BGCT: DSM: Old Testament Text: Lecture 33: Amos & Hosea

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Old Testament and New Testament
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PROPHETICAL BOOKS

LECTURE 33

AMOS AND HOSEA

Students will be able to:

identify unique themes of Hosea and Amos.

describe the historical setting and circumstances in the divided Kingdom, which are related to these prophets.

relate the circumstances in Hosea's marriage and family to the covenant between God and Israel.

CONTENT OF LECTURE

Background: During the extended reign of Jeroboam II (786746 B.C.), the Northern Kingdom had experienced territorial expansion and national prosperity. Assyria, the chief political power in the middle east, was occupied on other fronts, leaving Israel to misinterpret their economic prosperity as an indication of God's favor.

In a time of peace and stability, Amos (TN#1) came to address injustice and materialism. The nation had passed from the golden age to the dry rot of social and moral decay.

OUTLINE OF AMOS

I. Introduction (1:12)

Amos came from Tekoa, a small Judean village and worked as a herdsman and dresser of sycamore trees (7:14) (TN#2) The reigns of Uzziah in Judah and Jeroboam in Israel would date the ministry of Amos between 760 and 750 B. C.

II. Oracles against Nations (TN#3 )

A. Damascus 1:35

B. Gaza 1:68

C. Tyre 1:910

D. Edom 1:1112

E. Ammon 1:1315

F. Moab 2:13

G. Judah 2:45

H. Israel 2:616 (TN#4)

III. Further oracles against Israel

A. Hear this word, people of Israel (Chapter 3)

In 3:2, Amos stressed that the great privilege of Israel brought responsibility.

B. Hear this word, cows of Bashan (chapter 4)

Here Amos condemned the opulence of the women of Samaria who were as greedy and insensitive as their husbands.

C. Hear this word, house of Israel (5:117)

Amos made a call to repentance in verses 46 and 14, 15.

D. Woe to those anxious for the Day of the Lord. (5:1827)

Instead of being vindicated against their enemies on this day, there will be darkness. Verses 2124 contrast despised ritualism with dynamic religion.

E. Woe to those in Zion (Chapter 6)

As a result of turning faith into pride and ritual, Israel will go into exile (47).

IV. Visions of Judgment

A. Vision 1: The Plague of Locusts (7:13)

B. Vision 2: The Devouring Fire (7:46)

C. Vision 3: The Lord's Plumb line (7:79)(TN#5)

D. Historical Interlude (7:1017) - Amaziah, as the official priest at the sanctuary at Bethel, challenged Amos to go home (back to Judah).

E. Vision 4: The Basket of Summer Fruit (8:13)

The ripe summer fruit represents the immediacy of God's judgment. The time is ripe.

F. Prophetic Interjection: Oracles of Judgment (8:4-14)

Business men were impatient for the holy days to end so that they could resume their fraudulent practices.

G. Vision 5: The Lord standing by the Altar (9:14)

This somber warning symbolizes that even the abode of the dead (Sheol) offers no escape from God.

H. Theological Exposition: the Sovereignty of God and the restoration of Israel (9:515)Verses 1115 stress that there will be a new day following the judgment of God.

OUTLINE OF AMOS

I. Introduction (1:12)

II. Oracles against the nations

A. Damascus (1:35)

B. Gaza (1:68)

C. Tyre (1:910)

D. Edom (1:1112)

E. Ammon (1:1315)

F. Moab (2: 13)

G. Judah (2:45)

H. Israel (2:616)

III. Further oracles against Israel

A. Hear this word, people of Israel (3)

B. Hear this word, cows of Basham (4)

C. Hear this word, house of Israel (5:117)

D. Woe to those anxious for the day of the Lord (5:1827)

E. Woe to those at ease in Zion (6)

IV. Vision of judgment

A. Vision 1: The plague of locusts (7:13)

B. Vision 2: The devouring fire (7:46)

C. Vision 3: The Lord's plumbline (7:79)

D. Historical interlude: Amaziah challenges Amos (7:1017)

E. Vision 4: The basket of summer fruit (8:13)

F. Prophetic Interjection: Oracles of judgment (8:4-14)

G. Vision 5: The Lord standing beside the altar (9:1-4)

H. Theological exposition: On the sovereignty of God and the restoration of Israel (9:515)

This outline came from Hill and Walton's A Survey of the Old Testament.

HOSEA

CONTENT OF LECTURE

The ministry of Hosea to the Northern Kingdom followed closely after that of Amos. While Amos had been received as the southerner, speaking rough words during smooth times, Hosea was the native who prophesied as the period of economic prosperity and political stability came to an end. After the lengthy reign of Jeroboam II, four Israelite kings were assassinated within a period of fifteen years.

OUTLINE OF HOSEA

I. Superscription 1:1 (TN#1)

II. Hosea's Marriage to Gomer the Harlot (TN#2)

A. Children of Harlotry (1:22:1)

Jezreel means "God sows" and has both a positive and negative connotation in the context of Hosea. Negatively, the past sins of the nation and her leaders assured that God would sow judgment. However, in the future, as a result of redeeming love, God will sow blessings (1:1011).

The second child indicates that Israel will not be pitied (Hebrew "Loruhamah"). The naming of the

third child Not My People (Hebrew "Loammin) certainly suggests the broken covenant relationship and may also indicate that Hosea did not consider himself to be the child's father.

B. Gomer's Unfaithfulness (2:223) - Gomer is a symbol of Israel who will suffer shame and personal privation.

C. Hosea's Faithfulness (3:15) - The price of Gomer's redemption was very costly. Hosea's sacrifice is indicated by his willingness to pay with silver and grain (perhaps an indication that he brought together all he had).(TN#3)

III. Hosea's Message to Israel

A. Israel's Ignorance and Unfaithfulness (4:16:3)(DQ#4)

B. Israel's Judgment (6:410:15) From Hos. 6:711, we see that Israel's faithlessness is allinclusive; covenant breaking at Adam, political intrigue and murder at Gilead, religious persecution at Shechem, and harlotry of Bethel (The Broadman Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 33).

C. Yahweh's Faithfulness and Love for Israel (Chapters 1114) These chapters summarize the message of Hosea and call the nation to repentance.

OUTLINE OF HOSEA

I. Superscription (1:1)

II. Hosea's marriage to Gomer the harlot

A. Children of harlotry (1:22:1)

B. Gomer's unfaithfulness (2:223)

C. Hosea's faithfulness (3:15)

III. Hosea's message to Israel

A. Israel's ignorance and unfaithfulness (4:16:3)

B. Israel's judgment (6:410:15)

C. Yahweh's faithfulness and love for Israel (1114)

This outline came from Hill and Walton's A Survey of the Old Testament.

ASSIGNMENT

Read chapter on Jeremiah in assigned text such as Chapter 29 in the Hill and Walton text.

Discussion Questions:

AMOS

#1 How could the people of Israel think that everything was right when things were so bad? Why did Amos have a very different perspective from most people?

#2. How do you think people would have responded to the message of Amos? Do you think he was too negative? Does a modern speaker have to adapt his message to the audience? Would our culture be receptive to the methods of Amos? Would a prophet like Amos have a message for our society? What might it be?

HOSEA

#1. How did the plans which Hosea had for marriage parallel the intentions of God in relating to His people?

#2. How would you summarize the message of Hosea? What are the most essential elements of the prophet's message?

#3. If you were guessing how Gomer responded to the redeeming love of Hosea, how do you think she would have felt about and acted toward him after he purchased her out of slavery?

#4 What parts of Hosea's indictment in 4:13 would apply to America today?

Teacher's Notes:

AMOS

This lecture might be started by allowing students to complete the following: "I was born in ____________. My career plans are ___________. The motto or message from my family is _______.

After students have been allowed to share how they filled in the blanks, ask them if it would be hard for an adult to change careers. What kind of feelings might Amos have felt as he went from being a shepherd to becoming a prophet in an unfamiliar place? The ministry of Hosea was a result of his ability to apply the lessons he learned at home to the society in which he lived.

#1 Amos is generally recognized as the first of the writing prophets of Israel.

#2 Sycamore trees were probably not natural to the area where Amos functioned as a herdsman. The sycamores were found in the more populated areas where Amos may have come in contact with the people of Israel. The background of Amos is reflected in his writings. Being a rural farmer, he listened to God through the signs of the earth around him. The earthquake (verse 1) was a reference point in dating his ministry. Amos depicted the nation as loaded with guilt and ripe for judgment (8:1,2).

#3 These are speeches given by Amos concerning the nations which surrounded the Northern Kingdom. Most of the people of Israel would have agreed with the judgments against these nations. The expression for three transgressions . . . and for four indicates more than enough.

#4 After drawing a circle around Israel, condemning the sins of her neighbors, Amos leveled serious charges against the Northern Kingdom. What are the sins of Israel mentioned in this passages?

#5 Just as a carpenter might use a weighted string to determine whether a wall was perpendicular, God's plumb line showed that the nation was warped beyond correction.

HOSEA

The book of Hosea stands first among the twelve documents which have been designated minor prophets because of their brevity in comparison to Isaiah through Daniel (the so called Major Prophets).

The Book of Hosea contains two major divisions -- chapters 13 present Hosea's relationship with Gomer while chapters 4-14 apply the message of redeeming love to the relationship between God and Israel.

#1 Hosea means salvation and is related to other names such as Joshua and Jesus. Hosea prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II and after his death. The ministry of Hosea paralleled the reigns of four kings of Judah. Hosea received the designation of deathbed prophet because he was the last of the writing prophets to address the Northern Kingdom before the Assyrian onslaught which led to the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C.

#2 The point is debated as to whether Gomer was a known prostitute at the time Hosea was told to marry her.

#3 A shekel was about eleven grams; a homer was equal to approximately six and one half bushels; and a lethech was about three bushels.

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