Sometime around 760-750 BCE a man from the kingdom of Judah was called by God to become a prophet. This call marked the beginning of Israelite Classical Prophecy, one of the most amazing and influential religious movements in the history of the world. The prophet was a shepherd named Amos from the village of Tekoa who moonlighted doing seasonable farm work. What was unique about Amos’ calling was that he was commissioned by YHWH to be a prophet not in his homeland of Judah but in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The Davidic-Solomonic empire of Israel split in 922 BCE. The northern ten tribes formed the kingdom of Israel while the southern two tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to the House of David and became known as the kingdom of Judah. For centuries these two nations had been at war with each other. Not long after Amos, Israel joined Syria in invading Judah in an attempt to replace the Davidic king with a puppet of their own choosing- a puppet who would agree to join an anti-Assyrian coalition to overthrow Assyrian dominance and oppression. These countries may have worshipped the same God YHWH, but they could be bitter enemies at various junctures in their histories.
So, Amos was called by God to go into a potentially hostile neighboring country and deliver a most stark and frightening message. Israel had enjoyed a long and peaceful history, especially under the leadership of its king Jeroboam II (786-746 BCE). Territorial expansion, military security, and economic prosperity were attained to a degree that would never again be experienced. Israelites assumed that all this success was the result of God’s favor, a favor they deserved because of their support of national shrines. The nation prospered because it worshipped their national God—or so the people thought. Amos came on the scene with a devastating message which challenged such smug presumptions.
The nation prospered because it worshipped their national God—or so the people thought. Amos came on the scene with a devastating message which challenged such smug presumptions.
The southern prophet appeared at Bethel, the most prominent national temple in Israel. He denounced Israel for the following sins: injustice, a reliance on military might instead of a trust in YHWH, gross immorality, and hypocritical, shallow piety and worship. Every Classical Prophet after Amos continued to focus on these national and social sins in their condemnation of their people. Amos set an agenda and proclaimed a message which would be amplified and expanded for over two centuries. He prophesied that the mighty king Jeroboam II would fall and Israel would be utterly defeated and destroyed by her enemies. As one would imagine, such a message did not sit well with the people of Israel, the king, the priests, and the worshippers who thronged to the national shrines with the intention of preserving and expanding YHWH’s favor.
The priest at Bethel, Amaziah, sent word to Jeroboam regarding Amos that Israel was not able “to bear his words”. The king gave Amaziah the authority to silence Amos and send him packing back to the insignificant village of Tekoa. Amaziah confronted Amos with these words: O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom. These words reveal so much about Amaziah, Jeroboam, and the nature of worship in Israel
First of all, Amaziah calls Amos a “seer” and not a prophet. The word “seer” could be used as a contemptable term, in this case dismissing this “nobody” shepherd who dares to claim to speak for YHWH. Amaziah also assumes that Amos is like other prophets and priests—they serve God in order to serve themselves. They “eat their bread” (make their living) and prosper by playing the propaganda game of saying and doing exactly what the national cult demands. Amaziah cannot imagine a prophet or priest actually speaking the Word of YHWH in such a devastatingly truthful way. The rules require that God be used to support the status quo of kingship and national pride and prosperity. So, Amaziah tells Amos to return to Judah and peddle his wares among his own people. This wannabe prophet has no credentials or right to prophesy in Israel.
And then comes the blatant admission which reveals the reality behind the curtain of all the religious pretense of worship in Israel. The priest says that Bethel is the king’s sanctuary and is a temple of the kingdom. In other words, Bethel wasn’t a shrine for the worship of YHWH. It was the most important part of the propaganda program designed to serve the interests of the king and his cronies. Amaziah had no intention of worshipping God or seeking God’s will for the people of Israel. This priest was on the take—on the payroll of the king. He was the king’s chaplain, not YHWH’s priest whose duty was to teach the Torah given at Mt. Sinai and lead his people in authentic and sincere worship. Amaziah was a religious whore who had sold his soul in order to reap his share of the benefits of a national religion which had co-opted the Living God. YHWH had become a servant of the king, a buck private in the military and economic regime of a sly but morally and spiritually bankrupt religious system. Israel was rotten from the top all the way down to the bottom, and this decay was sanctioned by worship in its national temples.
Amos gives this reply to Amaziah: I am no prophet, nor the son of a prophet; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and YHWH took me from following the flock, and YHWH said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, “Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.” Therefore, thus says YHWH, “Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.”
Amos admits he is not a professional prophet. Neither does he belong to a prophetic guild following a recognized prophet (“son of a prophet”). He is only a shepherd and dresser of sycamore trees. But unlike Amaziah, YHWH has called him to speak truth to power, a divine word to an immoral society. Amos is basically saying, “Amaziah, I’m here because God sent me here. We both know why you are here. I earn my bread by the work of my hands. You ‘eat your bread’ because you have abandoned your supposed calling and serve the king and not YHWH. The consequences of your, the king’s, and the nations’ injustice, immorality, trust in swords, spears, and chariots instead of the Living God, and idolatry will be a contemptuous exile. There will be a payday one day for these evil choices. At that point, we shall see who speaks the word of YHWH.”
Apparently, Amos returned to Tekoa. We never hear from him again. However, his words have been preserved (and expanded). Someone (probably several “someones”) passed on his words—words which continue to challenge the powers that be and to inspire all those who seek to address and end injustice. It was Amos who spoke the following words from YHWH about Israel’s worship: I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. BUT LET JUSTICE ROLL DOWN LIKE WATERS, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE AN EVER-FLOWING STREAM! (Amos 5:21-24) Every Classical Prophet after Amos repeated this message in their own unique ways, but this shepherd and sometimes farm worker first vocalized YHWH’s zeal for justice in a powerful and unforgettable manner. Both Judaism and Christianity are in his debt. The relevance of his message for all time will be pursued in the next two articles.
Amos 7:10-27 (NRSV)
10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said,
‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel must go into exile
away from his land.’ ”
12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15 and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
16 “Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.
You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’
17 Therefore thus says the Lord:
‘Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
and your land shall be parceled out by line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’ ”
