Amos: A Prophet

Amos’s name means “burden bearer.” He was a minor prophet. He prophesied from about 760 B.C. to 750 B.C. This would be during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash in Judah, and King Uzziah who was reigning in Israel. Amos was a shepherd, and a “dresser of sycamore trees.” This basically means that he farmed sycamore trees. His hometown was Tekoa, a small town in the wilderness of Judah about six miles south of Bethlehem, and 11 miles from Jerusalem. Because of his occupations, he moved around a lot. Then God called him to prophesy to several towns in Judah and Israel.

Amos was known as the prophet of visions because of the five visions he saw. He did not want to be called a prophet because he wasn't like the other prophets. He was just a herdsman and had not been taught to prophesy. God told him to tell the people to repent of their sins, and that he was going to bring judgment upon the land. He describes the five visions he has seen; a plague of locusts, a devastating fire, a plumb line which symbolizes how far the people have deviated from God's standards, a basket of fruit which symbolizes the short time left before the judgment, and a vision of Jehovah striking the top of the false temple in Bethel and destroying it. He then prophesies the eventual restoration of the land.

The people rejected Amos’s message. At this time, the nation was at peace and had forgotten that it was God who had given them their blessings. They were lazy, wicked, and worldly. The upper classes lived in luxury, and the lower classes struggled to meet their basic needs. We do not know what happened to Amos after he was done prophesying. Maybe he went back to his former jobs.