CRS • SHS 1Term 2WAEC / WASSCE SyllabusVIP Lesson
True Religion, Prophecy & Social Justice: Amos & Hosea
Amos on social injustice, economic exploitation, empty ritualism, and divine judgment; Hosea on covenant unfaithfulness and redemptive love.
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Real-World Context & Relevance in Ghana
Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghanaian church leaders frequently quote Amos 5:24 when fighting against public corruption and illegal land grabs.
Key Syllabus Learning Objectives
- 1Examine Amos' indictment of social injustice, corruption, and hypocritical worship in Israel
- 2Analyze Hosea's marriage to Gomer as a living parable of divine covenant fidelity
- 3Apply the prophetic call for social justice and compassion to contemporary Ghanaian society
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Comprehensive Syllabus Study Notes
• The Prophet Amos (Prophet of Divine Justice):
- A shepherd and tender of sycamore-fig trees from Tekoa in Judah, sent to prophesy in the affluent, corrupt Northern Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam II.
- Sins Denounced: Trampling the poor, selling the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, using deceitful weights and balances, and rich women (cows of Bashan) oppressing the destitute.
- Empty Religious Ritualism: God despises their solemn assemblies, sacrifices, and noisy songs while justice is absent: "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24).
• The Prophet Hosea (Prophet of God's Unfailing Love):
- Commanded to marry Gomer, a promiscuous woman, to allegorize Israel's spiritual adultery (worship of Baal).
- Hosea redeems Gomer from slavery, reflecting Yahweh's relentless, forgiving love toward apostate Israel: "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).
- The Prophet Amos (Prophet of Divine Justice):
- A shepherd and tender of sycamore-fig trees from Tekoa in Judah, sent to prophesy in the affluent, corrupt Northern Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam II.
- Sins Denounced: Trampling the poor, selling the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, using deceitful weights and balances, and rich women (cows of Bashan) oppressing the destitute.
- Empty Religious Ritualism: God despises their solemn assemblies, sacrifices, and noisy songs while justice is absent: "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24).
- The Prophet Hosea (Prophet of God's Unfailing Love):
- Commanded to marry Gomer, a promiscuous woman, to allegorize Israel's spiritual adultery (worship of Baal).
- Hosea redeems Gomer from slavery, reflecting Yahweh's relentless, forgiving love toward apostate Israel: "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).
Practical Example:
Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghanaian church leaders frequently quote Amos 5:24 when fighting against public corruption and illegal land grabs.
Core Takeaway:
Contrast the core messages: Amos highlights God's righteousness and moral justice; Hosea highlights God's steadfast love (hesed) and mercy.
WAEC / WASSCE Examiner Tips
- Contrast the core messages: Amos highlights God's righteousness and moral justice; Hosea highlights God's steadfast love (hesed) and mercy.
Common Candidate Pitfalls & Errors to Avoid
- Reducing Amos to a preacher against Sabbath-breaking when the charge is the treatment of the poor
- Calling the Day of the Lord a day of victory for Israel, which is exactly the presumption Amos attacks
- Confusing Amaziah the priest of Bethel with Amaziah the king of Judah
- Reading Lo-Ammi as a promise of mercy when its sense is, you are not my people
- Treating Hosea's marriage as a literal allegory invented by the prophet rather than a command he carried out
- Making the sycamore a fig tree and the herdsman a shepherd of sheep without checking the words
Topic Mastery Checklist
- Examine Amos' indictment of social injustice, corruption, and hypocritical worship in Israel
- Analyze Hosea's marriage to Gomer as a living parable of divine covenant fidelity
- Apply the prophetic call for social justice and compassion to contemporary Ghanaian society
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