God furnished Isaiah with a message of rebuke to Israel. and Judah in 586 B.C., or the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Roman armies in A.D. 70. God not only called from a job, God called him while he was on the job. UNIT II – CALLING OF PROPHETS “AMOS, CALLED TO BE A BURDEN BEARER ” Sunday School Lesson No. His call to prophecy about 742 BCE coincided with the beginnings of the westward expansion of the Assyrian empire, which Isaiah proclaimed to be a warning from God to godless people. Some mistakenly assume that the prophecies recorded by Amos and the other prophets were completely fulfilled by past events, such as the demise of Israel in 722 B.C. (see 7:10–15) Message: What themes lie at the heart of Amos’s prophetic message? We do not know very much about Amos. Amos was a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. He issues a call to accountability to the kingdom of Israel. The Prophet Amos. The word took. The Prophet Amos lived during the long reign of King Jeroboam II. i. Amos denied being a prophet, or at least a full time prophet. The nature of the work which the prophets were called to perform may be seen by a study of the Hebrew words which were used to describe them and their prophesying. To appreciate the significance of the prophets’ call-experience, one must explore the wider influence it had on their ministry, as well as their message. John W. Welch, “The Calling of a Prophet,” in First Nephi, The Doctrinal Foundation, ed. b. brought up in the schools of the prophets, the pupils of which were called "sons of the prophets" (see 1 Kings 20:35; 2 Kings 2:5). The Task of the Prophet. Direct calls to a particular kind of work are rare in the Bible, and Ezekiel’s is one of the most dramatic. Isaiah, prophet after whom the biblical Book of Isaiah is named, a significant contributor to Jewish and Christian traditions. Amos is one of the prophets who documented what is ahead for the nations of the world. 6; Jer. The Minor Prophets, especially Amos and Haggai, called people out for loving prosperity and pleasure instead of being rich toward God and obeying Him. Amos was neither self-commissioned nor trained in any human institution. However, Amos told Amaziah that he was not a prophet or a son of a prophet. He moved from Tekoa in Judah to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II and prophesied the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. IX – July 30, 2017 Lesson Presented by Rev. Amos responded to God’s call with obedience. (3:1–2) The Israelites’ confidence in their chosenness also led them to misunderstand the concept of “the day of God,” when God metes out judgment against wicked people. 1:4-19; Ezek. These religious professionals could generally be counted on to uphold and defend the status quo. The great prophets of the Old Testament explained the fact of their existence as an act of God (Amos 7:14-15; Hos. A prophet's son; i.e. King brought 20th century meaning to the words of Amos: “Let justice roll down like … Although he came from a town in Judah, he preached to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, about the middle of the eighth century B.C. The Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III reigned in 745 and started a conquest of Western Asia. THE PROPHET & HIS CALL "The Words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa – what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jereboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel." This answer is also available in: हिन्दी The Lord gave Isaiah a vision calling him to the prophetic office in the year that king Uzziah ended his long reign of 52 years around 740/739 B.C. Amos is also a prophet for the 21st century, a time when the worldwide gap between the rich and the poor has never been greater. 1:2.; 3:1; Isa. The Book of the Prophet Amos presents a historical showing that Israel was a prosperous nation during that time, but that time was also being marked by social injustice. Before God called him to be His prophet, Amos was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore trees. He was in the sheep business, maybe owning or managing a herd. The Book was likely written between 760 and 753 B.C. He is the first Prophet to have a Book of the Bible named after him. He has been referred to as the “first of the classical prophets,” [1] Philip Hyatt, “The Book of Amos,” Interpretation, III, No. ii. When and where (i.e., in what historical context) did Amos prophesy? God’s call interrupted Amos’ career. In previous posts I studied the call of Amos to be a prophet and the five visions associated with his call . Amos was a layman, “neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet,” as he put it. Origin. — Am 7:15. A prophet is a God’s messenger who God speaks through. 1 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. Frank A. Davis, III ~ Pastor-Teacher Lesson Text: Amos 7: 10-17 Required Reading: Amos 7 Motto Text: Amos 7:14-15 (NLT), “But Amos replied, ‘I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. (see 6:1–7 and 8:4–10) Delivery of the message: Through what means is Amos’s message delivered to the people? 2:3f.). iii. Welcome to SundaySchoolPreacher.com. God’s judgment is never in hot haste; He always gives patient time to repent. It is an awakening call to a person that s/he was born a prophet. Delivery of the message: Through what means is Amos’s message delivered to the people? Message: What themes lie at the heart of Amos’s prophetic message? God knows His prophets even before they are formed in the womb. He was not a professional prophet. He felt a deep compulsion to prophesy (Amos 3:8). If you are called as a prophet, you will feel moved to root out and to pull down and to destroy and to throw down and to build and to plant (see Jeremiah 1:10). Intense spiritual warfare will be a frequent reality in your life. See who is a prophet. Yet his opponent there - Amaziah, priest of Bethel - seems convinced that he "prophesies", and Amos himself says that God told him to "prophesy"! Amos had his own purpose and would not allow himself to be classed among the guides who, quite frequently, bowed to the people's wishes. Rather, he claimed to be “a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees” (Amos 7:14). 1:4-2:8) and concludes with God's command to become a prophet. Similarly, we live in a time of corporate greediness and social inequality, where businesses are controlling and people are marked by their difference in status. Hello Sunday school teachers, preachers, and students! In the present post I want to study Amos’ profession. Amos relates how he was called of God to be a prophet—He prophesies the captivity of Israel. What, if any, biographical details do we know about him? The message of Amos lands on the global church today with as much force and necessity as it landed on the people of God 2,700 years ago. The Prophet Amos - עָמוֹס lived in the Eighth Century BC and was a common herdsman and keeper of sycamore fig trees (7:14) before he was called by God. He did not! Scholars have emphasized the importance of Amos among the great prophets of the Old Testament by means of various expressions. 15 But the LORD took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 Now, therefore, hear the word of the LORD. The key idea in Amos is that God is just and impartial and will judge not only the nations but also his own people for their life of ease and apathy amid human suffering. He received his call in form of a vision around 758 BC. Amos called for justice and morality. You will have a sense—a "knowing"—that you are being called to walk a narrower path than some around you. But God called him to be a prophet. Amos prophesied during the reign of Uzziah ... You alone have I singled out of all the families of the earth—that is why I will call you to account for all your iniquities. Like the shepherd David, who was called to public service by God, so also “Jehovah proceeded to take [Amos] from following the flock” and made him a prophet. In 1 Samuel 9:9 there is an editorial note to the effect that "he who is now called a prophet was formerly called … iv. Call: How was Amos called to be a prophet? (see 6:1–7 and 8:4–10) 4. (see 2:6–16 and 8:1–3) 5. How true of our day! When we look beyond the immediate conflict between Amos and the royal priest, things seem even clearer. From the solitude in the wilderness of the south, Amos was sent to the idolatrous ten-tribe kingdom in the north with its capital Samaria. For example, it may be delivered through symbolic language, symbolic acts, oracles, or vision reports. It was a time of crisis. Even the role of the prophet that Ezekiel speaks about -- comparing the prophet … A herdman (boger); usually "a cowherd;" here "a shepherd;" αἰπόλος (Septuagint). (see 7:10–15) 3. Amos the Prophet The historical background A wandering people At the start of what is a series looking at some of the prophets of Israel, it might be helpful to do a little history which gives us a feel of the background. (Up to that point, prophets were professionals and usually members of guilds or bands. The word is not the typical one for “shepherd.” He was also a cattleman, possibly managing herds in addition to his sheep. Called To Accountability / A Call To Accountability Amos 5:18-24. The calling of a prophet happens to send the prophet out to the world for his/her prophetic ministry. Jeroboam the son of Joash (not to be confused with Jeroboam the son of Nevat, the first king of the Northern Kingdom of the Ten Tribes) reigned over the Ten Tribes of Israel for forty years (from the year 3114 till 3153 after Creation). Israel and Judah had many prophets and priests attached to various shrines and sanctuaries, as well as to the royal courts. https://amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/amos-a-prophet-of-israel The author of the Book of Amos is identified as the prophet Amos. One of the most colorful minor prophets in the Old Testament was the prophet Amos. The disciples were called to be prophets. The words of Amos can be remembered by many of us today as we remember Martin Luther King, Jr., in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. in August 1963. God called him right were he was. In fact, Amos protested that he was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet ( 7:14); therefore, no one was to think that he merely fell into this occupation, or that he sought it as a career goal. Like Isaiah’s call (Isaiah 6:1-8), Ezekiel’s begins with a vision of God (Ezek. When I recently visited Israel and went in to the desert, it was interesting to note the Bedouin still living there in tents in a very primitive way. Since he spent so much time outdoors, Amos was unimpressed by the luxurious living he found common among his brethren. Amos was not a prophet. The Global Message of Amos. v. God may be calling you to use your career for his glory. Amos worked alone.) At first it seems strange to call Amos a "prophet" - after all in 7:14 he seems to deny this title! Interrupted his calmness. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: ... who then had left his throne to deliver in person his decree to his messenger the prophet, for as in Amos 3:7 the Lord God himself reveals his secrets (sod) unto his servants, the prophets. The word of the Lord took me. Unlike most of the other writing prophets of the Old Testament, Amos’ lifelong calling was not that of a prophet but involved agriculture. Amos 1:1 ----BEFORE we launch forth in a study of the ministry and teaching of the prophet Amos it is useful to see what we may learn about the prophet and his call. A gatherer of sycomore fruit. Most of us probably do not think of ourselves as prophets. Amos was the first prophet in the Bible whose message was recorded at length. Prophet Amos was born in a village called Tekoa in Judah, the southern kingdom. In this week’s lesson the prophet Amos speaks truth to power. Call: How was Amos called to be a prophet? Before his call, Amos was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees. The Minor Prophets proclaim judgment for sin, the reason why all great empires have fallen. Amaziah Accuses Amos … 14 “I was not a prophet,” Amos replied, “nor was I the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore-fig trees. All the biographical information we do have comes from his book, particularly today’s passage, which tells us he was “among the shepherds of Tekoa” (Amos 1:1).