Social justice in the book of amos pdf

Amos and social justice part 1, a free article by rev. This essay will explore the theme of justice in the book of jeremiah in two ways. The superscription, or heading, was probably added by a later editor, but it. God will judge gods people more severely than the other nations.

Amos is the author of the book of amos, the third book in the old testament involving the writings of the minor prophets. Book of amos overview insight for living ministries. Slowly but surely ill make it through this intermittent series on social justice. A real relationship with god should show in social justice and righteousness. Teachings on social justice in amos and isiah the book of amos is short, exciting, snappy and full of themes which make out for a popular war movie. This book provides a detailed exploration of the important elements of the theology underlying the book of amos. Despite the fact that israel certainly had problems with idolatry in his time, amos never explicitly condemns itnor any other sin pertaining to israels direct service of god. Several distinguishing features about the life of amos and his ministry mark. Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream amos 5. The israelites had a unique and privileged relationship with god. Amos begins with the justice of god, then, and shows how that relates to justice in society. Editors and copyists added comments to the prophets original oracles that they deemed appropriate in light of events that occurred after his death. It sits uniquely amongst the other books of the bible and in particular amongst the prophets.

I recently taught on the book of amos during a study of the twelve minor prophets. In the old testament book of amos, the basic message of prophet amos stresses the divine demand for social justice and concern for the oppressed in 8th century israel. 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 and spiritual decline of the nation. Not all of the material found in these chapters came from amos himself. It considers amos as a figure representing social justice, surveys major developments in the critical assessment of the book, and examines the history of the books reception. Social justice in amos the good book blog biola university. Since amos was a contemporary of hosea and jonah, see introductions to those books. It presents a remarkably comprehensive one might even say holistic prophetic view of both corporate and individual moral, religious and political responsibilities that are incumbent upon man in covenantal relationship with god, and the devastating effects for the chosen people of god, as well. Gods social justice amos the prophet fulfilling the promises. Investigating the hendiadys identified as idiomatic in the hb for social justice will accomplish this part of the methodology. They were selling off needy people for goods, taking advantage of the helpless, oppressing the poor, and the men were. Yet, scattered throughout the book of jeremiah are passages concerned with social justice. Critique against social injustice in the book of amos. It is a prophecy for the period just ahead of us, a prophecy dealing with a.

Third, amos was apparently the first, or one of the first. Amos shows god demanding justice from them rather than worship. O you who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth amos 5. Jun 11, 2015 the book of amos forecasts disaster for the northern kingdom of israel in the form of assyrian invasion and exile as a result of entrenched religious hypocrisy and social injustice. The concept of justice in the book of amos heartwell. Social justice, true religion and social justice must go hand in hand. It is interesting to read the first few lines the words of amos, one of the shepherds of tekoawhat he saw concerning israel two years before the earthquake, when uzziah was king of judah and jeroboam son of jehoash was king of israel.

By ted grimsrud lets now look at a place where the bible uses the explicit language of justice. This book provides a detailed exploration of this theme and other important elements of. One can safely assume that amos committed his revelations to writing and. Amoss writings showed that he had a heart for the oppressed and voiceless. It considers amos as a figure representing social justice, surveys major developments in the critical assessment of the book, and examines the history of the book s reception.

Aug 26, 2015 amos has much to say about oppression and the plight of the poor in israel, so it is only natural that his book has become a focal point for discussions about social justice. Amos has much to say about oppression and the plight of the poor in israel, so it is only natural that his book has become a focal point for discussions about social justice. Amos connects the injustice he sees around him to a society bent on wealth and prosperity. The superscription, or heading, was probably added by a later editor, but it may nevertheless give accurate information. The lord rebukes his people for turning justice into wormwood 7, for hating the one who speaks the truth 10, for trampling on the poor 11. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. Both a shepherd and sycamore tree grower in the tekoa area about 10 miles from jerusalem. The theology of the book of amos in modern times, amos has come to be considered one of the most important prophets, mainly for his uncompromising message about social justice. Gods social justice amos the prophet fulfilling the. The epitome of amoss prophetic ministry is summed up in this verse. As much as can be discerned, amos was the first prophet to write down his book.

In no uncertain terms he lashed out at the callousness of the rich toward the poor. Many among israels wealthy members of the society at the time of amos chose to be unjust and to treat the disadvantaged as they wished. He singles out for special condemnation the social and economic sins by which one group preyed upon the other. The theology of the book of amos download ebook pdf, epub. Introduction the book of amos is a point of departure for social criticism in the old testament. At least three aspects of the issue dealt with by amos concern the nature of god, the role of the individual, and the role of the social system.

Amos and social justice the caffeinated theologian. Apr 10, 2019 moral life in the social sphere is so integrated into future expectation in the prophets that its easy to understand the current use of the prophets in many modern religious notions of social justice who subscribe to some idea of a final judgment. The use of rhetorical analysis is considered to correspond with the genre of the selected texts analyzed am 2. Other prophets, working in the sister kingdom of judah, are indignant about similar things. This episode serves as an introduction to prophet amos.

More than almost any other book of scripture, the book of amos holds gods people accountable for their illtreatment of others. As i studied amos i was able to see how it fits into the unity of these twelve books. Amos, especially, of all the old testament prophets, is associated with social justice. That being the case, god is perfectly right to bring the overwhelming disaster of which amos speaks. The fifth chapter of amos contains some of the most striking and most famous justice language in the bible. Social justice in the book of amos the marcus j borg. Toward a theology of social justice in the book of amos. At least three aspects of the issue dealt with by amos concern the nature of god, the.

First, perhaps more than any other prophet, amos is concerned about social justice. The book of amos is short, exciting, snappy and full of themes which make out for a popular war movie. Seven passages on social justice 5 the gospel coalition. The only ways we have to assign a date to amos are the superscription to the book 1. Justice in the book of amos but let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream. Amos, advocate for social justice bible characters. Arguably, the book of amos is exclusively about morality and social justice. Jun 24, 2009 the book of amos is short, exciting, snappy and full of themes which make out for a popular war movie. This book provides a detailed exploration of this theme and other important elements of the theology underlying the book of amos. Several distinguishing features about the life of amos and his ministry mark this book out from the other books in the bible. In a previous post, amos and social justice, i wrote that justice and righteousness were the focus of amos message. In that post i studied the ways in which the word justice was used in amos.

The book of amos is one of the least understood in the holy scriptures. Oct 03, 2007 in a previous post, amos and social justice, i wrote that justice and righteousness were the focus of amos message. As a child of two civil rights leaders, i was raised with a strong consciousness of issues of social justice. Amos great innovation on the biblical landscape is that israels moral state directly affects its national destiny. For many of us, books offer a solid place to start. He did not receive formal education, whether it be theological, spiritual, or otherwise. The ethical teaching of amos, its content and relevance. It could be said that anyone who does not attend carefully and explicitly and publicly to issues of social justice in our life together betrays the cause of conservatism. It is interesting to read the first few lines the words of amos, one of the shepherds of tekoawhat he saw concerning israel two years before the earthquake, when uzziah was king of judah and. Most of this title is given over to making the authors reasonable case that the book of amos has three distinct authorsproduced by a process taking almost two hundred years. Did amos think that the behaviour of the people was so bad god would judge. Amos prophesied to a society drenched in dire classism, with an elite tier of israeli authorities civil and religious who enjoyed wealth and prosperity while the majority faced poverty and affliction. Pdf social justice and the minor prophets of the scriptures. It repeatedly points out the failure of the people to fully embrace gods idea of justice.

Apr 29, 2010 slowly but surely ill make it through this intermittent series on social justice. Despite the fact that israel certainly had problems with idolatry in his time, amos never explicitly. The contributions of amos appear to be at least threefold. Prophetic literature of the old testament sc231 compare the teachings on social justice in amos and isiah the book of amos is short, exciting, snappy and full of themes which make out for a popular war movie. As theology is displayed in the developing relationship between god with the world in general, the nations and the created order, and in particular with the people of god cf sailhamer 1995. Determine the theology of the book of amos, its relationship to the pentateuch.

As much as can be discerned, amos was the first prophet to write. Pdf toward a theology of social justice in the book of amos. Social justice in the book of amos the marcus j borg foundation. What were the issues of social injustice addressed by amos. One of the efforts of the great organized systems of churchianity has always been to make it appear that the bible and the teachings of christianity support their politicoreligious ideologies, thus debasing the true teachings of christ to the level of a mere moral philosophy and, through the various manmade organizations. Since justice and righteousness are the focus of amos message, it is important to look at how the words justice and righteousness are used by the prophet. Transcribed and edited by david sielaff, february 20. In the present post, i will discuss how the niv uses the word justice in the book of amos. He was a shepherd from a hebrew village called tekoa.

In the bible it is the social world of the premodern or ancients. God, amos, jeroboam ii, uzziah and people of isreal. Despite the fact that israel certainly had problems with idolatry in his time, amos never explicitly condemns itnor any other sin pertaining to. Pdf toward a theology of social justice in the book of. Dec 09, 2017 amos is the author of the book of amos, the third book in the old testament involving the writings of the minor prophets. The sources of oppression and injustice may look different today, but peoples concern for material prosperity reflects the days in which amos lived. First, i will explore the meanings of justice fpvm. I hate, i despise your festivalsbut let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream amos 5. The main themes of amos and lessons that we learn from this book are.

However, amos treatment of justice echoes what we also find elsewhere in. Marcus borg speaks on the topic of social justice in the bible, specifically book of amos, he looks at the societal context and world orders contemporary to jesus and his disciples to help understand their views of. But amos was primarily concerned with a different kind of corruption. The aim of this research is to construct a biblical theology of social justice drawn specifically from the book of amos. King brought 20th century meaning to the words of amos. The theology of the book of amos download ebook pdf. Second, amos illustrates that laymen can be used in significant ways for god. The fullest discussion of justice in the old testament shows up in the book of amos. The book of amos, which is the earliest of the prophetic writings to be preserved in book form, consists of nine chapters. The words justice and righteousness are used together three times in two chapters of the book of amos amos 5. The entire book of amos shines a powerful light on israelite society, revealing its dishonesty, corruption, and violence. The social world of the bible meaning the economic and political systems of the world. Amos was a vigorous spokesman for gods justice and righteousness, whereas hosea emphasized gods love. Social justice in the book of amos essay 1445 words.

Oct 01, 2007 since justice and righteousness are the focus of amos message, it is important to look at how the words justice and righteousness are used by the prophet. Amos as a way to understand the need for social justice in order to worship, amos 5. Social justice in the book of amos march 24, 2014 by the marcus j borg foundation 0 categoryies. Amos is known as the prophet of social justice, writing during the preexilic period. Amos the prophet the historical background a wandering people. Amos the prophet the historical background a wandering. Sexual immorality was always a problem, especially in connection with the pagan shrines where prostitutes did a brisk business cf. I was also raised in an environment surrounded by books and eventually became a school librarian. The book of amos forecasts disaster for the northern kingdom of israel in the form of assyrian invasion and exile as a result of entrenched religious hypocrisy and social injustice. However, amos treatment of justice echoes what we also find elsewhere in the bible. The justice discussed in amos is primarily about distributive justice as opposed to punitive or criminal justice.