FIVE MILES south of Bethlehem, on the border of the wilderness of Judea, lies a small town, which was known as Tekoa in the time of the Old Testament prophets. Agricultural endeavors stop in this vicinity, which is quite dry and bare, a semi-desert region. In such rather desolate areas the sycamore fig tree seems to flourish. It is a semi-wild tree, the fruit of which is eaten by the people of these regions.
The figs of this sycamore tree are not edible unless the flesh is mechanically loosened and allowed to ferment through heat of the sun. So the dresser of the sycamore tree, we are told, must climb the tree and slit each fruit with his knife. Some commentators suggest that insects then put their eggs in these wounds in the figs and their maggots proceed to loosen up the meat of the fruit. The heat of the sun then ferments the pulp that is left. When the fig drops, it is edible, although not too tasty.
The prophet Amos was a tender of sycamore fig trees, a herdsman and a shepherd. He boldly an swered Amaziah the priest's charge to him to prophesy not again, with the exclamation, "Don't call me a prophet, or the son of a prophet. I am just a herdsman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit." By this he meant he was merely a humble man, not a professional prophet. In other words, he had never attended the School of the Prophets. Amos did not mean to indicate that the Lord hadn't called him to the prophetic office, for he describes his call very clearly in such passages as chapter 7:15.
In a sense, Amos was a missionary traveling from Judah in the south to Bethel in Israel to relate God's message of condemnation against their false religions. He delivered strong, plain denunciations against the temple of Jeroboam, the worship of calves, and the Israelites' superficial religion. One might almost anticipate the reaction of the priests and rulers, "Go home, Judean, aren't there enough problems in your own country for you to deal with. Why do you come up here to annoy us?"
Although Amos did not hold back any punches in his message, he used a very interesting and tactful method of approach. Some commentators suggest that Amos appeared at Bethel at the time of a religious festival and caught the attention of the crowds that were thronging the area by attacking the sins of the surrounding nations. One can almost hear shouts of, "You tell them, Amos!" as he ticked off the sins and judgments of God against Damascus, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and Judah, in that sequence.
In doing so, he used an ancient poetic device, introducing each pronouncement of judgment with a phrase, "For three transgressions of . . . , and for four." Apparently it took three transgressions to prove incurable and intentional wrongdoing, but all these nations mentioned had exceeded even this limit; thus, this expression is used to call attention to a great number of wrong doings.
We might also picture the crowd's enthusiasm growing a little cool as Amos mentions the sins of Judah. However, since that was his own nation, the large majority probably still agreed with him, and if you were there you probably could still hear shouts of, "You tell them, Amos!"
The mood changes, however, as he pronounced the words of the Lord, "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof" (Amos 2:6, italics sup plied). With the vigor and simplicity expected of a man of his background, Amos clearly indicted Israel for injustice, cruelty, incest, luxury, and idolatry, even for literally "taking the shirt off a man's back" and keeping it. The law indicated that if they took a man's covering garment as a pledge, it must be returned to him by nightfall, but they apparently violated the law for their own selfish purposes.
More Attention to Details
In comparing Amos' denunciation of sin with that of his con temporary, Hosea, it becomes apparent that Amos gives much more attention to the details and circumstances of iniquity than Hosea does. Lest you think that Amos' messages were all doom and gloom, however, we need to note the reason behind his warnings of impending judgment. This is probably brought out most clearly in chapter 5, verse 14, which reads, "Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live."
Amos' two dominant themes of justice and righteousness are recorded in the 24th verse of the same chapter: "But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." The righteousness theme is climaxed in the closing section of the book with a moving portrayal of the ultimate triumph of righteousness over iniquity.
Broken Covenant Relationship
The readers of this journal are well aware that in early nomadic and seminomadic societies covenants between men and between groups were the legal arrangements that made peaceful community relations possible. One of Israel's chief unifying forces during the period of the wandering, conquest, and settlement was the religious bond or covenant that God made with them. In the third chapter of Amos, God points out how Israel has broken this covenant relationship in spite of the fact that He made it very clear to them that "you only have I known of all the families of the earth" (verse 2).
Amos is obviously referring here to the covenant relationship. The punishment that results is not an arbitrary pronouncement on God's part but the natural consequences of their having separated them selves from Him. Hosea and Jeremiah join Amos in pointing out that Israel broke the covenant (see Hosea 6:7; 8:1; Jer. 11:1-6; 34:18). The Septuagint expresses the question that Amos asks in chapter 3, verse 3, this way, "Shall two walk together at all, that do not know one another?" The walk he is talking about here, of course, represents more than a casual walk, which would not be impossible under these circumstances, but that kind of close association enjoyed by companions who travel through life together.
Amos' three addresses on the sins of Israel begin in chapter 3:1 and run through chapter 6:14. Each of these is introduced with a phrase, "Hear this word" (chaps. 3:1; 4:1; 5:1). This section concludes with the pronouncement of woe on those that are "at ease in Zion" (chap. 6:1).
Eschatological Passages
There are many interesting eschatological passages in this section of Amos' book. Support for drawing such parallels is found in several Ellen G. White statements. Dealing with the familiar challenge of chapter 4:12, she states, "As a people who believe in Christ's soon appearing, we have a message to bear 'Prepare to meet thy Cod' " (Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 332).
In chapter 5, verses 18-20, Amos joins the chorus of the Old Testament prophets who describe the day of final judgment as the "day of the Lord." In The Great Controversy, page 310, this verse is quoted in connection with the events that occur at the close of probation.
Verse 19 of chapter 5 is one that has always captured my imagination. It undoubtedly reflects Amos' experience as a herdsman living on the edge of the desert. He tells of a man fleeing from a lion and running into a bear. As if that is not enough of a problem, he manages to escape both by running into an apparently unoccupied house. We can picture him there panting from exertion and leaning his hand on the wall to support himself. As he does so, a small but venomous serpent, hiding in the cracks between the stones of the wall, fatally bites him. Can you find a more vivid description anywhere in Bible prophecy of what it will mean not to be prepared for the close of probation?
You probably have often heard the words of chapter 6, verse 1, "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion" used as a warning to God's people today. Such use is supported in volume 4 of the Testimonies, page 76.
The Five Visions
The next major section of the book of Amos begins in chapter 7:1 and runs through chapter 9:10. Five specific visions are introduced with such claims as that found in chapter 7:1, "Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me." Amos' visions include such vivid and graphic scenes as destruction by grasshoppers, a fiery drought, a wall being measured by a plumbline, ripe fruit and famine, and the inevitable punishment of sinners. All of these, of course, must have had local application in Amos' day, but the use of hyperbole as well as the appropriateness of application enable us to understand that an eschatological fulfillment is also intended. The fourth vision, which suggests a famine for the Word of God, is one that Adventists traditionally have applied eschatologically. Support for this position is found in Early Writings, page 281, and The Great Controversy, page 629.
The Final Glorious Restoration The eschatological Day of the Lord is not just a day of fiery final judgment, however. For God's faithful remnant it's a day of promise and restoration. A day when "they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord" (chap. 9:15).
The amazing and almost unbelievable promises of future glory God gave through Amos are capped in striking language. He tells of the day to come when the plowman will catch up with the reaper and the treader of grapes with him that soweth the seed. Seedtime and harvest follow each other so closely, and the harvest is so abundant that it cannot be gathered in before it's time to begin the next round of sowing. Undoubtedly this is figurative language, but it contains a ring of hope and happiness that give promise of the glory of the new earth God plans for those who heed Amos' call to "prepare to meet thy God."
