PROPHETS IN THE BIBLE - AMOS

AMOS

The Prophet Amos lived during the long reign of King Jeroboam II. Jeroboam the son of Joash (not to be confused with Jeroboam the son of Nevat, the first king of the Northern Kingdom of the Ten Tribes) reigned over the Ten Tribes of Israel for forty years (from the year 3114 till 3153 after Creation). Under his reign the Northern Kingdom of Israel enjoyed one of its most happy and prosperous periods. He recovered every piece of land which had been lost by his forerunners. He subdued the Kingdom of Moab and captured parts of Syria (Aram) which had long been like a thorn in the flesh of his people. Even Damascus, Syria's capital fell to him. Relationship with the twin kingdom, the southern Kingdom of Judah, was still strained at first. Jeroboam maintained the stern control over it which his father had exerted; he also held members of the Royal family of Judah as hostages to ensure that the southern neighbor would make no trouble. later, however, he realized that friendship and mutual help between the two Jewish kingdoms would be better for both. He helped repair the damage which his father had done to Judah, and he gave part of the land which he had taken from Syria to the king of Judah, Amatziah. Together with the good political situation came economic prosperity. Many people in the Northern Kingdom became very wealthy, and began to lead a luxurious life. Friendly relations with the Phoenicians, who were the greatest merchants and seafaring people of those days, brought things of rare beauty and luxury into the Jewish Kingdom. Unfortunately, the unusual prosperity brought a collapse of moral standards. Ignored were the great ideals and commandments of the Torah to help the poor, and to practice justice and loving kindness. The rich oppressed the poor; might was right; it was an age of corruption. Hand in hand with this degeneration of the morals of the people went increased idolatry. People built many altars on mountains to serve the Canaanite gods, the Baal and Ashtarte. The Golden Calves, which the first Jeroboam set up in the north and south of the country to turn the people away from the Beth Hamikdosh in Jerusalem, were worshipped more than before and the teachings of the Torah and the holy commandments were viewed with contempt. Again and again, God sent His messengers, the prophets, to admonish the people and to warn them that unless they mended their ways, they and the land would be doomed. Yet the admonitions were, for the most part, unheeded. The people went their own way. One of the great prophets at this time was Hosea; another one was Amos. Amos was a shepherd before the spirit of prophecy came over him. He was a herdsman from the village of Tekoa, and a dresser of sycamore trees. He began his prophecies "in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, the king of Israel, two years before the earthquake." His fearless and outspoken words came thundering and stirred the people. Characteristic are his opening words: "God will roar fronm Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither." By "the shepherds" he must have meant the leaders of Israel, who failed their "flock;" and "the top of Carmel" were likewise those sitting at the top, who will be first to be stricken down. But before admonishing the Jewish people, he had much to say about the transgressions of Damascus, Gaza, Tyrus, Edom, Ammon and Moab - all the neighbors of the two Jewish kingdoms, who would suffer the consequences of their evil ways. Then he addresses himself to Judah: "Thus with God, 'For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not withhold My punishment: because they have despised the Torah of God, and have not kept His commandments...'" In similar words he begins his prophecy against the Northern Kingdom: Thus saith God, 'For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not withhold My punishment: because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals...'" Fearlessly, the prophet admonishes the "Kine (beasts) of Bashan, that are in the mountains of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy." He warned the rich who had amassed their fortunes by cheating and robbery, that they would not enjoy their riches, but would lose everything when the land went down in doom. Said he: "Thus hath said God to the House of Israel: 'Seek for Me, and you shall live. Seek for the good, and not evil, in order that you may live; that God the Lord of Hosts, be with you. Hate evil and love good; and establish justice firmly in the courts. Then, perhaps, God the Lord of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnants of Joseph." By the "remnants of Joseph" the prophet meant the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, for it was out of the Tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph, that Jeroboam the First came to establish the new kingdom, in opposition to the Kingdom of Judah. Amos was not afraid to appear in Bethel at the very time when crowds were gathered there to worship the Golden Calf which Jeroboam the First, had set up in a special temple. In the very midst of the celebration, Amos announced the terrible punishment that God would bring upon the sinful people of Israel. The crowd became angry, and their leader, the false priest Amaziah, incited the people to do violence to Amos. However, King Jeroboam protected the prophet, and let no harm befall him. Amaziah ridiculed the prophet, warning him to flee to Judah, where people of his kind would be more welcome, and never return to Bethel. But Amos replied that he was no professional prophet, nor a prophet's disciple, but a simple man from the land, a breeder of sheep. Amos declared boldly and fearlessly that God had sent him to Bethel to speak in His Name and warn the people of their impending doom. The prophet reminded the people of the many kindnesses which God had shown them since the beginning of their history as a people. "You only, have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your sins." the prophet said, telling them that because God has chosen them as His people, He demands of them higher standards, and, like a loving father punishes his erring son just because he loves him, so God would punish them for their sins. The Book of Amos consists of nine chapters, but despite his severe admonitions in most of the book, he finishes his prophecies on a happy note, of the wonderful things that will happen to the Jewish people on "That Day," on the day of the true Redemption: "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old... "Behold, the days come, saith God, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith God thy God."

PROPHETS IN THE BIBLE - JONAH

		One day the Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai.
		He said, "Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against its people are." Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD.        He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain.  He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the LORD.         But the LORD sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up.  The sailors were terrified and cried out for help, each one to his own god.  Then, in order to lesson the danger, they threw the cargo overboard.  Meanwhile, Jonah had gone below and was lying in the ship's hold, sound asleep.   The captain found him there and said to him, "What are you doing asleep?  Get up and pray to your god for help.  Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives."         The sailors said to each other, "Let's draw lots and find out who is to blame for getting us into this danger."  They did so, and Jonah's name was drawn.  So they said to him, "Now, then, tell us!  Who is to blame for this?  What are you doing here?  What country do you come from?  What is your nationality?"  "I am a Hebrew,"  Jonah answered.  "I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made land and sea. "  Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the LORD.         The sailors were terrified, and said to him, "That was an awful thing to do!"  The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him,  "What should we do to you to stop the storm?"  Jonah answered, "Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm."  Instead, the sailors tried to get the ship to shore, rowing with all their might.        But the storm was becoming worse and worse, and they got nowhere.  So they cried out to the LORD.  "O LORD, we pray, don't punish us with death for taking this man's life!  You, O LORD, are responsible for all this; it is your doing."         Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and it calmed down at once.  This made the sailors so afraid of and the LORD that they offered a sacrifice and promised to serve him.  At the LORD's command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.        From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God:  "In my distress, O LORD, I called to you, and you answered me.  From deep in the world of the dead I cried for help, and you heard me.  You  threw me down into the depths, to the very bottom of the sea, where the waters were all around me, and all your mighty waves rolled over me. I thought I had been banished from your presence and would never see your holy Temple again.  The water came over me and choked me: the sea covered me completely, and seaweed wrapped around my head.  I went down to the very roots of the mountains, into the land whose gates lock shut forever.  But you, O LORD my God, brought me back from the depths alive.  When I felt my life slipping away, then, O LORD, I prayed to you, and in your holy Temple you heard me.  Those whose worship worthless idols have abandoned their loyalty to you.  But I will sing praises to you; I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised.  Salvation comes form the LORD!" Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah up on the beach, and it did.        Once again the LORD spoke to Jonah.  He said, "Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people that message I have given you."  So Jonah obeyed the LORD and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it.   Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, "In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!"        The people of Nineveh believed God's message.  So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.         When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes.  He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh:  "This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink.  All persons and animals must wear sackcloth.  Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up his wicked behavior and his evil actions.  Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!"        God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.        Jonah was very unhappy about this and become angry.  So he prayed, "LORD, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do?  That's why I did my best to run away to Spain!  I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish.  Now then, LORD, let me die.  I am better off dead than alive."         The LORD answered, "What right do you have have to be angry?"        Jonah went out east of the city and sat down.  He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh.  Then the LORD God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable.  Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant. But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died.        After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint form the heat of the sun beating down on his head.  So he wished he were dead.  "I am better off dead than alive, " he said.  but God said to him, "What right do you have to be angry about the plant?"  Jonah replied, "I have every right to be angry--angry enough to die!" The LORD said to him,   "This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow--yet you feel sorry for it!   How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city.  After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!"