Rethinking the Prophetic Critique of Worship in Amos 5 for Contemporary Nigeria and the USA

Udoekpo

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781498297318
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Father Udoekpo's work offers a thorough review of the theology of worship in the work of Amos of Tekoa, one of Israel's foundational prophets. It critically examines Amos 5 in its socio-historical and literary context and theologically reevaluates the application of Amos's message of ethical worship, judgment, and hope to two contemporary cultures: Nigeria and the United States of America. While intentionally down to earth and engaging in society and religion, this work discusses in a thoughtful and detailed exegetical manner the various sub-units of lamentation (vv. 1-3), the motifs of the remnant, the exhortation to the seek the Lord, justice and righteousness (vv. 4-6; 14-15, 24), judgment, and the notion of the Day of the Lord (vv. 18-20) as they relate to the theology of worship (vv. 21-27) in Amos 5. The author pastorally draws the reader's attention to Amos' view that worship must not be restricted to hypocritical offerings, empty rituals, and songs at sanctuaries, but needs to incorporate ethics of justice, peace, and righteousness practiced in marketplaces and plazas.

1

Amos’ Background, His Book, and His Theological Message

General Historical Context

Although it is an ancient text, the prophecy of Amos is the timeless Word of God that is ever relevant to believers today.1 It “speaks to our age with tremendous challenge.”2 Perhaps the more reason numerous texts, some of which have been cited in the introductory section, have been generated on Amos. These texts are intended to address today’s socio-economic, religious, and political problems.3 In fact, no prophetic book seems to have a bibliography comparable in size to that on Amos.4

This chapter offers a general review of the historical context of the prophet Amos. It reviews the different aspects of the person of Amos, including his native town, profession prior to his prophetic calling, and the cultic/worship traditions upon which he stood. It also explores and reflects on the formation history of the text of Amos. That is, it investigates how this massive text was put together and notes relevant debates surrounding its editorial processes. Amos’ theology is broadly and foundationally outlined toward the end of this chapter.

The groundwork established in this chapter is essential to the exegetical and theological arguments of the remainder of the study. Our cultural patterns, origins, and context, among other things, influence our thoughts, preaching, writings, values, and reflections. The same would have been true for Amos, particularly with regard to his message of ethical worship (Amos 5), which remains the centerpiece of this study.

Kapelrud, a renowned student of Amos, argues that the best place to begin when studying Amos—especially when searching for his origins—is the initial verse of the book,5 the superscription: “The words of Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, which he received in vision concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquakes” (1:1).6 This brief third-person superscription introduces to us the prophet Amos: his person, his socio-political, cultural, and religious settings, his native town, and his original profession before his calling as a prophet.

The Name “Amos”

The prophet bears a unique Hebrew name, Amos (עמוס), whose meaning is not completely known. The BDB notes that the root meaning of the name can be traced to the verb עמס/עמשׂ, which has two meanings: “load” and “carry.”7 Old Testament passages outside of Amos use the verb עמס/עמשׂ in the sense of carrying a load or putting a load on a donkey or on someone (Gen 44:13; Isa 46:1; Neh 13:15; Zech 12:3). This had led scholars like Finley to suggest that the prophet’s name (עמוס) is probably the shortened form of עמסיה, which was familiar to the Judeans (2 Chr 17:16).8 If this is the case, the literal meaning of the prophet’s name, according to Finley, is “The Lord loads” or “The Lord carries the load of the people.” Finley argues that this name is theologically relevant for those who interpret the text of Amos with faith.9

Amos’ Native Place

In addition to providing Amos’ unique Hebrew name, the superscription also mentions the native place of this prophet, Tekoa. This place is a known biblical town in Judah, estimated to be about eleven to twelve miles south of Jerusalem (Josh 15:59; 2 Sam 14:9; 23:26; 1 Chr 11:28; 2 Chr 11:5–6). Strijdom observes that “on the way to En-Gedi, a settlement next to the road carries the name, מעלה עמוס (‘ascent of Amos’).”10 In fact, the reference to Tekoa has caught the attention of many researchers on Amos.11 Some argue for tracing Amos to Tekoa while others are just interested in the topography of the village of Tekoa. For instance, Hasel meticulously notes that the elevation of Tekoa is about 2,...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Amos’ Background, His Book, and His Theological Message
• Chapter 2: Textual Critical Analysis of Amos 5:1–27
• Chapter 3: The Study of the Place of the Book of Amos in the Twelve Minor Prophets
• Chapter 4: The Literary Structure of Amos and Delimitation of Chapter Amos 5
• Chapter 5: Exegetical Analysis and Exposition of the Theology of Worship in Amos 5
• Chapter 6: Relating the Message of Amos 5 to Contemporary Religious Communities in Nigeria and in the United States of America
• Summary and Conclusion
• Bibliography