I am getting ready to lead a study on Amos. Not a popular book of the bible so you might be asking why I chose that study. That’s a fair question with many answers. One of my favorite Bible study teachers, Jennifer Rothschild, recently released her study on Amos which is what we are going to use.
I will be honest. I didn’t know much about the book of Amos prior to prepping for my upcoming group. I knew Amos is considered a minor Prophet and that it is a book that isn’t often taught from.
However, I have learned thus far that this small, seemingly insignificant book has much to teach us. I am going to highlight two things in this blog. First about Amos and what we can glean from him as a real person who lived and breathed and tried to figure life out with the Lord in the midst of a messy world, and two the name God chose to reveal Himself by over and over in the book of Amos.
Let’s get started with Amos. After reading through the 9 chapter book and doing a little research on the book and Amos the person, I discovered that Amos wasn’t your typical prophet. In chapter 7 verse 14 we read a very interesting statement given by Amos himself while he is speaking to Amaziah the priest of Bethel. Amos says, “I was not a prophet or the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and I took care of sycamore figs.” Amos to my knowledge is the only “non-prophet” prophet in the Bible. Let me explain what I mean by that. A prophet was someone who was a disciple of other prophets, attended the school of prophets (see 1 Samuel 19:18-24 & 2 Kings 4:38-44) or was part of the prophetic guild. It wasn’t a job just any person could apply for. You were born into it so to speak. What I love about this verse and the few verses before it is that God can use anyone for any purpose He wants. Amos lived during the time when Israel was divided into two parts. The Southern Kingdom known as Judah and the Northern Kingdom where Jerusalem was the capital. Amos mostly speaks prophetically about the Northern Kingdom during the reign of Jeraboam roughly 760 BC. Amos was a farmer, and a fig farmer at that. He was a faithful follower of the Lord. You could say he wasn’t a man looking for ministry. The Lord called Amos to prophecy during a time when things were relatively good because the priest Amaziah and the rest of the religious leaders of that day become too complacent in “the good life.” In fact verse 10 of chapter 7 says, “Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent work to king Jeroboam of Israel saying ‘Amos has conspired against you right here in the hose of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words. For Amos has said this: Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly be going into exile from its homeland.” (Amos 7:10-11). The Tree of Life Bible says it this way in their introduction to the book of Amos, “Amos gives a stark and sober reminder to those who live in relative ease. God is far less interested in our activities or accomplishments as He is in knowing the character of our being.” Amos was an ordinary man living his ordinary life when God told him to go speak to different nations and tell them what God was doing and what God thought of what nations were doing. And the most amazing part is Amos obeyed. He had no formal training. He wasn’t from a prominent family. He was just simply a man who heard God’s voice and obeyed. I love that because it tells me that God can use me, and God can use you. God just is looking for a faithful obedient person. So let the small book of Amos remind you that you can make a HUGE impact in this world for the Lord by simply hearing His voice and obeying.
The second thing I would like to highlight is over and over in the book of Amos God is called – Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot (Lord of Hosts). In chapter 5 verse 27 we read, “The Lord, the God of Armies, is His name. He has spoken.” This name for God – The Lord of Hosts – is used 235 times in the Bible. It reveres Him as being over hosts of angelic armies who gather in His name and serve at His command. All creation is subject to the LORD of Armies. The best imagery used for this name is found in 2 Kings chapter 6. Elisha warns the king of Israel where the king of Aram was since the two countries were at war. The king of Aram gets so mad at Elisha for telling the king of Israel what he is doing that he sends a massive army to Dothan where Elisha is. In the morning Elisha’s servant gets up and sees this massive army that has surrounded them. In verse 16 of 2 Kings chapter 6 we read, “Elisha said, Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Elisha prays that God would open the eyes of his servant to see “that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17)
The Lord of Hosts is a powerful name of God. It reminds us that He is Lord over everything and has armies of angels at his disposal to fight and war for us. Amos 4:13 says, “He is here: the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind and reveals his thoughts to man, the one who makes the Dawn out of darkness and strides on the heights of the earth, The Lord, The God of Armies is His name.” This majestic all powerful God tells Amos to tell the people turn from evil and live. This same God who controls the wind and waves calls to us, “Seek the Lord and live.” Amos 5:4.
The Lord of Hosts is for you, He loves you. He longs for you to live for Him, surrendered to Him. And just as He used Amos to tell others of His mighty deeds and His great love, He will use you, too.
Hopefully those two thoughts from the book of Amos have piqued your interested and you two will now go study this small but powerful minor prophet. If you do, please share what the Lord shows you in this book with me here in the comments.
