Amos

Amos was a sheepbreeder by trade, but called away from that for a time to be a prophet.  As a young man, Amos may have known Jonah and heard of his trip to Nineveh.  He may have also known Elisha and heard of his accounts of following Elijah.  Jonah and Elisha were ending their ministries while Amos and Hosea were coming into theirs. 

While Amos was a prophet to the southern Kingdom, he brought a message to the Northern kingdom about thirty years prior to their fall.  This was during the reign of King Jereboam; a prosoperous time, as the northern Kingdom expanded.  But with the prosperity came idolatry, sexual immorality as well as lawlessness.  It had been about two hundred years since the kingdom was split.  It was then that Jereboam set up the golden calve for worship.  Since then Baal worship had also been adobpted.  The leadership and people of the Northern Kingdom had failed to remember their God.  They failed to listen to Jonah, Elijah and Elisha.  Now Amos would attempt to call them to repentance as they ran headlong to destruction. 

Amos means 'burden bearer' and he bore the burden to speak the word of the Lord to the Northern Kingdom.  The words of Amos are very visual as if he saw his message.