798 BC
Amos, a shepherd and sycamore-fig farmer from Tekoa in Judah, was called by God to prophesy against the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (approximately 760-750 BC). Unlike the professional prophets who served at the temple in Bethel, Amos was a layman whose message was uncompromising and unpopular. His prophecy begins with a series of judgments against Israel's neighboring nationsβDamascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moabβbefore turning to Judah and finally to Israel itself.
Amos's central message was that God demands social justice, not merely ritual worship. 'But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream' (Amos 5:24). He condemned the wealthy who 'lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp' while the poor were crushed (Amos 6:4-6). He prophesied the coming exile of Israel, declaring that God would not forgive the sins of Samaria despite her many altars.
Amos was confronted by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, who told him to go back to Judah and prophesy there instead. Amos's response was prophetic: 'I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, "Go, prophesy to my people Israel"' (Amos 7:14-15). Key Scripture: Amos 5:24; Amos 7:14-15; Amos 8:11; CCC 55