Various Conditions of Israel in Amos Mission - Essay Example

Political, Social and Religious condition of Israel in Amos mission Amos, who lived c. 750 B.C.E., was a native of the southern kingdom of Judah. He was born in the town of Tekoa, about six miles south of Bethlehem and twelve miles south of Jerusalem. As stated by Amos, he was not a prophet, neither was he a son of a prophet; but was a herdsman and a nipper of figs of sycamore trees (Amos 7:14). He was not a wealthy man. According to the New World Encyclopedia, the sheep raiser Amos has probably been traveling a lot to the wool and cattle markets of Israel and Judah. He also travels to lower altitudes to tend to sycamore-fig trees since these trees grow on lower altitude. Nipping fig trees hasten the ripening and improve the size and sweetness of the fruit that the poor can afford. With the nature of his work, he became aware of the political, social and religious conditions of the society surrounding him. Amos is considered to be one of the so-called 12 Minor Prophets and his book, Amos, is third among the 12. His mission is to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah (792-740 B.C.E.), while Jeroboam II the son of Joash, was king of Israel, two years before the great earthquake occurred (Amos 1:1). Amos carried messages loaded with affliction to Israel (Amos 2:6-16) and Judah (Amos 2:4-5). Many of Israel's neighbors would also suffer, such as Damascus (Amos 1:3-5), Gaza (Amos 1:6-8), Tyre (Amos 1:9-10), Edom (Amos 1:11-12), Ammon(Amos 1:13-15), and Moab (Amos 2:1-3). God had originally favored the Israelites. He even made a covenant with them. He was especially saddened with Israel that he needed send a prophet to prophesy their impending doom. There was every reason for pronouncing misery in Israel. Prosperity, lavish living, and extravagance were the order of the day. There was a decline in moral standards. Their celebrated peace and prosperity blinded them of the sacred things. They were likened to an overripe fruit that is in the process of decay leading to destruction. Furthermore, they were performing rites that were not commanded of them to do. These are ceremonies with pagan origins. Some turned to some local gods such as Baal in seeking for blessing and fertility, an act that is extremely detestable to their God. They have totally forgotten the Law of Yahweh. The Political Condition Politically, the kingdom was secure. Samaria, its capital and primary center of urban power, was considered unconquerable. About the time of Amos prophesying act, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been triumphant out of war, and had reached its peak of wealth and power, with overflowing luxury and excess. It enjoyed remarkable cultural, social and economic revival. It reached the culmination of prosperity made distinct by artistic and commercial development. The Kingdom enjoyed a substantial period of peace and security under the leadership of King Jeroboam II. During this reign, Israel reached the largest geographical size. The king has restored Israel's traditional borders, ending almost a century of sporadic seesaw conflict between Israel itself and Damascus. Soon after Israel had triumphed, she began to gloat over her newfound power. Because she was relieved of foreign pressures-relief that had come in accordance with encouraging words from the prophets Elisha and Jonah-she felt jealously complacent about her favored status with God. The hopes and expectations of the people were lifted to the highest heights. They looked forward with great anticipation to even greater success and declared a great "Day of the Lord" when God Himself would take the battlefield against their enemies. And the king kept conquering nations even extending its territory into modern day Syria. He took advantage of the Syria's weakness after a recent defeat from the Assyrians. Assyria is the major threat to Israel's power. However, the Assyrians had withdrawn itself temporarily due to internal strife. There was an inside rebellion that they needed to manage. This allows Israel to flourish politically and economically. For a few years, Israel was free of intervention from foreign powers or neighboring kingdoms. The Social Condition Abundance, comfort and luxury flourished in Israel. The prosperity is unparalleled since the time of King Solomon. There were extensive building programs in the kingdom. Simple brick of yesterdays were transformed with buildings of hewn stone and ivory decorations. There were "winter houses" and "summer houses" (Amos 3:15), "houses of ivory" (Amos 3:15), and "houses of well-hewn stone" (Amos 5:11). People are resting on "beds of ivory", ate fattened rams and bulls, drank wine to the fullest, anointed themselves with the finest oils and devised for themselves stringed instrument for good music (Amos 6:4-7). Israel was on the verge of social transformation. Originally, they adopted the egalitarian society. There was a concern for widows and orphans and the commitment to evenly distribute wealth. The foundational to this system was the belief that Yahweh was the lord of the land and holder of prominent domain. The land was for the sake of the good of everyone, not for the sake of the profit of a few. However, the kingdom's affluence increased division between rich and poor. Wealth was not evenly distributed. It also gives rise to moral corruption. The oppression of the poor and weak was ordinary. The rich were taking advantage by taking farm rent from the lowly ones as well as taking the tribute of grain just to build their flashy houses in which they wined and dined extravagantly (Amos 5:11). Majority of the people of Israel was doing what they thought to be spectacular but at the same time the poor were being oppressed. Bribery was also practiced to turn aside poor people (Amos 5:12). In addition, the rich further increased their gain by unethical business practices, making the great small and the small great and using false scales for deception (Amos 8:4-6). They accumulated more and more riches at the expense of the poor. They also used their power by bribing local public officials for their personal gains. They would use the courts to take what little land and goods a poor man owned and add it to their already abundant wealth. They obtain their care-free luxury from the suffering of others. Thus, the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. It was a time of fervent patriotism accompanied by an outstanding degree of social corruption. This was caused primarily by the demoralizing influence of Canaanite Baal-worship which Jeroboam II developed at the local shrines. The effect was the degenerating influence in the corruption of justice. There was this willful and luxurious living of the upper classes causing the decay of social unity. Poverty and distress were widespread among the people at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. Land owners exploited the peasants for their own gain. The wealthy showed no responsibility to the poor. The rich seemed to deprive their less fortunate counterparts of all their property instead of alleviating their economic distress. And in a few times past, the nation whose strength had managed to survive in the mass of its independent citizens was divided into the self-indulgent rich and the oppressed poor. Moreover, in just a short year, the poor had been reduced further to the level of serfs. Some circumstances dictated for them to be frequently sold into bondage by their masters for trivial considerations. Eventually the middle class disappeared in the society, marking the turning point of Israel's instability. The Religious Condition Religious observance, including sacrifices and offerings are apparent in Israel during the days of Amos. But it was a religion that was entirely detached from reality, merely a religious formalism. There was a great deal of activism and superficial show of devoutness. Extravagant religious ceremonies and rites were evident on every hand. Sacrifices were offered as often as possible. Voluntary offerings were hypocritically published (Amos 4:5). Religious enthusiasm was definitely high, but true spiritual devotion to God was entirely out. They lack sincerity and gratefulness. The society practices a religion which was empty and though bursting of exaggerated rituals, it was without heart. People further left God for the practice of false worship. For instance, priesthood should be given to someone from the tribe of Levi but it had been defiled by appointment of non-Levites. Many new holidays were celebrated having pagan origins in tradition. Certain idols were also kept in the places of worship. Amos Teaching Amos went to Israel by divine commission with a prophet message to warn the Northern Kingdom of Israel of its awaiting doom due to the collapse of justice and the moral and spiritual decline of the nation. The essential matter behind many of the transgressions was that the wealthy and powerful were taking advantage of the vulnerability of the poor and the weak. The structure of the Book of Amos is consisting of nine parts or chapters covering threats of darkness, famine, and destruction. It is further organized into three themes. Chapters 1 and 2 include the condemnation of foreign nations, Judah and Israel. He focuses on transgressions against the harmonious ordering of Israelite communal life such as the slavery of the innocent and needy, the oppression of the poor, abuse of women, and the exploitation of debtors. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 contain the denunciation of wicked Samaria with all its corrupt moral and social standards. And foretelling judgment and the promise of restoration of the kingdom and its final glory in the Messiah's kingdom is the theme of Chapters 6 to 9. The teaching of Amos can be classified as a pure monotheism, the belief in one true God. He makes God the center and heart of his philosophy. It was his conviction that Yahweh is a god of justice and mighty power. The judgment of Israel has the hope that Israel's self-destructive injustice might be corrected. The ethical system of his teaching is to perform good deed, behave righteously toward our fellow man, and not be outwardly concerned of our own selves. He emphasizes the need for a religion based on moral principles and social justice. Justice is for the sake of life. Amos tends to merge with concepts like love, compassion, kindness, and salvation. The essence of all these acts is the proper relationship between men and to shun idolatry. Worshipping the only true God is the sole obligation of man. Another personal ethical ideal received in the character of Amos is his honest interest in Social injustice and Moral Responsibility such as caring for the weak, poor, and vulnerable. Read More