Amos Is Identified As The Prophet Amos Religion Essay Essay Example

Amos Is Identified As The Prophet Amos Religion Essay Essay Example Amos Is Identified As The Prophet Amos Religion Essay Essay Amos Is Identified As The Prophet Amos Religion Essay Essay Introduction: The writer of the Book of Amos is identified as the prophesier Amos. Amos was the first prophesier in the Bible whose message was recorded at length. Although he came from a town in Judah, he preached to the people of the northern land of Israel, about the center of the 8th century B.C. The Book was likely written between 760 and 753 B.C. As a shepherd and a fruit chooser from the Judean small town of Tekoa, he was called by God, even though he lacks an instruction or a priestly background. His mission is directed to his neighbor to the North, Israel. It was a clip of great prosperity, noteworthy spiritual piousness, and evident security. But Amos saw that prosperity was limited to the wealthy, and that it fed on unfairness and on subjugation of the hapless. Amos ministry takes topographic point while Jeroboam II reign over Israel, and Uzziah reigns over Judah. Amos can see beneath Israel s external prosperity and power ; internally the state is corrupt to the nucleus. In short, they had forgotten what it meant to follow God. Amos took his sturdy message straight to the spiritual governments of his twenty-four hours, alternatively of listening to him, they threw him out. In the same manner that Amos challenged the Israelites to reconsider their precedences, he challenges us in the flood tide to his book, and reminds us of what God wants ( Amos 5:24 ) . In this essay, I wish to compose an debut on the Book of Amos. Background and Meaning of Amos: The Book of Amos is set in a clip when the people of Israel have reached a low point in their devotedness to God. The people have become greedy and have stopped following and adhering to their values. The people in Amos clip expected the day of the Lord to be a field day ; but Amos pointed a different image of ineluctable panic. Scholars have understood Amos image of Yahweh go throughing through the thick of the people of Israel as an allusion ; to his go throughing through Egypt. They make mention in this respect to ( Exodus 12:12 ) . For I will go through through the thick of you ; says Yahweh. Harmonizing to Amos, Israel is guilty of unfairness toward the inexperienced person, hapless and immature adult females. As penalty Yahweh s retribution would be directed against Israel, and the prophesier warns his audience ; Is non the twenty-four hours of the Lord darkness in it ( Amos 5:20 ) . The day of the Lord was widely celebrated and extremely anticipated by the followings of God. Amos came to state the people that the day of the Lord was coming shortly and that it meant godly opinion and justness for their wickednesss. Structure and Subject: The nine chapters of the Book of Amos stress one cardinal subject. The people o the state of Israel has broken their compact with God, and his opinion against their wickedness will be terrible. In the first major subdivision of the book, Amos begins with seize with teething words of opinion against the six states environing the lands of Judah and Israel. These states are Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab. Next he announces God s opinion against Judah, Israel s sister state to the South ; and because of Israel s resentment toward Judah ; Amos hearer must hold greeted this call of day of reckoning with pleasant understanding. Further, the 2nd major subdivision of the book of Amos is the prophesier s three seize with teething discourses of opinion against the state of Israel ( 3:1 6:14 ) . He referred to the wealthy, luxury-seeking adult females of Samaria the capital metropolis of Israel as cattles of Bashan ( Amos 4:1 ) . He besides attacked the system of graven image worship which king Jeroboam II had established in the metropoliss of Bethel and Gilgal ( Amos 4:4, 5:5 ) . The state of affairs clearly called for a brave prophesier who could name the state back to reliable religion, every bit good as a policy of equity and justness in their traffics with their fellow citizens. In the 3rd major subdivision, the prophesier Amos presents five visions of God s nearing opinion. The prophesier s vision of a basket of fruit is peculiarly in writing. Amos described the state of Israel as a basket of summer fruit, connoting that it would shortly botch and rut in the vesiculation Sun of God s opinion ( 8:1 14 ) . Amos unquestioning obeisance and his clear announcement of God s message show that he was committed to the Lord, and His rules of sanctity and righteousness comes through clearly in the book. Amos made it kick that Israel would be judged badly unless the people turned from their wickedness and looked to the one true God for strength and counsel. The Book of Amos ends on a positive, optimistic note. Amos predicted that the people of Israel would be restored to their particular topographic point in God s service after their season of opinion had come to an terminal ( Amos 9:11-15 ) . This note of hope is characteristic of the Hebrew Prophetss ; they pointed to a glorious hereafter for God s people, even in the thick of dark times. Evaluation: The Book of Amos is one of the most facile calls for justness and righteousness to be found in the Bible. It came through a low shepherd who dared to present God s message to the wealthy and influential people of his twenty-four hours. Amos lived up to his name as he declared God s message of opinion in dramatic manner to a iniquitous and disobedient people. Amos message is merely every bit seasonably for our universe, since God still places a higher value on justness and righteousness. Amos spoke because the Lord had called him to present His message of opinion. This is one of the clearest statement of irresistible impulse of the Godhead call to be found in the Bible. Decision: Amos is known as the great prophet of righteousness of the Old Testament. His book underlines the rule that faith demands righteous behaviors. True faith is non a affair of detecting feast yearss, offering burned offerings, and idolizing at sanctuary, but reliable worship consequences in changed behavior, seeking God s will, handling others with justness and following God s bid. A positive spirit, which issued from Amos deep religion in God sustained the prophesier and gave him hope for the hereafter. This great penetration is summarized by these words from the prophesier. Let justness tally like H2O and righteousness like a mighty watercourse ( 5:24 ) . Although Amos was a shepherd by business, his book gives grounds of careful literary workmanship. The technique which the prophesier used was puns or dramas on words to drive place his message. For illustration when the prophesier negotiations about the summer fruit suggest the terminal of the land of Israel ; like ripe summer fruit, Israel was mature for God s opinion.