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The Social Causes of the Northern Kingdom's Fall and Prophet Amos's Judgement Proclamation

Lee Hee Hak 1

1목원대학교

Candidate

ABSTRACT

The Northern Kingdom of Israel was economically and politically stable in the early and the middle of the 8th century B.C., compared to other period. The purpose of this paper is to examine the social circumstances of the Northern Kingdom at the period, to analyze the causes that affected the Israel's social crises, and to find the meaning and legacy of the theological controversy, implied in the judgment proclamation of Amos. During the reign of the king, Jeroboam II, the Northern Kingdom had experienced more political stability and economical prosperity than any other period. Yet, unfortunately this newly gained economical prosperity and wealth had not been evenly distributed to all the people. Economical wealth, earned through international trades, enriched mostly not the country but the city residents. The more international peace had persisted and international trades had been active, the more economical wealth had been accumulated. However, it more widened the gap between the rich and the poor, and more landlords and rich people arose. The growth of the number of the rich landlords and the increase of the poor tenant farmers weakened the bond of the families and caused the radical change of the traditional communal relationship. The farmers who lost their land hopelessly had to face economical difficulties, rapid urbanization and extent individualism. Although the Northern Kingdom seemed outwardly developing and prospering, prophet Amos was keenly aware of the causes of the internal collapse of the society. The leaders of the society were enjoying the expansion of the kingdom and its economical growth, but in the name of God Amos criticized their sins and proclaimed God's judgment against them, which would bring them to a total collapse. For Amos, they were the ones who destroyed the traditional basic norm system, that is, the equalitarian relationship, but hardly felt their responsibility for weakening such Yahweh religion. They were also the nonsensible who did not feel guilty, although they were destroying ‘justice’(ט󰘩󰚉󰗬) and ‘righteousness’(ה󰙌󰕇󰙃), which consisted of the foundation of the Israeli society. They were the ones who rejected the moral request of Yahweh. Amos proclaimed that Yahweh would no more ignore the immoral situation and judge the whole of the sinful Northern Kingdom through justice and power of liberation, as he had proved through the long history of Israel. Amos understood the social evil from the point of the whole Israeli history, so that the relation between Yahweh and the Northern Kingdom confronted the cruel crisis because of the sins the leaders of the society committed.

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