Quick, easy facts about Amos:
  1. Amos was a prophet in the southern kingdom, yet he was called to northern.
  2. Amos lived during the reign of Jeroboam II in the north and Uzziah in the south. (780-740 B.C.) and (790-740 B.C.)
  3. Amos lived in a small town called Thecua which was about 12 miles south of Jerusalem.
  4. He is the third out of twelve minor prophets.
  5. Before he was called to be a prophet, Amos had 2 other jobs: a shepherd and a gardener who watched over fig and sycamore trees.
  6. Amos preached two years before a major earthquake , and two years after it. The exact date of the quake is lost to history. *What not many people know is that by Amos was the first prophet to refer to an earthquake. Many other prophets afterwards have done the same.
Amos' Calling 

 Amos was a herder in the small village of Thecua. Although this was a humble job, most Jewish scholars think Amos was a rich man. As Amos was following his flock in the desert, God called him saying  "Go, prophesy to My people Israel"  but he found this hard to believe because he was not an important man; he lived in a small town of shepherds. Another reason Amos wasn't too interested in God's calling was because the northern kingdom was in a time of prosper. Jeroboam II was taking over many outside lands, and the people were happy. Amos also thought that the people from the northern kingdom not only wouldn't like to hear that they were offending God, but they would much less like to hear it from a man from the southern kingdom. 




 Amos' Preaching’s 


 Amos told people that they would suffer because they know about God and sins, yet they chose to do them anyway. In the simplest of terms, they knew right from wrong, yet they still chose to do wrong. He specifically spoke out against wealthy people who saw a beggar on the street and passed him up without even a thought of helping him. Another thing Amos pointed out was the "emptiness" of sacraments. People went to the sacraments and didn't really participate, but still expected to be saved. Something about Amos that differs from other prophets is that his teachings do not talk of the end of the world nor are they mythical and full of symbolism. Amos is one of the few prophets who are very clear and direct; he told you what you were doing wrong and how to fix it straight to your face. The last thing Amos says to the people is
 "The days are coming, declares the LORD, when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the LORD your God.” (Amos 9:13-15) 



 






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5 Questions about Amos:

    

  1.  What kingdom was Amos from? (North or South)

  2.  Amos was a poor man without work for much of his life. True or false?

  3.  Give at least 2 reasons why Amos didn't think he was the right man for the job

  4.  Amos preached during approximately what time period? a) 1000 B.C. b) 750 B.C. c) 750

  5.  What type of people did Amos stand up for?







 Answers 





 Sources 


1) New York  Written by F.E. Gigot. Transcribed by Thomas J. Bress.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Published 1907. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York  



2) Eric Mitchell and Paul House,  Old Testament Survey , Nashville Tennesee, 2007


3) F. G. Gigot, "Amos", in The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 1, 1907 edition.





This was made by a freshmen as a theology project. 



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