Prophet
Amos
Prophet sent by the Lord to the children of Israel to affirm his justice and holiness against their abominations.
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Amos Prophet
Born in Tecoa, in a village not far from Bethlehem, Amos lived his mission at the time of Jeroboam II in the eighth century BC. His name means "Yahweh raises", "robust". He was devoted to agriculture and to the care of animals, and had the merit of admonishing and denouncing a corrupt cult reduced to pure exteriority, at a time when prosperity was growing in the kingdom of Israel.
Amos prophesied in a time of remarkable prosperity, a material prosperity which was soon accompanied by severe religious and moral decay; simple, rude and frank, Amos was struck by the rampant corruption that he identified above all in social injustice and the degeneration of the cult. He intervened against this degeneration with the relentless and terrible force of the prophetic word, but his ministry lasted no more than a year.
Amos, a simple farmer and herdsman, was suddenly called by the Lord as he followed the flock; he was entrusted with the mission of preaching in the two kingdoms and of admonishing the people who had corrupted themselves with welfare. He put pressure on the priests and the powerful who with their cunning cleverly disguised the injustices against the poor.
His preaching against the customs of the time caused him strong enmities, he was also expelled from the city of Bethel by King Jeroboam at the instigation of the priest Amasia.
The book of Amos is made up of nine chapters, divided into three parts: the first announcing the misfortunes that will befall the various cities, the second is a reproach to the Israelites who have deviated from the virtuous life, the third is characterized by five visions that predict the ruin of the kingdom of Israel.
Do two men walk together without having agreed? Does the lion roar in the forest, or does it have any prey? Does the young lion cry out from his lair if he has caught nothing? Does the bird fall to the ground if it has not been threatened? Does the trap go off the ground if it hasn't caught something?
Does the trumpet sound in the city without the people getting alarmed? Does misfortune happen in the city that is not caused by the Lord? Verily, the Lord does nothing without revealing his counsel to his servants, the prophets. The lion roars: who never trembles? The Lord God has spoken: who can not prophesy?
(Am 3,3-8; 7,14-15).
Amos is a man of the people, a shepherd from the South who, under the influence of God, feels he must go to the North to preach: "Who can not prophesy?" (3.8). He does not escape his call: he is torn from his everyday life and sent to speak about the Covenant and divine Justice, he will not be able to use his "words", but will express himself through the "prophetic" word to redeem and save the people from the corruption in which fell.
