Amos had no background as a prophet. He worked with animals and gathered sycomore fruit. But God sent him north to Israel, in a time when the poor were being sold for the price of a pair of shoes.
His message was so unwelcome that the priest at Bethel reported him to the king and told him to go home. The way Amos answered says a great deal about who had really sent him.
The Story of Amos
The book opens with who Amos was: The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. He begins with a picture: The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem.
Amos spoke first against the nations around Israel – Damascus, Gaza, Tyrus, Edom, Ammon and Moab – each with the same opening: For three transgressions, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof. Then he spoke against Judah. And then he turned to Israel itself: because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes. They turn aside the way of the meek, God said. He reminded them that he had brought them up from the land of Egypt and raised up prophets among them – but ye commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
In chapter 5 Amos called them back: Seek ye me, and ye shall live. He named what was wrong. Your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat. Ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. They afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.
Their worship had not stopped. They still held feast days and offered burnt offerings and sang songs. But the LORD said, I hate, I despise your feast days, and, Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs. What God wanted instead was this: But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
In chapter 7 the Lord GOD showed Amos visions of judgment. When he saw grasshoppers eating the grass of the land, Amos prayed, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. The LORD repented for this. When he saw fire, he prayed again, and again the LORD said, This also shall not be. Then he saw the Lord standing on a wall with a plumbline in his hand, and God said, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
That was when Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. Then Amaziah told Amos to his face, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.
Amos did not argue about his credentials. He said, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Then he gave Amaziah the word of the LORD – a hard word for Amaziah’s own house, and a warning that Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
Key Verses
“The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa” Amos 1:1
“They sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes” Amos 2:6
“But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream” Amos 5:24
“I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit” Amos 7:14
“The LORD took me as I followed the flock” Amos 7:15
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of Amos Teaches Us
God sees how people treat the poor. The charge against Israel was specific: they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes, took a bribe, and turned aside the poor in the gate. Comfortable houses of hewn stone did not hide it from God.
Worship cannot cover injustice. Israel kept its feast days and offerings, but God said, Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs. What he asked for was let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream – fair dealing that keeps flowing, not religion that stays on the surface.
God’s call does not depend on a title. Amaziah tried to send Amos away from the king’s chapel, but Amos had not chosen this work. I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son, he said; the LORD took me as I followed the flock. When God sends someone, no one can make his word go away by telling the messenger to leave.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Amos in the Bible?
Amos was a prophet who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel (Amos 1:1). He described himself as an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit (Amos 7:14).
Why did Amaziah the priest try to silence Amos?
Amaziah told King Jeroboam that Amos hath conspired against thee and that the land is not able to bear all his words (Amos 7:10). Amos had prophesied that God would rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword (Amos 7:9). Amaziah told him to flee to Judah and prophesy not again any more at Bethel, for it is the king’s chapel (Amos 7:12-13).
What did Amos mean by sold the poor for a pair of shoes?
In Amos 2:6 God charged Israel with treating people as if they were worth almost nothing: they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes.
What does let judgment run down as waters mean?
In Amos 5:24 God asks for justice and righteousness that keep flowing like a river, instead of the feasts and offerings Israel was bringing while they oppressed the poor (Amos 5:21-24).
Was Amos a shepherd?
Yes. Amos 1:1 says he was among the herdmen of Tekoa, and Amos 7:15 says the LORD took me as I followed the flock.
Where is the story of Amos in the Bible?
It is in the book of Amos. His background is in Amos 1:1, his charge against Israel in Amos 2 and 5, and his confrontation with Amaziah the priest of Bethel in Amos 7:10-17.