THE THEOLOGY OF AMOS 8
INTRODUCTION
Theology of Amos 8 aims at giving a riassunto[1] of what we have done in the theological analysis of the pericope. This, will enable us have a clearer understanding of Amos’ theology in relation to our scope. What is Amos’ idea of God? How did God react to social injustice? Is the coming punishment on Israel just? What does universality of Yahweh entail? These form the themes we shall explain in details below.
AMOS’ IDEA OF GOD
Amos was summoned by God to warn the northern kingdom of Israel of its impending doom due to the collapse of justice and the moral cum spiritual decline of the nation, his message was centered on God’s unique relationship with Israel. The God of Amos 8 is so mighty, which is reflected in his control of human history, especially in his guidance of the life and dealings of Israel. Every movement of the national life, spiritual or external is under his powerful control, nothing happens by chance; it is His purpose that is constantly coming to pass; calamity, as well as prosperity comes from him. This implies his dominion over nature, according to the Interpreter’s bible;
For the prophet, God was indeed the lord of nature. All its mysterious forces are under his control, if in the oracles the devastating pestilence and earth quake and like visitations are manifestations of Yahweh’s might, it also implies that the beneficent life-sustaining powers of nature are also at his disposal.[2]
Similarly, R.H. Kenneth in his Exegetical Commentary on Amos wrote: “To Amos, God has all the forces of nature, and every natural plague.”[3] Hence, the Lord whose sovereign power was declared upon the lips of Amos was the God whose revelation of himself in the world of nature had long been known to Israel.[4]
The conviction of Amos on the divine unity is not premised on theological or philosophical argument; rather it was an immediate certainty that sprang out of his deep sense of God’s righteousness, nearness and greatness.[5] Yahweh’s election of Israel is celebrated in many biblical sources and comes to classic expression in Deuteronomy:
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you – for you were the fewest of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt.” (Deut 7:6-8)
Subsequently, Israel deviated from the covenant they had with Yahweh, the God of Justice because they began to enjoy material prosperity and international prestige. It was therefore necessary that God out of divine initiative sent his words through the prophet to remind them of his sovereignty. (Amos 8: 11b)
Amos reminds them of Yahweh’s word whose commands they have broken, hence they will be starved of the word “The time is surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” (Amos 8: 11) By this Amos present a God of History.
GOD AND JUSTICE
The Hebrew term for justice, sedeq and sedaqah, generally denote conformity to a rule or norm. In Ancient Near East, there have always been the ideas of their gods being the custodian of equity and law. However, for Yahweh his justice is manifested in his faithfulness and mercy. Yahweh’s justice entails a demand for faithfulness on part of Israel in accord with his covenant with them.
What does the mention of God add to Amos’ announcement of the indictment on Israel? Can’t he go straight ahead and condemn the social injustice? Is it not possible for a person to condemn what is wrong without God? Why God? The theological premises that triggered Amos’ announcement suggest at least a partial answer.[6] According to Robert Coote, there are four of such premises as under listed:
- There is an agent who stands beyond the world who acts in the world (Yahweh)
- This agent acts according to Justice
- The one who acts in the world chooses justice ahead of life
- The one who acts in the world tilts the balance of power by giving leverage to human beings to make God’s justice known[7]
It is such theological premises that gave Amos the great opportunity to talk about justice and injustice. He boldly speaks out against the rich and the powerful that use their position to oppress the poor of the society. He focuses on the three aspects of the ruling class’s oppression on the poor; the first is the oppressive way the ruling class exercise domain and gains over the poor “buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.” (Amos 8:6) The second is the venality of the ruling class. The third is on the aspect of the ruling class’s promotion of a corrupt market and their manipulation of the economy.[8] “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the Sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances.” (Amos 8:5)
The prosperity enjoyed by the Northern kingdom was not without social corruption, and religious hypocrisy which was caused primarily by the demoralizing influence of Canaanite Baal-worship developed by Jeroboam II at the local shrines; one at the Southern border at Bethel and another at the Northern border at Dan and Gilgal. Jeroboam II spent much of his time in Bethel where the temples were located. The shrine at Bethel was built for Yahweh, but not Yahweh of Israel’s tradition. Rather it was for a rich man’s god that requires elaborate and costly ritual, and sacrifices far beyond the affordability of most of the people. The worship of strange gods or the worship of Yahweh with corrupt rituals was a normal thing to do for them. The temples had apartments for prostitutes, both male and female and there were often sacrifices offered to satisfy the Canaanite Baal god.[9] Israel was therefore misdirected in her public worship and so lacking in justice. Their religion became a perversion of the true worship of Yahweh.[10] Consequently, God rejected their sacrifices, not just because they were in Bethel rather than Jerusalem. God condemns their sacrifices because of the oppression of the poor and their disregard for Justice and righteousness.[11]
Kenneth in explaining the righteousness of God as seen by prophet Amos writes: “God is righteous, just, and moral; for these are the qualities which He demands both from Israel and the peoples around (Amos 1:2). It is this truth taken for granted by us today which distinguished God from the gods of all other nations.”[12] Can we really sustain the idea that God was not just with the punishment on Israel? After all the chances he gave them? Definitely No! He is and always be a just God.
THE DAY OF YAHWEH
The idea of the day of Yahweh was a popular belief in pre-exilic Israel religion. Its first pronouncement was in the book of Amos (5: 18-20), known as a popular belief which Amos uses without explaining. The people desired the day of Yahweh presuming it was a day on which Yahweh would manifest himself in His power and glory, overturning all the enemies of Israel and establishing His own people.[13] But in Amos 8 the popular hope in the extension of the salvation history into the future, expressed in the yearning for the day of Yahweh, is turned into a warning of disaster.[14]
THE UNIVERSALITY OF YAHWEH
Amos exposed the truth of the universality of Yahweh among his sacred doctrines, He brought to the awareness of Israel that Yahweh, the creator of the whole universe is the supreme God[15], “This is what the Lord God showed me” (Amos 8:1) The Hebrew proper nouns hwI+hy> yhwh(´élöhîm) yn”ådoa] ´ádönäy has neither gender, nor number, or state. This implies that Lord God is beyond gender, He is Lord of Nature, and the Universe “I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight.” (Amos 8: 9) Though he was the God of Israel, He is still more the God of righteousness and justice. He acts as the vindicator of universal moral laws especially against the weak and underprivileged. He punishes the neighboring nations and tribes, not only for their wrong doings to Israel, but also for the crimes which violated the natural laws of common humanity, not minding whoever the victims might be.
R.H. Kenneth in discussing Amos’ conception of God posits that “Amos conceives God as God, not of Israel only, but of the entire world.”[16] Similarly, Francis I. Andersen and David Noel, in explaining the universality of Yahweh’s Judgment say:
“The basic ineradicable problem for the nation is that its leaders and those with heavy responsibilities all over both counties swear by false gods; they are apostates and idolaters in irreconcilable conflict with their true God and under irreversible judgment.”[17]
Furthermore, whether mankind believed in the existence of a monotheistic God in the epoch of Amos is irrelevant. What is remarkable is the creed that God was the only God of Israel. The biblical account shows that there were many gods before Israel entered the Canaan land, perhaps it is not an over statement to state that each nation recognized the gods of the peoples. Kenneth writes that “there is need for a purer idea of God[18] This Amos goes a long way in supplying, though Israel is God’s people (Amos 8:8) the coming wrath is for all “Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it.” The Hebrew common noun #r<a’êh’ hä´äºrec means the earth. For Amos Yahweh controls all nations, he is much greater than the people thinks.
It is pertinent to note that there are several gods in the Ancient near East; every nation had their god(s). All these gods had their specialties because most of them are nature gods. They are gods who are responsible for particular aspects of life of the people and so they are invoked just for that purpose for instance, there is a god of fertility, god of the rivers, god of the earth, god of the sun etc. These gods were companions who are sometimes tolerant to each other and at other times they were intolerant. This was the practice of polytheism in the Ancient Near East.[19]
In the midst of all these gods, Israel had to show that her God is different and indeed unique. The exodus reflects a view of one God, identified with the God of the patriarchs, who intervenes as a God who rescues and takes vengeance, who is a God of war and a warrior. The first evidence of the uniqueness is the oneness of Yahweh. Israel was the first nation to proclaim a belief in monotheism. Israel had just one God who is responsible for the entirety of her life.
From the time of the prophets, Israel felt the universal power of Yahweh and came to the realization that there is only one universal God-Yahweh and that all other gods are only idols. Yahweh is the God of the universe. He is not limited to any particular nation, not even Israel. Although Israel was his chosen, he had control over other nations despite their different gods. He could punish them for sake of Israel (Ex. 7ff) and he could use them to punish Israel (Jer. 7: 6-8). He is exclusive and does not have any consort.[20]
SUMMARY
Amos prophesied doom on Israel when she began to experience a plurality of gods and worship brought in by foreigners. The period of social, economic and intellectual development in Israel brought about a further decline in the true worship of Yahweh. It also caused social decay which led to loss of sense of oneness thereby breeding an oppressive society, creation of class inequalities and victimization of the poor who experienced sorrow and injustice from the hands of the rich.
Against this backdrop Prophet Amos raised by the divine act on behalf of God’s people, Israel, in evil time when those sent to announce the word were silenced, speaks of the corruption of wealth and perversion of justice; and pronounces doom on the rulers and court magistrates for their corrupt decisions, bribery, oppression and extortion from the people especially the poor.
[1] It means a summary, abstract, recapitulation or a recap.
[2] The Interpreter’s Bible Vol VI, P. 768.
[3] R. H. Kenneth, Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the book of Amos, (London: S.P.C.K. Press, 1960), p. 22.
[4] The Interpreter’s Bible Vol VI, P.768.
[5] Segun Oladeji, “Amos Society.” ( paper presentation at the student seminar, department of Theology, Seat of wisdom Seminary Owerri, Imo State, March 2011), P. 4
[6] Robert Coote, Amos among the Prophets, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1981), p. 39.
[7] Robert Coote, Amos among the Prophets, pp. 39-41
[8] Robert Coote, Amos among the Prophets, p. 35.
[9] Charles. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1976), p. 67.
[10] Thomas Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets, (New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2007), p. 67.
[11] Thomas Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets, p. 132.
[12] R. H. Kenneth, Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the book of Amos, p. 24.
[13] J.A. Motyer, The Day of the Lion: The message of Amos, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1974), p.132.
[14] James Luther, Amos, p. 8.
[15] Segun Oladeji, “Amos Society”, P. 3.
[16] R. H. Kenneth, Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the book of Amos, p. 24.
[17] Francis Andersen and David Noel, Amos A new Translation with Introduction and Commentary, p. 70.
[18] R. H. Kenneth, Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the book of Amos, p. 24.
[19] Cf. John L. McKenzie, “Aspects of Old Testament Thought” In the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, eds. Raymond Brown et al. (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1968) , P. 1292.
[20] Cf. Thierry Maertens, The Breath and Spirit of God (Notre Dame: Fides Pub., 1964), p. 15.
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