Book Of Amos
From Bible Exegesis
YHWH speaks to Amos, a farmer and herder and tells him to go to Samaria, the capital of the Northern kingdom. Through Amos, YHWH tells the people that he is going to judge Israel for its sins, and it will be a foreign nation that will enact his judgement.
The people understand judgment as the coming of "the Day of the Lord." "The Day of the Lord" was widely celebrated and highly anticipated by the followers of YHWH. However, Amos came to tell the people that "the Day of the Lord" was coming soon and that it meant divine judgment and justice for their own iniquity.
Content
Many scholars break the book of Amos up into three sections. Chapters one and two look at the nations surrounding Israel and then Israel itself through a moral/ethical filter. Chapters three to six are a collection of verses that look more specifically at Israel's transgressions. Chapters seven to nine include visions that YHWH gave Amos as well as Amaziah's rebuke of the prophet. The last section of the book (7:1 to 9:8), commonly referred to as the Book of Visions, contains the only narrative section.
In the first two visions, Amos is able to convince YHWH not to act out the scenes of discipline presented to him. The ideas of discipline and justice, although not enacted here, corresponds to the central message in what some refer to as the Book of Woes (5:1 to 6:14). This message can be seen most clearly in verse 24 of chapter five. The plagues in the preceding chapter, chapter four, were supposed to be seen as acts of discipline that turned Israel back to YHWH. However, the people did not interpret the acts this way and the discipline turned into judgment for the people's disobedience. In the second set of visions (7:7-9), there is no intercession by Amos and YHWH says that he "will never pass by them again." The plight of Israel has become hopeless. God will not hold back judgment because Israel refuses to listen to the prophets and even goes so far as to try to silence them (2:12, 3:8, 7:10-17).
The central idea of the book of Amos according to most scholars is that YHWH puts his people on the same level as the nations that surround it -- YHWH expects the same morality of them all. As it is with all nations that rise up against the kingdom of YHWH, even Israel and Judah will not be exempt from the judgment of YHWH because of their idolatry and unjust ways. The nation that represents YHWH must be made pure of anything or anyone that profanes the name of YHWH. YHWH's name must be exalted.
Other major themes in the book of Amos include: social justice and concern for the disadvantaged; the idea that Israel's covenant with Yahweh did not exempt them from his standards of morality; YHWH is God of all nations; YHWH is judge of all nations; YHWH is God of moral righteousness; YHWH made all people; YHWH elected Israel and then redeemed Israel so that he would be known throughout the world; election by YHWH means that those elected are responsible to live according to the purposes clearly outlined to them in the law; Yahweh will only destroy the unjust and a remnant will remain and; YHWH is free to judge, redeem and act as savior to Israel.
