18. AMOS
Amos, a shepherd who lived near Jerusalem, lived about 750 years before
the coming of Jesus. He preached at the religious center of Bethel, which was
14miles north of Jerusalem, during the prosperous reign of King Jeroboam II.
THE SITUATION AT THAT TIME. Amos went to Bethel which was the northern
religious center. There he delivered a strong message against the rich as
the poor and the innocent had their rights taken away by unjust lawsuits and
economic deals. The poor were sold for a pair of sandals or for a few pieces of
silver. The Israelites worshiped at pagan shrines. They lived a rich lifestyle
by taxing the poor.
THE PREACHING OF AMOS. Amos predicted punishment against the shrine of
Bethel with the destruction of its altar. The winter and summer homes of the
rich would be destroyed. The rich women, who were compared to cows, would
suffer a great deal. The Israelites would be led captive to Assyria.
THE REJECTION OF AMOS. Amaziah, the priest at the royal shrine of
Bethel, reported to King Jeroboam II that Amos was a traitor and demanded that
Amos leave Bethel and return to Judah his own country. Amos answered that he
was not a prophet nor a member of one of the prophetic orders. God called him
when he was watching his flock. He refused to stop preaching and predicted an
imminent disaster. God's people would be exiled to an unclean land because the
people there worshipped an idol as their god.
Amos was called by God to preach at Bethel, the northern religious
center. He spoke against the unjust businessmen who stole from the poor. He
foretold the suffering and destruction that would befall the northern kingdom.
