prophets
Walter Brueggemann describes prophets as non-conformists. He believes prophets live another kind of life other than conventionality. They don’t judge themselves by immediate success - they know the change will come so they speak the prophetic words of the higher power and trust that things will start to form. Prophets have been inspired by a higher force throughout history, and that calling has given them courage and patience to voice the truth. For Amos, the voice that had spoken to him was of a holy God, and that God had been the one who brought the Israelites out of slavery to the Promised Land. The reason God did this was because the Israelites were thought to be a blessing. They were supposed to create the Ten Commandments but they failed to complete that task. Amos was trying to call them back to the vision that God set for them: freedom, justice and compassion. Fear of punishment and God’s fury, as well as reward made people want to follow what Amos had to say. Amos kept holding up the promise that they would be God’s people and be blessed and have a good full life if they followed what he preached.