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Show About twenty '- six centuries ago Amos wrote one of the earliest earli-est books of prophecy. It was just about a century after the time of Elijah. The prophetical works of the Old Testament are divided into four Major Prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel constitute the first group, and of the latter, Amos, Hosea and Mi-cah, Mi-cah, with Isaiah, constituted the four great prophets of the eighth century B. C. The distinction between the "major" and "minor" "min-or" prophets is purely arbitrary, based on the volume of writings. Amos was a shepherd and farmer, living at Tekoa, a little village 6 miles south of Bethlehem. Bethle-hem. He was not trained as a prophet and belongs to that select se-lect company of great men in I the Bible who were humble workers. Amos cared for a special spec-ial variety of sheep and was also a dresser of sycamore trees, which bore a small fig. This was pinched to hasten its ripening. Hence, Amos was a fig pincher. The book of Amos is not very long but it is our first literary monument of its kind. The Book, as Rev. George L. Petrie says, has not the charm Ql poetry, but it has the fascinating power Qf oratory; an oratory, not of the schools, but of nature; not ornate, or-nate, but rugged. The illustrations illustra-tions of the Book are objects of nature and scenes familiar to plainest country life. Of all the prophetic Books, this is the one which the plain, unlettered laborer la-borer on the farm, in the field or forest, may most easily read." The author was an able writer, however. Professor Bernard Duhm says: "Amos speaks with unpolished plainness. But he can handle his language with a master's skill; every sentence is full of meaning and every word strikes the mark. This reforming soul belongs among the classic writers of Israelite literature." Although Amos lived in the country, he understood the life of his age. He saw the wickedness wicked-ness of the cities when he, carried his produce to market, and many other evils, as Rev. Bernard C-Clausen C-Clausen enumerates: MUnacrupu-lous MUnacrupu-lous judges condemned the innocent inno-cent for paltry bribes. The rich grasped the small possessions of the poor. Prices were fraudulently fraudu-lently increased and measures were fraudulently diminished, and bad grain was sold as good. The most shameful licentiousness licentious-ness was practised. Idolatry, with its bestial immoralities, was rampant. Everywhere Amos saw , wasteful luxury and extravagance, extrava-gance, the more disgraceful in contrast with the wretched poverty pov-erty of the people among whom he lived." Amos spoke for social justice and he uttered a plea, which the world has not heeded yet. He tells those who . have become rich by taking advantage of their fellow-men that although they build fine houses, they shall not dwell in them. He condemns without fear the social evils of his day. "The passion of Amos' soul is for the establishment of social justice," says Prof. J. E. McFayden, "and his denunciations denuncia-tions and threats fall upon the heads of those who frustrate that, whether by incidental cruelty, or, as here, by deliberate violation of the principles of equity in the courts of justice. The worst offenders were those who poisoned justice at its source, those who by their venal decisions made it a bitter thing for the poor man when it ought to have been sweet, and who laid righteousness prostrate upon the ground when she ought to have been erect and smiling." He seeks to make the religion of Israel a sincere one. Speaking for Jehovah he tells them to "seek good and not evil" and with emphasis, "hate the evil and love the good." As for the formal religious ceremonies he points out that these mean nothing noth-ing unless the people live righteously. right-eously. Outward, formal worship wor-ship will not be accepted by God and he appeals to liis hearers to 'let justice roll down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream." The preaching of Amos was not appreciated by the king and the priests of Israel and they sent Amos back home where he wrote his immortal little book. "The writings of Amos are immortal im-mortal words," says J. E. Mc-Fadyen: Mc-Fadyen: "they express in imperishable im-perishable form the essence of religion, simple demands of God upon men. The justice, the righteousness for which Amos here pleads, is a social thing; it is tender regard for the poor hatred of evil conditions that i have devastated their lives; it is the spirit which earns and works for . the removal of those conditions; condi-tions; it is, in a word, respect for personality, fair play as between rnan and man. Let justice, in that sense, run through society-unimpeded society-unimpeded by avarice of selfishness selfish-ness or cruelty, let it roll on without let or hindrance like the waves of the sea." |