Major Profit From the Minor Prophets: Amos (Introduction) Amos 1:1

Amos is a 9 chapter book that deals with God’s judgement and wrath concerning sin. It deals with both the sin of God’s people and the sin of the world. It ends with a promised restoration for God’s people.

When did Amos prophesy?

Amos 1:1 (NASB)

1 The words of Amos…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.

King Uzziah reigned over Judah for 52 years. [From 792-740 BC]

(2 Chronicles 26)

King Jeroboam reigned over the Northern Kingdom of Israel for 22 years. [From 786-746 BC].

(2 Kings 14:23-27)

So Amos was prophesying at some point between 786-746 BC.

But we can narrow down further based on a couple things.

Uzziah’s was struck with leprosy some time in the second half of his reign as king of Judah. That would put Amos’s prophesy sometime between about 766-746 BC.

2. Amos also has interactions with Amaziah, the priest, who set up the golden calf in Bethel under the instruction of Jeroboam. Most Jewish historians date the false priest Amaziah’s reign as priest to around 750 BC.

The next bit of information we have is that there as an earthquake at that time, and Amos delivered his message from the Lord 2 years prior to the earthquake. The earthquake is mentioned by Zechariah as well.

Zechariah 14:5 (NASB)

5 You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!

Zechariah was prophesying in the second year of King Darius of Persia (Zechariah 1:1). That was over 200 years after Amos and he too connects the earthquake to Uzziah.

The first century historian Josephus may help us better make the connection to Uzziah.

Josephus: “Antiquities of the Jews”; Book 9, chapter 10, verse 4.

“While Uzziah was in this state and making preparations (for futurity), he was corrupted in his mind by pride, and became insolent, and this on account of that abundance which he had of things that will soon perish, and despised that power which is of eternal duration (which consisted in piety towards god, and in the observation of his laws); so he fell by occasion of the good success of his affairs, and was carried headlong into those sins of his father, which the splendour of that prosperity he enjoyed, and the glorious actions he had done, led him into, while he was not able to govern himself well about them. Accordingly, when a remarkable day was come, and a general festival was to be celebrated, he put on the holy garment, and went into the temple to offer incense to God upon the golden altar, which he was prohibited to do by Azariah the high priest, who had fourscore priests with him, and who told him that it was not lawful for him to offer sacrifice, and that "none besides the posterity of Aaron were permitted so to do." And when they cried out, that he must go out of the temple, and not transgress against God, he was wroth at them, and threatened to kill them, unless they would hold their peace (All of this is what 2 Chronicles 26 tells us). In the meantime, a great earthquake shook the ground, and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the king's face, insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately; and before the city, at a place called Eroge, half the mountain broke off from the rest on the west, and rolled itself four furlongs, and stood still at the east mountain, till the roads, as well as the king's garden, were spoiled by the obstruction. Now as soon as the priest saw that the king's face was infected with the leprosy, they told him of the calamity he was under, and commanded that he should go out of the city as a polluted person.”

2 Chronicles 26:20-21 (NASB)

20 Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they hurried him out of there, and he himself also hastened to get out because the Lord had smitten him. 21 King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And Jotham his son was over the king’s house judging the people of the land.

The Archeological Evidence:

According to Dr. Joe Uziel and Dr. Ortal Chalaf, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority: “When we excavated the structure and uncovered an 8th century BCE layer of destruction, we were very surprised, because we know that Jerusalem continued to exist in succession until the Babylonian destruction, which occurred about 200 years later. We asked ourselves what could have caused that dramatic layer of destruction we uncovered. Examining the excavation findings further, we determined that there must have been some major earthquake at that time. We then tried to check if there is a reference to it in the biblical text. Interestingly, the earthquake that appears in the Bible in the books of Amos and Zechariah, occurred at the same time when the building we excavated in the City of David collapsed. The combination of the findings in the field together with the biblical description, led us to the conclusion that the earthquake struck the Land of Israel during the reign of Uzziah king of Judah.”

Another research team, 80 miles north of the city of David, also found evidence of an earthquake. Dr. Yigael Yadin led a archeological dig at Tel Agol (or Mt. Tabor) and they discovered collapsed structures. As they researched the site, they determined the date of the earthquake to some time in 8th century BC.

Why?

The pottery found in the site consisted of locally produced items familiar from mid-8th century BC

Dr. Yadin quote:

“We know that the earthquake must have taken place in the mid-8th century since repairs were made after the earthquake and by the late 8th century, the site was abandoned, in wake of the 732 B.C.E. conquest of the Galilee by Tiglath Pileser III (745–727 B.C.E.). There are no signs of destruction at the Tel Agol site, but the abandonment of the settlement must have occurred during this period. Whether they were deported along with the other northern Israelites or whether they escaped south to the Samarian highlands is unknown.”

When asked about the specific date of the earthquake, Dr. Yadin said, “based on the of the stratum that reflects earthquake damage and the artifacts discovered in the debris, thie earthquake must have taken place sometime between 760-750 B.C.E.”

Why does this matter?

The evidence agree with what the Bible says!

Who was Amos?

Amos 1:1 (NASB)

1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa...

He was not the father of Isaiah, even though the timeline makes sense. The names are similar in English, but very different in Hebrew.

Isaiah 1:1 (NASB)

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

He was a shepherd from Tekoa.

Shepherds are often God’s choice to be his messengers.

Abraham

Genesis 13:1–2 (NASB)

1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.

Jacob

Genesis 30:43 (NASB)

43 So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.

Joseph and his family.

Genesis 47:3 (NASB)

3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.”

Moses

Exodus 3:1 (NASB)

1 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

David

1 Samuel 16:11 (NASB)

11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”

The Shepherds at Christmas

Luke 2:8–20 (NASB)

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Pastors are Shepherds

Ephesians 4:11 (NASB)

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers…

The Greek for pastor is “poimen” (poy - mane) and it just simply means “shepherd”.

God is our shepherd.

Genesis 48:15 (NASB)

15 He blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

Psalm 23:1 (NASB)

1 The Lord is my shepherd…

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

John 10:11 (NASB)

11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

Amos the Shepherd…

If the Prophet Amos were to come to our world today, he would probably feel very much at home; for he lived at a time such as ours when society was changing radically. Both Israel and Judah were at peace with their neighbors, which meant that their wealth and energy could be used for developing their nations instead of fighting their enemies. Both kingdoms were prosperous; their cities were expanding rapidly; and a new wealthy merchant class was developing in society. The two kingdoms were moving from an agricultural to a commercial society and experiencing both the benefits and problems that come with that change.

However, in spite of their material success, all was not well with God’s chosen people.

They allowed their wealth and prosperity, the blessing of God, to turn their hearts away from the Lord, and that was the case for the Gentile nations as well as the Jewish kingdoms of Israel and Judah; and Amos named them.

He opened his book with a denunciation of the sins of six Gentile nations (Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab)

There is no doubt the people of Israel and Judah applauded the words of Amos then he first started preaching. Nothing would make the Jews happier than to see the Lord judge the surrounding nations. But when Amos started to denounce Judah and Israel, that was a different story; and his popularity began to suffer at that point.

Amos preaches about the downfall of Israel and Judah.

He also preaches about the coming Messiah and the ultimate restoration that will take place at the return of Christ.

And his preaching became unpopular and he was threatened.

For us, will we continue to share the good news of Jesus, even when it is unpopular and even when our lives are threatened?