Amos 4:13  - “…He who forms the mountains, creates the wind,  and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth - the Lord God Almighty is his name…”

Amos was a prophet who faced special obstacles.  In his day, the land of Israel was full of politically-appointed priests and “professional prophets.”  The first King Jeroboam had allowed “anyone who wanted to become a priest” (1 Kings 13:33), similar to the situation around us today in Christianity.  By the time of Amos, under the second King Jeroboam (around 750 B.C.), the Israelites had people who viewed being a priest or prophet as their job or profession.  In contrast, Amos was an agricultural worker, not a professional religious leader (see Amos 1:1, Amos 7:14), and the professional priests and prophets of his day criticized him for bringing a different message, something that was difficult to accept (see Amos 7:10-16). continue