Amos was not a professional prophet. He herded sheep and tended sycamore figs near Tekoa, in the southern kingdom. God sent him north to Israel at the height of its wealth, when the rich lay on ivory beds and sold the poor for a pair of sandals.
He started by condemning Israel's neighbors, and the crowd likely cheered, until he turned on Israel itself. At the royal shrine of Bethel the priest Amaziah told him to go home. Amos answered that he was no prophet's son; the LORD had taken him from the flock. His book ends with God's promise to raise up David's fallen booth.
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But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Name means
Burden-bearer
Home
Tekoa, in Judah
Role
Shepherd and tender of sycamore figs, sent to prophesy in Israel
Read in
Amos's story
The plumb line
Beginning
From the flock
A shepherd from Tekoa is sent north with the LORD's word.
High point
Roaring against the nations
He announces judgment on Israel's neighbors, one after another.
Turning point
Then Israel
He turns to Israel: they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for sandals.
Turning point
Praying for Jacob
Shown locusts and fire, he begs God to forgive, and God relents.
Low point
Sent away from Bethel
The priest Amaziah reports him to the king and tells him to go home.
Ending
The booth of David
His last word is hope: God will rebuild what has fallen.
Starts as a shepherd with no title. Ends as a prophet whose last word was rebuilding.
Where Amos lived and went
Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.
HomeMinistryKey momentTraditional or uncertainPinch or use + to zoom. Tap a cluster to spread it out.
How Amos is wired
The Challenger
Enneagram 8, Peacemaker wing
To protect the weak and confront those who misuse power.
Scripture doesn't give us much here, so treat this as a best guess.
At their best, toward 2 Under stress, toward 5
Why we think so
1
He faces power directly. He tells the priest of the king's shrine what will happen to him. ()
2
He defends the poor. He condemns those who trample the poor and crush the needy. ()
3
He speaks bluntly. He calls the wealthy women of Samaria cows of Bashan. ()
The 9 wing shows in his plainness. He does not want a title, only to go back to his sheep. ()
The Helper. At his best his strength turns to pleading for the people he warns. ()
The Investigator. Little recorded.
The case for 1
His fierce sense of right and wrong could fit a Reformer.
Other lenses
Big Five. Read from what is recorded in Kings and the prophets.
ReservedOutgoing
SteadyReactive
ChallengingAccommodating
SpontaneousDisciplined
TraditionalCurious
DISC style: Blunt, brave, plain
Strengths & struggles
What's good in Amos
Courage before power (). A clear eye for injustice (). Prayed for Israel when shown its judgment ().
Where Amos struggles
Scripture records little of his failings.
What Amos wanted most
Justice for the poor and true worship in Israel ().
Amos promised that David's fallen house would rise. James says it did, in Jesus.
At the council in Jerusalem, James quotes to show that God was rebuilding David's tent so the nations could seek the Lord (). The justice Amos called for meets its fulfilment in a King who came to bring good news to the poor ().
Questions to sit with
1
Where in your world is justice not rolling down like water?
2
Amos had no title, only a call. What would you say if you stopped waiting for permission?
Study Amos with your group
Ready-to-lead group studies with discussion questions and a leader's note are on the way.
