Book of amos and the poor

Amos accuses israel of breaking their covenant with god, and highlights how their idolatry has led to injustice and the neglect of the poor. It is a stirring warning to all of the dangers of apostasy, rebellion and complacency. The book of amos, the third of the twelve minor prophets, has been one of the most significant and influential books of the bible from the time it was written 8th century bce down to the 20th century. Amos not only indited the wealthy but threatened them with gods power and judgement, destruction of their social order, and loss of their political status and exile. Amos condemns all who make themselves powerful or rich at the expense of others. The book of amos is an intriguing scripture from a unique individual, amos, a shepherd and fig tree farmer dwelling in southern judah who is called by god to go to bethel and announce warnings of judgment. It is hard to read the book of amos and not conclude that the lord is deeply moved when one nation deals cruelly with another, or when the weak and helpless in society are crushed by the powerful. The other explanation, supported by kimchi, sehegg, keil, and knabenbauer, is preferable. The surviving israelites were taken into captivity where they.

The poor of the land and the pride of jacob desiring god. Today the ranks of the poor are growing dramatically, while. However, both words connote wanting because of oppression or exploitation and refer to the weaker members of society. This book provides a detailed exploration of this theme and other important elements of the theology underlying the book of amos. Amos was a contemporary of hosea, isaiah, and jonah.

Not all of the material found in these chapters came from amos himself. Introduction a number of recent studies of the book of amos have been concerned with the sociological characterization of the prophet. Whether these passages are from amos or were added to the original by persons who lived at a later time is a question concerning which there is some difference of opinion. Social justice in the book of amos the marcus j borg. Book of amos overview insight for living ministries. Despite the fact that he lived in the southern kingdom of judah, god sent him as his prophet to the northern kingdom of. Amos also shows us that god demands justice for the poor. Many people in todays society and throughout history have chosen to turn away and remain oblivious to the plight of the poor. The book of amos is named after the prophet whose words are collected in this book. Watch our overview video on the book of amos, which breaks down the. Sep 24, 2017 the book of amos records plagues that befell the kingdom of israel. As punishment for her spiritual and moral decay, israel was invaded by assyria in 721 bc and crushed in a devastating war. Two looks at israels covenant failure bibleproject.

Amos meaning burden or burdenbearer was an inhabitant of the rugged region of tekoa, located in the territory of judah about 12 miles south of jerusalem. The second pairing warned the people of their impending doom for not heeding the. The septuagint renders this prophets name as amos was not prophetically trained or endorsed by the church leaders. While hosea only prophesied regarding israel amos also prophesied concerning the neighbouring nations of israel. It would be useful, then, to examine exactly what activity amos condemns in gods name. Vulgate, diripiebatis, with which the chaldee agrees. Amos, like hosea, accuses israel of idolatry, but the main burden of his accusation is about the results of social injustice connected to their idolatry. Charity is hard to find and instead the wealthy are oppressing and taking advantage of the poor. It is a short book full of passion and anger whose subject matter is a protest in the name of god against social injustice, complacency and hypocrisy. Amos wrote at a time of relative peace and prosperity but also of neglect of gods laws. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like. To israel, amos prophesied judgment for turning away from the lord and for forgetting the poor and needy.

In the book of amos, we find two uses amos performed. Lessons from the book of amos, part i steps to life. Hear this word, you cows of bashan on mount samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, bring us some drinks. The words of amos reveal jehovahs mercy towards an unworthy people. The book of amos is a stinging rebuke of a nation that has rejected and forgotten god. There is nothing special about the exodus from egypt when israel is immoral rashi, rabbi joseph kara. The probable meaning is that they so reduced the poor marl by their exactions and injustice, that he was compelled to pay his debt by selling himself into slavery leviticus 25. It repeatedly points out the failure of the people to fully embrace gods idea of justice. You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. The prophet amos lived during the long reign of king jeroboam ii. Not one of the recognized prophets of israel, nor was he a priest, not even a native of israel but a farmer called of the lord from judah to warn the northern kingdom of the coming judgement. In particular, several have attempted to define the political intent of the prophet and or the book which bears his name.

More than almost any other book of scripture, the book of amos holds gods people accountable for their illtreatment of others. Amos spoke to an oppressed society and his concern for the poor and the oppressed made him a prophet for all times. Amos is a shepherd and a fruit picker from the judean village of tekoa when god calls him, even though he lacks an education or a priestly background. They were selling off needy people for goods, taking advantage of the helpless, oppressing the poor, and the men were using women immorally amos 2. Amos, a judaean prophet from the village of tekoa, was active in the northern kingdom of israel during the reign of jeroboam ii c. The book of amos is remarkably relevant for our culture, especially in the current economic malaise. Chapter 5 i believe the two messages in this chapter are that god hates his people worshiping other gods and hates when the innocent and poor are treated with injustice and harsh. Trailer studying the book of the prophet amos is an excellent way to begin a study of the prophetic tradition of israel. Justice in the book of amos as a focus of study the word justice. The concept of justice in the book of amos heartwell.

The book of amos reminds us that gods blessings dont always coincide with our obedience and are often in spite of our disobedience. Keil, schegg, and most modern commentators explain the word, by a. Amos castigated the extravagance of the northern kingdom, who trampled the head of the poor into the dust of the earth 2. This summary of the book of amos provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of amos.

Marcus borg speaks on the topic of social justice in the bible, specifically book of amos, he looks at the societal context and world orders contemporary to jesus and his disciples to help understand their views of social justice. Amos is the earliest prophet named in the old testament books. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. The poor and the needy in the book of amos terry giles 1.

And even though tekoa is in the southern kingdom of judah ten miles south of jerusalem, amos delivered his message to the northern kingdom of israel. Sam bentz 112116 old testament amos on poverty the brutal reality of poverty often can be lost on the minds of most ordinary people. Kicking the poor when they are down instead of giving them a hand up. The book of amos is a locus classicus of gods concern for the poor. The bible amos, judgement of god on kingdom of judah. In the first few verses of chapter 4, amos doesnt have any pleasant words to say to the wealthy women of samaria who through their selfindulgent lifestyles oppress the poor, crush the needy, and demand that their husbands always bring them drinks, referring to those women as cows of bashan and saying that god will bring every last one of them out by fishhooks note. Editors and copyists added comments to the prophets original oracles that they deemed appropriate in light of events that occurred after his death.

The biblical books bearing their names suggest that amos, isaiah, and. Poverty amos was a shepherd from tekoa before god called him to be a prophet to israel 1. Even the one refuge of the poor, the courtsystem, has been corrupted and turned on its head to serve the rich instead of the poor. Find out what true worship looks like in the book of amos. Powerful and wealthy families, corporations, lobbying groups, and governments hold tremendous sway overand often outrightly controlthe government of the united states. Amos with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Amos mission is directed to his neighbor to the north, israel. The book of amos begins and ends with references to an earthquake 1.

Our western civilisation is by any standards of measure living in a time of great prosperity. The women oppressed the poor and demanded wealth for themselves. This amos should not be confused with amoz, the father of isaiah. Amos and hosea were coworkers and may even have gone on preaching tours through the land together, although hosea continued his work after amos passed from the scene.

Nowhere in amos does the lord ever make reference to poverty as the fault of the poor. Through a series of three visions which are interrupted by a historical interlude illustrating the rebelliousness of the nation, and the resumption of a forth vision note the 3 plus one motive from chapters 12, amos proclaims the certain judgment leading to captivity which will come upon israel for their abusive actions to the poor and. The concept of justice in the book of amos heartwell productions. However, amos and other prophets include israel as an enemy of god, as israel is guilty of injustice toward the innocent, poor, and young women. Comprising only nine chapters of oracles, it was composed during the age of jeroboam ii, king of israel from 786 to 746 bce. He was a shepherd and farmer, but had the special commission to proclaim gods message to the people of israel more precisely, to the northern kingdom of israel, since the people of israel had split into two kingdoms some 150 years before amos days. The superscription, or heading, was probably added by a later editor, but it may nevertheless give accurate information. Amos has much to say about oppression and the plight of the poor in israel, so it is only natural that his book has become a focal point for discussions about social justice. Amos, a judaean prophet from the village of tekoa, was active in the northern kingdom. And he said, the lord will roar from zion, and utter his voice from jerusalem. The book of amos, which is the earliest of the prophetic writings to be preserved in book form, consists of nine chapters. Amos turned each vision into an oracle for the people. The book of amos then concludes with a dramatic aboutface, in which gods eternal love of israel shines forth. The fifth chapter of amos contains some of the most striking and most famous justice language in the bible.

Social justice in the book of amos the marcus j borg foundation. During their time of godgiven security, israel had abused her most insecure citizens am 4. The book of amos is the third of the twelve minor prophets in the tanakhold testament and the second in the greek septuagint tradition. I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him, says the lord. Amos lived in the kingdom of judah but preached in the northern kingdom of. Amos was condemning those who get rich by oppressing the poor. Hear this word, you cows of bashan on mount samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, bring us.

He spoke against an increased disparity between the very wealthy and the very poor. The book of amos was likely written between 760 and 753 b. His major themes of justice, gods omnipotence, and divine judgment became staples of prophecy. We tend to look at these passages with 21st century political and economic concerns without first trying to understand amos own world. Commentaries describe the area as somewhat rugged, rocky, and with sparse grazing fields. To begin, marcus tells a parable about cows who are confined by an electric. And we must never forget that amos is speaking to us, the church of god, the israel of god. Gods social justice amos the prophet fulfilling the. The prophet was sent to warn the people and lead them to repentance, but they would not change. Theres one action above in particular that amos really seems fixated on. In this book, amos accuses israel of breaking their covenant with god and highlights how their idolatry has led to injustice and the neglect of the poor. A call to repentance 10 there are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity. We find two quotations from the book of amos in the acts of the apostles.

Amos was a shepherd, a common man, who was called by god to deliver a message both to israel and to her neighbors. The book begins with a lions roar that withers fertile pastures amos 1. The book of amos records gods assessment of ancient israels internal condition some forty years before she fell. Shepherds in that region had to make extensive trips to feed their flocks. Apr 02, 2020 book of amos, the third of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book under the jewish canon titled the twelve. Amos is also a prophet for the 21st century, a time when the worldwide gap between the rich and the poor has never been greater. Each one of these plagues was connected to a vision amos received from on high. Amos on poverty sam bentz old testament amos on poverty. Social justice in amos the good book blog biola university. Jeroboam the son of joash not to be confused with jeroboam the son of nevat, the first king of the northern kingdom of the ten tribes reigned over the ten tribes of israel for forty years from the year 3114 till 3153 after creation.

In another oracle amos speaks for god against the lavish orthodox worship practiced by the wealthy and instead asks for justice and righteousness. God also had many things to say about the rich people. For three sins of moab, even for four, i will not relent. The book of amos is largely a complicated arrangement of these plagues, visions, and oracles. The book of amos introduction to the book of amos in the bible. And so you will not live in the fine stone houses you build or. Amos has much to say about oppression and the plight of the poor in israel, so it is only natural that his book has become a focal point for.

He also foretells, as a punishment from god, the captivity of the ten tribes in a foreign country. Several passages in the book of amos, especially in the last chapter, indicate that the israelites will return from captivity and will be happy and prosperous in their own land. What the prophet amos had to say about economic justice. Despite the fact that israel certainly had problems with idolatry in his time, amos never explicitly condemns itnor any other sin pertaining to israels direct service of god. Isaiah speaks of the king to come who will judge the poor with righteousness. The book of amos is an intriguing scripture from a unique individual, amos, a shepherd and fig tree farmer dwelling in southern judah who is called by god to go to bethel and announce warnings of judgment to the northern kingdom of israel. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them.

At least three aspects of the issue dealt with by amos concern the nature of god, the role of the individual, and the role of the social system. He was a shepherd and tended to sycamore fig trees. The hebrew word boshes is found nowhere else, and is variously explained. This takes me to the scriptures in deuteronomy and matthew love the lord god with all your heart, soul, and body. Arguably, the book of amos is exclusively about morality and social justice. Book of amos, the third of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book under the jewish canon titled the twelve. These oppressors desire eagerly to see the poor crushed to the earth, or so miserable as to scatter dust on their heads comp. Seven passages on social justice 5 the gospel coalition. The straining of gods mercy compared to the overloading of a wagon 2. The first pairing of visions and oracles called the people to repentance. The theology of the book of amos in modern times, amos has come to be considered one of the most important prophets, mainly for his uncompromising message about social justice.

Instead of sympathizing or assisting those in need, individuals choose to ignore the problem or even go so far as to cast judgement. Yahweh was coming from zion to judge the nations for their rebellion against the creator of the earth. Summary of the book of amos the story of the bible. The superscription, or heading, was probably added by a later editor, but it. Because he burned to ashes the bones of edoms king, i will send fire on moab that will consume the fortresses of kerioth. The lord rebukes his people for turning justice into wormwood 7, for hating the one who speaks the truth 10, for trampling on the poor 11. Amos, an older contemporary of hosea and isaiah, was active c. He was a herder of sheep and possibly cattle and a cultivator of sycamore figs amos 1. Amos is also a prophet for the twentyfirst century, a time when the gap between rich and poor has never been greater. The three roots that branch off from this rejection of god are addiction to luxury, indifference to honesty, and hardheartedness against the poor. The most popular bible verses from amos found 146 verses amos 4. Amos was a shepherd in a region called tekoa, about six miles south of bethlehem. As in the book of hosea religion was prospering but faith in the one true god yhwh was on the decline. The only ways we have to assign a date to amos are the superscription to the book 1.