Amos is not a court prophet. He is not from the schools of the prophets. By his own testimony he is a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore figs from the small Judean town of Tekoa. God calls him from that quiet rural life and sends him north into Israel to deliver a message the nation does not want to hear. The book begins simply: “The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa… which he saw concerning Israel.” (Amos 1:1) This is the language of revelation.