The book of Amos was written during a time when the nation of Israel was experiencing a lot of success economically. The kingdoms around them were declining, and the wealth of the nation as a whole was growing. Additionally, they had managed to restore the form of Old Covenant worship in the previous years. However, during this period of prosperity, several problems arose. The poor class in Israel grew as well and was experiencing oppression from the rich (Amos 5:10–12). Even though the form of worship had been restored, the lifestyles of the rich were becoming more idolatrous and immoral (Amos 2:7, 8:14). Amos enters the scene to preach to the people about repentance and brings a specific message regarding God rejecting their ways (Amos 4:1–5).
The fascinating thing about Amos though is that he is “not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but instead a farmer.” (Amos 7:14). And yet, God called him specifically to preach this message to the people of Israel. As he preached, Amos’s fire for God was displayed in everything that he said, even though he had no prior experience.
There are certainly obvious parallels between what was going on in Israel and what is going on in our country today. We live in a prosperous country, but we have our own issues especially when it comes to worship. How many times have we seen things that we know are signs of people rejecting God around us? In our current situation, God is not looking for people to go through special schools or years of training to preach his message; instead, God wants to use any person who has a fire burning within them to preach the message of reconciliation regardless of background, training, or situation.
Amos demonstrates to us that the statement “I’m not a preacher” is not an excuse – instead, it is an invitation to use our unique talents to preach to a lost world from a unique perspective.
Andrew “Gif” Gifford
Dalraida church of Christ is a congregation of Christians that meet in the mid-town area of Montgomery, Alabama. Our goal and purpose is to seek and follow God and His Word in everything that we do in life.