3.+Context+of+the+book+of+Amos

· Describe the context of the writing of the book:

The context of the book of Amos is based around the history of Israel. In particular a time where the powerful and rich in Israel completely outweigh the poor people. The rich are explained as “Laying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, They eat lamb taken from the flock and calves from the stall!” (Amos 6:4). This shows the judgement Amos has of the Israelites and demonstrates how important Amos holds Social Justice. It also exhibits the context of the time, showing that it was a time of power and money and those who had neither were treated accordingly. This is written during a time after Solomon’s death where there was a border between the south and North, and the north had its own capital Samaria and king. Jeroboam II had been the king of the North for a long time, he was very powerful and no one was strong enough to attack him (Crotty & Kiley 1998).