From the Pulpit...

We continue our study in the book of Amos with a re-cap of chapters 1-7 and sets up the background for the new content coming from chapter 8. Amos was a Judean prophet called to deliver a message primarily to the northern tribes of Israel. Politically, it was a time of prosperity under the long and secure reign of Jeroboam II who, following the example of his father Joash, significantly "restored the territory of Israel". It was also a time of peace with both Judah and her more distant neighbors; the ever-present menace, of Assyria was subdued, possibly because of Nineveh's repentance at the preaching of Jonah. Spiritually, however, it was a time of rampant corruption and moral decay.