ACCURATE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE!
“THE BOOK
OF AMOS”
“THE PROPHET ON A
SINKING BOAT”
They would not predict the future, as this
would imply guesswork on the part of the prophet.
God simply used these messengers, to tell what WOULD
be happening. No guessing needed!
The books of the prophets, Isaiah to Malachi,
cover about 400 years, 830-430BC approximately, when the Hebrew
nation
was in decline.
THEIR MISSION AND MESSAGE
1. To
try and save the Hebrew nation from IDOLATRY and
wickedness.
2. Failing
this, to announce to the nation, that they will be destroyed.
3. But
not completely destroyed, as a remnant (a few left) will be
saved.
4. Out of this remnant will come
a Person
who will bring all nations to God.
5. That
person will be a great man who will one day arise out of the family
tree of
David. The prophets called him THE BRANCH. This family
tree of
David, once the most powerful family in the world, was cut down in the
days of
the prophets, and disappeared. But the family would comeback with this
man
called THE BRANCH - THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS
(Rev 19:16)
Not even understanding the full meaning and importance of
their words,
the prophets were obedient.
16 PROPHETS IN FOUR GROUPS
1. NORTHERN KINGDOM CALLED ISRAEL had the ten
tribes,
and lasted about 210 years, and the prophets during
this period
were Amos, Hosea.
The destruction and captivity Northern kingdom
went from 734-721BC. They were taken to Assyria have
simply
disappeared from the face of the earth.
The destruction and captivity of the Southern
kingdom, went from 606-586BC. Taken to Babylon.
Invading armies didn’t kill and destroy everything at
once, but slowly strangled their captive nations, with taxes, slaves
and goods.
Under their rule, they then left the very poorest in the land to
struggle on.
and EDOM
(Esau) with the prophet Obadiah
THE 16 PROPHETS ARE GROUPED AS FOLLOWS
Northern -
ISRAEL |
Southern -
JUDAH |
Other Nations |
Amos |
Before
captivity |
Ninevah |
Hosea |
Joel |
Jonah |
|
Isaiah |
Nahum |
|
Micah |
|
|
Jeremiah |
Edom (Esau) |
|
Habakkuk |
Obadiah |
|
Zephaniah |
|
|
Before &
to Babylon |
|
|
Daniel |
|
|
Captives in
Babylon |
|
|
Ezekiel |
|
|
Return from
Captivity |
|
|
Haggai |
|
|
Zechariah |
|
|
Malachi |
|
“TABLE OF
KINGS AND PROPHETS”
KINGS and
PROPHETS |
|||||
Two Prophets |
Year BC |
|
Year BC |
Fourteen Prophets |
|
|
|
The Exodus
40 years |
1446 |
|
|
|
|
Joshua in Canaan 16 years |
1406 |
|
|
|
|
The Judges 340 years (450 yrs
with gaps Acts 13:20) |
1390 |
Samuel 1100-1050 BC |
|
|
|
Saul 40yrs |
1050 |
||
|
|
David 40yrs |
1010 |
Nathan |
|
|
|
Solomon 40yrs |
970 |
|
|
|
930 |
KINGS
NORTHERN reign years |
KINGS
SOUTHERN reign years |
930 |
|
|
930-911 |
1 Jeroboam I 22 |
1 Rehoboam 17 |
930-914 |
|
|
|
2 Nadab
2 |
2 Abijah
2 |
|
|
|
|
3 Baasha
24 |
3 Asa
40 |
912-872 |
|
|
|
4 Elah
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
5 Zimri 7 days |
|
|
|
|
|
6 Omri
12 |
|
|
|
Elijah 875-850 Elisha 850-800 AMOS 780-740 HOSEA 760-720 |
875-854 |
7 Ahab 22 |
4 Jehoshaphat 25 |
874-850 |
|
855-854 |
8 Ahaziah
2 |
5 Jehoram 8 |
850-843 |
|
|
854-843 |
9 Joram
12 |
6 Ahaziah
1 |
843 |
|
|
843-816 |
10 Jehu
28 |
Athaliah 6 |
843-837 |
|
|
820-804 |
11 Jehoahaz 17 |
7 Joash
40 |
843-803 |
JOEL
840-830 JONAH 790-770
ISAIAH 745-695
MICAH 740-700
ZEPHANIAH 639-608
NAHUM 630-610 HABAKKUK 606-586
OBADIAH 586 |
|
806-790 |
12 Joash
16 |
8 Amaziah 30 |
803-775 |
||
790-749 |
13 Jeroboam II 41 |
9 Uzziah
50 |
787-735 |
||
748 |
14 Zachariah 6 mth |
10 Jotham 15 |
749-734 |
||
748 |
15 Shallum 1 mth |
|
|
||
748-738 |
16 Menahem 10 |
|
|
||
738-736 |
17 Pekahiah 2 |
|
|
||
748-730 |
18 Pekah
20 |
11 Ahaz
15 |
741-726 |
||
730-722 |
19 Hoshea
9 |
12 Hezekiah 30 |
726-697 |
||
|
ASSYRIA CAPTIVITY
734-722 |
13 Manasseh 55 |
697-642 |
||
|
|
|
14 Amon
2 |
641-640 |
|
|
|
|
15 Josiah
30 |
639-608 |
|
|
|
|
16 Jehoahaz 1 |
608 |
|
|
|
|
17 Jehoakim 10 |
608-597 |
|
|
|
|
Assyria
falls 607 - Rise of Babylon |
||
|
|
|
18 Jehoakin 1 |
597 |
|
|
|
|
19 Zedekiah 10 |
597-586 |
|
|
|
|
BABYLON
CAPTIVITY DANIEL 606-534
606–586
EZEKIEL 592-570
|
||
|
|
|
Babylon
falls 536 - Rise of Persia Return
from captivity 536 |
||
|
|
|
Joshua |
536-516 |
HAGGAI 520-516 |
|
|
|
Zerubbabel |
536-516 |
ZECHARIAH 520-516 |
|
|
|
Temple rebuilt |
||
|
|
|
Ezra |
457-430 |
|
|
|
|
Nehemiah |
444-432 |
|
|
|
|
Wall
rebuilt
MALACHI 440-400 |
AMOS
BACKGROUND
Amos
was a Southern prophet from Judah, that went to the Northern Kingdom in
the
time of Jeroboam II (Amos 7:10-11), about 30 years before the Northern
tribes
went into Assyrian captivity.
This
was also in the time of Uzziah, king of Judah (787 -735 BC), and
coincides with
the earthquake (Amos 1:1), being the result of Uzziah’s disobedience
and
leprosy (2 Chron 26:16-21).
Jeroboam’s
reign had been very successful in a worldly sense, and had expanded in
size and
prosperity (2Kings 14:23-29). However, it had become a land of
swearing,
stealing, moral rottenness, injustice, oppression, robbery,
adultery and
murder. It had been about 200 years since the ten tribes had set up the
Northern kingdom, with calf worship as its religion (1Kings
12:25-33). Baal
worship, with the sacrifice of babies into fire, and the officially
endorsed religious sodomy and prostitution ceremonies, became the norm.
Previously,
God has sent Elijah, Elisha and Jonah, but to no avail. Israel was now
speeding
toward its ruin, and God, in a final effort, sent Amos and Hosea, to
arrest
it’s coming destruction before Assyrian captivity.
DAVID’S
HOUSE WILL
YET RULE THE WORLD
Wickedness
of Israel, their doom and their restoration in David
Amos
starts with a general prophecy
of doom for eight nations – Syria,
Philistines, Phoenicians, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah and Israel
by describing their sins and their transgressions with the
same formula of “for three transgressions and for four…”. The
word ”captivity” is
repeated again and again, for that is where they will end up (1:5,
6, 9, 15; 5;5, 27; 7:17; 9:4, 14). The earthquake must have been very
severe as
it was remembered for about 200 years after it happened (Zechariah
14:5), and
is mentioned as a demonstration of God’s wrath of their coming judgment
day.
Ch 3.
Luxury palaces
Samaria was the
capital of the Northern kingdom, and was situated on a 300 foot
high hill. It was
surrounded
by mountains on three sides and was impregnable. Its palaces were built
with
the blood of the poor (2:6, 7; 3:10; 5:11; 8:4-7) with such severity
and
cruelty, that would have shocked even the Egyptians and the Philistines
(3:9-10).
Amos is
speaking at Bethel (3:14; 7:13) which is 12
miles North of Jerusalem, and was the religious capital of the Northern
kingdom. It was here that Jeroboam I had set up the Golden Calf for
worship
(1kings 12:25-33) about 180 years previous.
Amos came
from Tekoa (Amos 1:1), ten miles South of
Jerusalem, which also sat on a hill about 2,700
feet high. He was a
layman, a herdsman and collector of
fruit, and not a
professional prophet or priest.
(Verses
1-2) The cattle of Bashan, the pampered
ladies, were taken away by Assyria, like fat cows with literal hooks
through
their lips (4:2). Israel intensely religious but exceedingly cruel (v
4-5).
God’s repeated efforts to save them had failed and now destruction
awaited them
(verse 6-13)
Lament
over the fall of Israel (v1-3). Another
appeal to turn to God (v4-9). Further denunciation of their evil ways
(v10-27).
Their may have been a desire to turn to God but Amos wanted their
hearts not
their actions (v18-26).
Amos again
contrast their luxury to their captivity
that is to come.
Locusts
(v1-3)
Fire (v4-6)
Plumb Line
(v7-9). The city had been measured for
destruction. Twice, God had relented, but no more.
The Bethel
priest (v10-17) reported Amos to Jeroboam
II. Amos told the priest he would soon be captive.
This is
the symbol of a sinful nation that was ripe
for ruin.
Future
captivity (v1-9) which comes within 30 years.
David’s restored throne (v8-15) which will rule over all nations.
DAVID’S
HOUSE WILL
YET RULE THE WORLD
Wickedness
of Israel, doom and restoration
Chapter
1-2
Doom
Chapter
Luxury
palaces
Chapter
4.
Time
to meet God
Chapter
5.
Day of God
Chapter
6.
Captivity
Chapter
7. Three visions
Chapter
8.
Basket of Summer fruit
Chapter
9.
Future glory.
He
sees 1. Return of Jews to God 9:11-12
2.
Millennium 9:13-15
**** ****
Harley Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com