overthrow of Israel by the Assyrians. He also predicted the doom of Judah and the doom of the surrounding nations.

In his prophecies against Israel, Amos spoke of the social sins of the day, such as greed, corruption, false worship, and injustice. His book ends with a scant hope that the people of Israel would listen and heed the warnings.

Amos’s ministry is dated 2 years before a great earthquake, which was remembered long afterwards.

His book is third book in the twelve Minor Prophets according to Hebrew order. 

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