Lesson 2: A Message from Amos

OUTLINE
1:1 Superscription: Introduction of Author and Date
1:2-2:16 A Speech Against the Nations
3:1-11 An Adversary All Around the Land
3:12-4:13 Prepare to Meet Your God
5:1-17 Fallen Is the Virgin of Israel
5:18-27 The Day of the Lord…Darkness and Not Light
6:1-14 Those Undisturbed in Zion and Samaria
7:1-9; 8:1-9:15 Visions and the Future
7:10-17 The Amos Narrative
(taken from Amos: The Eighth-Century Prophet by John Hayes, Abingdon Press)

BACKGROUND

Amos’ prophecy came on the heels of a period of strength and prosperity in Israel. During much of the eighth century B.C., Israel had enjoyed economic prosperity and political stability under King Jereboam II, but shifts in the international scene caused this situation to decline. For the first time in many years, people in Israel now experienced a weakened economy and uncertainty about political security. 

REFLECTIONS

It is not difficult to find parallels between the historical situation of Israel in the eighth century B.C. and that of the United States in the 21st century A.D. How are we responding to changes in our own economic and political positions? Are our instincts to do what we can to ensure that the poor will not suffer even more than usual or instead to focus on our own situations, to do what we can to secure our own high standards of living? I recently read about a woman who invited a troubled family to move into her house. The woman did not do this because she was enjoying a period of prosperity in life and had extra resources to share. In fact, she was a single mother with a low-paying job, and the additional mouths to feed would be a great burden for her. But she was moved by the suffering of her neighbors and responded with compassion. Her own financial hardship did not lead her to ignore the plight of the downtrodden. This woman’s loving actions embody one of Amos’ clearest messages: there is no excuse for oppression of the poor, not even in times of economic or political uncertainty. Amos goes so far as to declare that turning a blind eye to the poor is evil and negates any worship that is offered to God.
Amos further challenges us to consider our pronouncements of “evil.” The book opens with oracles of gloom and doom against nations that are enemies of Israel and Judah (1:2-2:16). What nations might we insert into this list of “evil empires?” Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, and Afghanistan certainly come to mind. In recent years, we Americans have been quick to highlight the destructive activities of these and other countries. The rhetoric of our politicians has been to characterize other countries as evil and our own country as the righteous bringer of peace and justice, and this portrayal has been embraced by many Americans. We can imagine our own reactions if we heard the oracles of doom proclaimed against countries like Iraq or North Korea. “For three transgressions of Iraq, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment.” Pumping our fists, we might shout, “Yeah!” “Go get’em!” The cheering continues until Amos includes the audience’s own nations – Israel and Judah – in the list. Imagine our reaction if we heard our own nation of America included in the list of “evil empires.” “For three transgressions of the U.S.A. and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.” Amos warns his audience in 5:18-20 not to be too eager for the day of the Lord to arrive (as they, perhaps, anticipate punishment to be brought on their enemies) because they will meet their own gloom and doom that day when their punishment will not be revoked.

This is not to say that the enemy nations have not committed evil and treacherous acts. They have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead (1:13) – they are terrorists, no doubt. And yet, the punishment for these nations (1:14) is the same as what is called upon Judah (2:4). It is Zion, the “notables of the first of the nations,” who is accused of a reign of violence (6:3) – not because of horrific murders but because of its revelry in wealth while others suffer (6:6). Israel may point to its history as “most favored nation” with God, but God says that it really is not different than any other nation: “Are you not like the Cushites to me?” (9:7). Can we hear God asking us: “Are you not like the Iraqis to me, O people of America?” In a time when political leaders are calling for courage, do we have the courage to face up to the evils that we commit everyday – evils that are so commonplace to us that we no longer even recognize them as evil? The behavior of the rich people in Amos does not seem all that harmful; they’re simply eating good food, listening to music, and enjoying their blessings in life (6:4-6), even engaging in worship of God (5:21-23). But they do not mourn for the poor or work to end oppression against them. The revelry of the “loungers” shall pass away, and in a most painful manner (6:7).

Amos’ prophecy is a hard one. The book ends on a positive note in 9:11-15 with a promise of restoration (though only after the seemingly invincible nation of Israel has been crushed, 9:9-10). Yet this does not overshadow the calls for repentance and change that lead up to this moment. May Amos’ words stir our hearts not to defensiveness but to honest self-reflection about our actions and attitudes toward the poor and oppressed. May we be like the woman who grieved for her troubled neighbors and opened her home to them. What can we do personally, corporately as a church, and nationally to let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (5:24)?

Jennifer Smith Green, a daughter of David and Linda Smith, grew up at Pleasant Valley and is deeply grateful for the many people there who taught and inspired her throughout the years. She is now a Ph.D. candidate in Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary.