Amos, Obadiah, Jonah

An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture

Billy K. Smith, Frank Page

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 1995
• Print ISBN: 9780805401424
• eBook ISBN: 9781433672644
• Topic: Theologie & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblische Studien

THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY is for the minister or Bible student who wants to understand and expound the Scriptures. Notable features include:* commentary based on THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION;* the NIV text printed in the body of the commentary;* sound scholarly methodology that reflects capable research in the original languages;* interpretation that emphasizes the theological unity of each book and of Scripture as a whole;* readable and applicable exposition.

Amos

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INTRODUCTION OUTLINE

1. The Historical Setting

2. Amos, the Man

3. Amos, the Book

4. The Language of Amos

5. The Message of Amos

(1) The Sovereignty of the Lord

(2) The End for Israel

(3) The Judgment upon Sin

(4) The Day of the Lord

(5) Israel's Future Restoration

INTRODUCTION

Amos was the first of four eighth-century B.C. writing prophets in Israel. The other three were Hosea (began ca. 750 B.C.), Isaiah (began ca. 740 B.C.), and Micah (began ca. 735 B.C.). Amos and Hosea prophesied in Israel, while Isaiah and Micah ministered in Judah. The Old Testament contains references to prophets who preceded Amos (e.g., Deborah, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah, Huldah), but excerpts from their preaching have not been preserved in a separate book.

1. The Historical Setting

The title verse (1:1) contains one general clue to the date of Amos's ministry and one specific clue. Uzziah was king in Judah, and Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash, was king in Israel. Uzziah's reign in Judah was from 783 to 742 B.C.¹ with Jotham serving as coregent beginning about 759 B.C. Jeroboam's reign in Israel was from 786 B.C. to 746 B.C.² The broad limits of a possible time frame for the ministry of Amos, when both kings were reigning, would be between 783 B.C. and 746 B.C.³

The specific clue about the date of the prophet's ministry is the reference to “two years before the earthquake.” That reference probably pinpointed the date for the first audience, but for the modern reader it is less helpful because of the uncertainty about when “the earthquake” occurred. It was apparently a memorable event, one with which the audience would have been familiar. Some have suggested that what made it memorable was that it was accompanied by another event, perhaps an eclipse of the sun (8:7-9).⁴ Such an eclipse occurred on June 15, 763 B.C. that would have been visible in Palestine. Whether for that reason or another, it probably was the same quake that was remembered near the end of the sixth century B.C. (about 520 B.C.), to which Zech 14:5 refers as “the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.” Archaeological evidence has also been found of an earthquake at Hazor dated between 765 and 760 B.C.⁵ So perhaps we can narrow the time of Amos's preaching to sometime in the early 760s.⁶

At the end of the ninth century B.C., the Arameans dominated Israel, made possible by Assyrian weakness during that time. Earlier in the century (883-824) two Assyrian kings campaigned aggressively outside Assyria proper to control trade routes.⁷ An anti-Assyrian coalition formed in the west to resist Assyrian aggression. Shalmaneser III fought this coalition at Qarqar in northern Aram for the first time in 853 B.C. Three principal figures in the battle were Irhuleni of Hamath, Hadadezer of Damascus, and Ahab of Israel.⁸ Shalmaneser fought this anti-Assyrian coalition for the fourth and last time in 845-844 B.C. Hadadezer, king of Damascus, was the prominent leader in the coalition.⁹

Hadadezer died during or shortly after the fourth engagement with the Assyrian forces and was replaced by Hazael. For some unknown reason the anti-Assyrian coalition dissolved after Hazael became king. Following dissolution of the coalition, Hazael attacked Israel and wounded Israel's King Jehoram (2 Kgs 8:25-29). Shalmaneser's campaign in the west in 841-840 B.C. was opposed by Hazael alone.¹⁰ Jehu, who had been left in charge of Israel's army after Jehoram was wounded, paid homage to Shalmaneser before the Assyrian king departed from his engagement in the west. Under instructions from the Lord's prophet and with Shalmaneser's blessing, Jehu seized Israel's throne and killed Jehoram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah (9:21-10:14). Throughout the reign of the five kings in the Jehu dynasty, Israel remained pro-Assyrian. None of Israel's kings participated in the anti-Assyrian coalition generally fostered by the Aramean kingdoms of Arpad, Hamath, and Damascus.

Hazael succeeded in defending his kingdom against Assyrian campaigns in the region in 841-840 B.C. and in 838-837 B.C. He reduced Israel and the other small kingdoms in the Aram-Palestine area to vassal status. For three decades after 837 B.C. Assyria conducted no western campaigns. During this same period, Hazael dominated the region.

The Aramean domination was removed when Jehoahaz prayed (2 Kgs 13:4-5). Assyria became Israel's “savior.” Adad-Nirari III crushed Damascus in 802 B.C. and placed Ben-Hadad II, Aram's ruler, under an oppressive tax.¹¹ For the next forty years Assyria's weak kings left Israel and Judah alone. These sister kingdoms expanded their territory, developed their economy, and entered an era of peace and prosperity.¹² Egypt's weak kings posed no threat to Israel and Judah from 850 to 750 B.C.

Jehoash, Jehu's grandson, became king of Israel (801-786 B.C.) following Assyria's defeat of Damascus in 802 B.C. He recovered all the cities lost to Aram's King Hazael (842-806 B.C.).¹³ Jehoash's subsequent defeat of Amaziah king of Judah (2 Kgs 14:1-14) prepared the way for peace between his son, Jeroboam II, and Amaziah's son Azariah (Uzziah), who became king in Judah (2 Kgs 14:21-25; 2 Chr 26:1-15).

The death of Adad-Nirari III in 783 B.C. created a shift in power structures again. Urartu's ascendancy under Argisti I and Sardur III (810-743 B.C.) kept Assyria occupied from 783-763 B.C. During this time the Arameans returned to their aggressive behavior. The reference in Amos 1:3 to transgressions of Damascus in Israelite Gilead probably belongs to the decades when Urartu dominated Assyria. This long-term occupation of Assyria with Urartu probably explains why Amos did not even mention Assyria (but see 5:27).¹⁴

The preoccupation of Assyria with Urartu, coupled with cooperation between Israel and Judah, provided the environment for these sister kingdoms to expand. Both Israel and Judah enjoyed an extended period of peace and economic prosperity. The economic boom was accompanied by an increase in religious activities. The shrines at Bethel, Dan, Gilgal, and Beer-sheba had constant streams of worshipers bringing growing numbers of sacrificial animals.¹⁵ Amos showed God's disapproval of such religious activities by announcing God's judgment upon the religious sites, by giving counsel to stay away from the sites, and by declaring God's rejection of their religious activities (3:14; 4:4-5; 5:4-5; 5:22-24).

Paradoxically, the period was characterized by moral and spiritual decline and by social upheaval. Israel's frequent attendance at the shrines to make sacrifices did not result in moral, spiritual, and social uprightness. The rich oppressed the poor, indulged in extravagant lifestyles, denied justice to the oppressed, and engaged in immoral sexual activities (2:6-8; 4:1; 5:11-13). Israel's moral and spiritual decline, plus the social upheaval brought on by greed, contradicted their accelerated religious activities. Such were the times of Amos's arrival in Israel with a strong message of judgment from God. Israel's outward show of devot...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Editors
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Editors' Preface
• Author's Preface: Amos, Obadiah
• Author's Preface: Jonah
• Abbreviations
• Table of Contents
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Selected Bibliography
• Selected Subject Index
• Person Index
• Selected Scripture Index