THE GRADUATES AND STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS IN COMPARSION TO AMOS

TNDL: “THE PROPHECIES OF THE MOST HIGH GOD VS HUMAN IDEAS, FEELINGS, THOUGHTS AND THEIR INSPIRATION. WHY WAS AMOS, AND EZEKIEL AND DANIEL OF THE FUTURE END TIMES SO ACCURATE AND TO THE POINT TO THEIR COMING TO PASS, AS WAS FORETOLD BY THE HOLY SEER PROPHETS OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL? WAS THIS THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY FROM THE MOST HIGH GOD OR HUMAN INSPIRATION, FEELINGS OR THEIR OWN UNDERSTAND? SEE THE DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE GRADUATES AND STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS, IN COMPARISON TO AMOS, WHO WAS NEVER ONE OF THESE GRADUATES FROM THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS. LOOK AT AMOS 3.”
The Lord Reveals His Secrets to His Servants the Prophets
Amos
(8-1) Introduction
He was a shepherd from Tekoa, a small village in the hill country of Judah, but his message was for the whole house of Israel and the nations of the world. It was not then a new message, and it has significance even today. Though Amos spoke of the judgments which were about to descend on the nations surrounding Israel and on the two kingdoms of the house of Israel, his message is the same one God has given since the earliest history of the world. It is a simple yet profound message that carries a solemn warning: there is a way to come into God’s favor and gain eternal life. That way is always open to the penitent and obedient, but to the impenitent, those who harden their hearts against the Lord, the way is shut. In the place of life there is death; in the place of joy there is sorrow; punishments replace blessing; judgments and destruction replace protection and power.
Study Amos carefully, for his message is one that can help each of us find the way to life and peace.
Instructions to Students
Use the Notes and Commentary below to help you as you read and study the book of Amos.
Complete the Points to Ponder as directed by your teacher. (Individual-study students should complete all of this section.)
Notes and Commentary on Amos
(8-2) Amos 1:1. Who Was Amos and When Did He Minister?
The Hebrew name Amos means “bearer” or “burden” and refers to the weighty warning that the Lord commissioned Amos to carry to the kingdom of Israel. Amos was a shepherd from a city called Tekoa, now a hilltop of ancient ruins about six miles south of Bethlehem, away from the normal trade routes. Although small and obscure, Tekoa was strategic enough that Rehoboam fortified it as a southern city of defense for Jerusalem (see 2 Chronicles 11:6). Amos was an alert observer of people and nations, and scholars agree that he was far from being an untutored rustic, even though he described himself as a simple herdsman (see 1:1; 7:14–15).
Tekoa
Amos was from Tekoa.
Since the contemporaneous reigns of Judah’s Uzziah and Israel’s Jeroboam II are specifically mentioned in the scripture, the ministry of Amos has been estimated to have been about B.C. 750. If so, he may have been contemporary with Isaiah and Hosea.
(8-3) Amos 1:2. “The Lord Will Roar from Zion”
“This introduction was natural in the mouth of a herdsman who was familiar with the roaring of lions, the bellowing of bulls, and the lowing of kine [cattle]. The roaring of the lion in the forest is one of the most terrific sounds in nature; when near, it strikes terror into the heart of both man and beast.” (Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible … with a Commentary and Critical Notes, 4:672.)
The term Zion sometimes refers to Jerusalem, where there is a hill by that name, but that is not always the case, as the following references indicate: Joel 3:16–17; Isaiah 2:2–3; 40:9; 64:10. Isaiah 2:2–3speaks of a latter-day Zion. This Zion will be located on the American continent (see Article of Faith 10). For a broader listing of references concerning the geographical location of Zion, see Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Zion.” See also Notes and Commentary on Joel 2:1.
(8-4) Amos 1:3–2:16. The Lord Will Pour Out Judgments
Here the prophet Amos forecast the Lord’s judgments upon the Syrians (see Amos 1:3–5), Philistines (see Amos 1:6–8), Tyrians (see Amos 1:9–10), Edomites (see Amos 1:11–12), Ammonites (see Amos 1:13–15), and Moabites (see Amos 2:1–3). All of these people were neighbors of the Israelites and in most cases had been enemies to the covenant people. Once those judgments had been pronounced, Amos outlined the judgments coming upon the kingdoms of Judah (see Amos 2:4–5) and Israel (see Amos 2:6–16). His linking the two kingdoms of the Israelites with other nations suggests that Israel was no longer a “peculiar people” (see Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 14:2) but had become like the gentile nations around them.
Even though Amos was sent especially to Israel, he spoke for God against the evils of all the nations. Some have termed Amos a prophet of doom, but he only warned the people of the calamitous paths they were following. All of these territories or kingdoms eventually fell.
(8-5) Amos 1:3, 6, 11. “For Three Transgressions … and for Four”
The expression “for three transgressions … and for four” indicates that the sins alluded to have been exceedingly abundant. The same style is used in Proverbs 6:16, “these six things … yea, seven,” and in Matthew 18:21–22, “seventy times seven,” referring to an infinite number. A modern English equivalent would be the expression “a hundred and one times.” The implication of the idiom is that three transgressions are too many, and you have even exceeded that. Or as C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch explained: “The expression, therefore, denotes not a small but a large number of crimes, or ‘ungodliness in its worst form.’” (Commentary on the Old Testament, 10:1:242.)
(8-6) Amos 1–2. Why Were These Nations to Be Punished?
The reasons given by Amos in his pronouncements of the judgments upon the various nations may seem puzzling at first. One could question whether one evil act, no matter how serious, normally brings the judgments of God upon a nation. Amos was inspired to use a poetic device. He selected the act or trait of each nation that dramatically illustrates the extent of their wickedness. The one act mentioned is proof of how far that nation has sunk in iniquity. The following table summarizes the items mentioned and their significance.