Religious and Social
Corruptions of the 8th Century
Table of Contents
A Historical Background..................................................................1
Background to the Prophet..............................................................4
The Prophet's Concept of YHWH.....................................................7
Religious Corruptions
1. Idolatry....................................................................................10
2. False Prophets........................................................................15
3. Corrupt Priests.......................................................................18
4. Commanding YHWH's Prophets to Cease................. ...........21
5. False and Presumptuous Worship..........................................23
6. Backsliding..............................................................................28
7. Treachery Against God...........................................................30
8. Divination................................................................................31
9. Ignorance of YHWH................................................................33
Social Corruptions
1. Dishonest and Deceitful Tradesmen......................................36
2. Ease, Idleness and Luxury......................................................37
3. Oppression of the Poor............................................................39
4. Corrupt Rulers........................................................................42
5. Thievery...................................................................................46
6. Murder and Violence...............................................................47
7. Planning Evil...........................................................................48
8. Sexual Immorality...................................................................50
9. Lying .......................................................................................51
10. Pride.........................................................................................52
11. Deterioration of the Home...................... ..............................53
Prophet's Solution to Corruptions....................................................54
Conclusion.........................................................................................58
A Historical Background
Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, four great starts in the galaxy of Old Testament prophets, truly noble men of God, trying..........alas, vainly ......to stem the flood of iniquity engulfing God's people, and their inevitable ruin. Never has the holy Law of God been preached with greater earnestness and intensity than it was proclaimed by these men, who spared neither young or old, neither vociferous rebel nor unctuos hypocrite. And in no other period of the Old Testament era has the Gospel been heralded in language clearer and sweeter than these men spoke by inspiration of God. Yet all their faithful efforts, all their fervent appeals to their countrymen, could not hold back the overwhelming floodwaters of God's judgment sweeping away a people highly favored but unspeakably wicked and ungrateful. Still they continued in their call to repentance and salvation to a hardened generation, seeing but little success, yet faithful to their high calling.
Amos
From 805 B.C. to 740 B.C. the land of Israel enjoyed a season of peace and tranquility. The surrounding nations did not have sufficient strength to give her trouble.2
Jereboam came to the throne in 783 B.C. and began a vigorous building program.3
Uzziah built along the same lines in the South. Judah was made into a strong, vigorous kingdom with armies, fortifications, trade routes and powerful political alliances. These two aggressive kings carried their small kingdoms along in the same stride from victory to victory. The old limits of the kingdom built by David and Solomon were reached. It was a period of expansion, freedom, activity, prosperity and peace. Money poured in; the armies were always victorious. The people were filled with pride in their armies and their accomplishments. They could not image the powerful Assyrian empire would return after a temporary lull.4
The successes and triumphs that gave Israel the freedom, the luxury, and the ease that led to its advanced state of social collapse must have taken a number of years.5
Original paper by Mike Armontrout, edited by Lane