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Background to Amos
The book of Amos concerns the prophecies of a man bearing the same name.
Verse 1 identifies this book as the words of Amos.
Amos was not a prophet from the school of prophets and did not come from a line of prophets.
Amos was “one of the sheep-breeders” from Tekoa.
Literally a sheep raiser a shepherd, also a cattleman, and a dresser of figs.
Tekoa is a village that is about 10 miles South of Jerusalem in the territory of Judah - near to Hebron.
Though he was not a prophet he was called by God to prophesy to Israel.
Though he was from Judah he was called to prophesy to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
During the 8th century BC and the reigns of Uzziah and Jeroboam II.
He was a contemporary with Hosea, Isaiah and Micah and though we find him here third in the section of minor prophets, he was chronologically the first of the writing prophets
The name Amos means burden bearer which is fitting considering that most of his prophecies and messages center around the approaching judgment on not only the surrounding nations but also judgment on Israel itself.
Truly he was a man bearing the burden of the nations.
Amos is quite structured and easily divides into three major sections.
We will be covering the first section this morning - the Introduction which is chapters 1-2.
Sermons or Messages chapters 3-6 and Visions covering chapters 7-9.
Amos is the prophet of righteousness of the Old Testament and his books reveals the principle that right religion requires right behavior.
True religion is not observing all the right feast, offerings and worship in the sanctuary.
Authentic religion and worship results in changed behavior, seeking God’s will, loving others and obeying God’s word.
This is brought out by what I consider the theme verse for the book of Amos.
Two people can only walk together if they are going in the same direction.
God was walking and leading one direction and God’s people were intent on going in their own direction.
Walking with God requires walking by His direction
The Lord Roars
Introduction
A lion’s roar is considered one of the most terrifying sounds in the animal kingdom.
Especially if you are in the African savannas walking around and happen to hear that sound - it may indicate it is time to high tail it out of there.
The lion’s roar can be as loud as 114 decibels which can rival some rock concerts.
Why do lions roar?
It is because they are a communicative species and are very social.
A lion’s roar is used to scare off intruders, warn another predator, show off - for mating reasons and it also roars to warn of imminent danger.
A lion’s roar is terrifying and paralyzing as those within its range are filled with fear and terror.
Amos likens the voice of God to that of a roar with the lion in mind.
God’s message he was given to share will be the roar of the Lion of Judah and would have a similar paralyzing and withering effect.
God wanted to get the nations’ attention but they were not listening.
To hear a lion roar like thunder would certainly alert them to the danger at hand.
God was speaking and thundering from Jerusalem.
Against Gentile Nations
The Lord’s roar first goes out against the seven surrounding nations of Israel.
In doing so I can imagine a response of agreement, approval and cheering was elicited from Amos’ audience as he proclaimed the judgments.
A repeated phrase “I will not relent from punishing for three crimes, even four...” comes from a device used frequently in the Old Testament in which a number followed by the next highest number in sequence is listed.
The higher number is usually enumerated with more detail.
Here Amos only cited the last of the crimes.
3 crimes perhaps being the fullness of the crimes and the fourth is indicative of the overflowing.
The final or overflowing sin is the one mentioned.
The cause of judgment for each nation was its sins or violations of the covenant.
The word crimes - pesa - rebellion against a divinely established and universally recognized agreement.
I believe Amos has in mind their rebellion is against the universal covenant made with humanity at the time of Noah.
God’s promise in Genesis 9:11
People’s responsibility in Genesis 9:5-7
Everlasting covenant for all
Damascus
Damascus the capital of Aram - Modern day Syria.
They are guilty of threshing Gilead with iron sledges.
Threshing is the separating of grain from the husks and the sledge was a pair of roughly shaped boards bent upward at the front with studded iron prongs or knives.
Idea could be that of torturing prisoners or a thorough and harsh conquest.
Aram’s armies had raked across Gilead slicing and crushing it as though it were grain on the floor.
Israelite territory east of Jordan suffered greatly during these battles with the Arameans
In punishing Damascus the Lord declared He would smash the bar of the city gate and break down the gate effectively stripping the city of its defenses.
Gaza
Gaza - Philistines
Four of the five cities comprising the Philistine pentapolis are mentioned - Gaza, Ashod, Ashkelon and Ekron.
The fifth would have been Gath and it was ruins in the time of Amos.
The crime of the Philistines was that they captured whole communities in slave raids and sold them for commercial prophet.
Defenseless people were mere objects and auctioned off to Edom.
For this sin they would be completely annihilated - buildings kings and people
Tyre
Tyre - Phoenicians - Lebanon today
They handed a whole community of exiles over to Edom and broke a treaty of brotherhood.
Phoenicia’s city more calloused than Gaza sold whole communities of captives to Edom while in violation of a treaty of brotherhood.
Tyre’s punishment is similar to that described in verse 7. Alexander the Great would be the catalyst to this - overrunning the city in 322 BC after beseiging it for 7 months.
6000 were slain outright 2000 crucified and 30,000 were sold as slaves.
Tyre had sold Israelites to Edom as captives and they themselves became captives.
Edom
Edom - Modern day Jordan
Edom the nation from Esau - Jacob/Israel’s brother.
Edom pursued his brother with the sword stifled compassion and anger tore at him and harbored his rage.
Persistent hostility with his brother - Israel.
Without compassion Edom let his anger rage continually
Because of Edom’s uncontrolled and unnatural anger God would send fire on Teman and Bozrah - the largest southeastern city and the fortress of Bozrah to the north - showing the entire nation would be under God’s wrath.
Ammonites
a nation born from Lot daughters sin
Ammonites - the atrocity of ripping open the pregnant women of Gilead - a feature of ancient warfare was a method of terrorizing and decimating an enemy.
The Ammonites commited this heinous act not for self-preservation but simply to extend their borders.
Due to the heartlessness of their act God would set fire to the walls of Ammon’s capital city Rabbah.
Amid the flames the dwellers of the city would hear war cries of the attackers.
Violent wind symbolizing God awesome power would lash the city and the enemy would conquer and take both king and princes to exile together
Moab
Moab - the other nation born from Lot daughters sin like the Ammonites
In ancient times much importance was placed on a dead man’s body being placed peacefully at a family burial site so he could be “gathered to his fathers”.
Robbing disturbing or desecrating a grave was an offense of the highest order.
Tomb inscriptions utter many violent curses against anyone who would commit such an outrage.
Many laws exist today against the desecration of bodies, burials - etc.
Moab in war with Edom drover their enemy back and opened the royal graves and burned the bone’s of Edom’s king.
So thorough that the bones became white powdered chalk - as lime.
Not a crime against Israel, but a sin of rebellion none the less - an assault against the Lord’s own image in people.
God would militarily annihilate Moab.
Kerioth would be consumed in fire and Moab would go down with the sound of trumpet blasts.
Against Judah
Now we see the same formula applied against the kingdom of Judah - the people of God.
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