The Book of Amos: Ancient Prophecy & Posthumous Editing - Essay Sample

Introduction

The book of Amos, which is one of the earliest prophetic works in the bible, and it contains nine chapters in general. However, not all chapters in this book were written by Amos himself. Just like any other written content, editors and copyist added some information to Amos's original work due to light to events that took place after his demise; hence, it is impossible to tell if Amos's words are indeed several speeches or belong to a specific address. The writing was mainly about the theme that rebukes against social injustice, which was very common in northern Israel during the reign of Jeroboam two. Amos did this by warning the people performing the injustice acts against the wrath of Yahweh, which will happen through suffering in the hands of a foreign power, leading to the end of Israel.

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Amos lived a simple life as a Shepard who resided in the region of Tekoa a few miles from the great city of Jerusalem. Due to his harsh background, he made a living by looking after sheep and also caring for sycamore trees. After harvesting his produce, he matched with them in the towns and villages in the city of Israel. This journey made him see the kind of exploitation the wealthy landowners imposed on their workers. Every time he visited the city, Amos was not impressed by the gap created between the rich and poor and how both the political leaders and religious leaders were willing to do anything to ensure the disparity. These leaders believed in an idea that Yahweh blesses those that are faithful and constantly performing ritualistic obligations by providing them with material needs. Therefore, they created their own idea on prosperity based on the belief that divine favor will and blessing will always be on them.

Also, they criticized the state of the poor by believing it is due to their ignorance in not regularly performing sacrifices and not upholding religious activities. Since Amos was raised believing that loyalty to Yahweh entailed equality among people was far more important than following religious rites and ceremonies (Cliffs Notes, 2020). After some time, Amos started having visions and dreams in which he recorded three of them, which were based on the warning about the injustices. Amos could no longer keep his dream a secret; therefore, he addressed a small group of individuals who had gathered at a place called Bethel sanctuary.

Amos was indeed a true spokesman of Yahweh since he made all efforts to clearly pass the message of the lord to his listeners. Many people believed that a majority of prophets in the Old Testament used imaginations of gods to pass out their imaginations. Long ago, each part of the world believed in their own gods. Amos was therefore opposed by a majority of priests because of his teaching towards sacrifices, prayers, and ritualistic observances. In some chapters, it believed that the Israelites would return from captivity and thrive in their own world. Therefore it became very hard to tell if these words were really from Amos or were written by someone who lived after him.

The Book of James

Since the writer did not specify to be James, the author, as assumed to be James, the half-brother of Jesus. However, James was at that time not a close follower of Jesus during his service on earth but later become an apostle in the vein of Paul, as an individual who believed in the resurrection of Christ(The Bible Study Tools, 2015 ). After he witnesses the resurrection of Jesus, James decided to become one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

The book of James slightly resembles the book of proverbs, but only it is found in the New Testament. It mainly focuses on practical, mainly in life, reminding God's people to act in accordance with the teachings of the lord. The pages of the book of James; therefore, entail demands urging Christians to pursue a holy life(Wellman, j, 2011). He does not judge those who fail to measure up. According to James, Christians show their true faith by abiding in certain ways and not others (Insight for Living, 2010).

At the beginning of the book of James, he identifies himself as a bond-servant of God the most high, which is a very appropriate name in context to the teachings of his book. In his book, James advocates that true faith bears authentic deeds. Through these words, he meant that if one chooses to identify himself or herself as a servant of God, the lives will utterly produce good fruits (Bible Hub, 2018). Everything in this book is in line with the sermons of Jesus on the mountain since he also rebukes the hypocritical believers who preach on the thing and do the opposite.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the two books discussed above contain very important teaching that applies to the current society. The book speaks about injustices that are very common in society especially from our judicial system and some religious leaders. They seem to be a habit of biasness rooting into our judicial system. Therefore the way justice is served. In the book of James, which advocates that Christians should always abide and follow all the teachings from this the bible. This writing by James acts as a guide book that all Christians should follow in order to live a well-needed life.

References

Cliff's Notes, 2020. Summary and Analysis The Prophetic Books: Amos.[online] Available at: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/o/old-testament-of-the-bible/summary-and-analysis/the-prophetic-books-amos

Insight For Living,2010,... James.[online] Available at: https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-general-epistles/james

Bible Hub.,2015,. Book Analysis.[online] Available at: https://biblehub.com/summary/james/1.htm

Wellman, J.2011,. Summary of the Book of James.;[online] Available at: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/07/11/summary-of-the-book-of-james/

The Bible Study Tools,. 2015,. Book of Amos. [Online] Available at: https://www.biblestudytools.com/amos/