The long and impressive reign of Yerovam ben Yoash sees the Northern Kingdom reaching the summit of its regional power and material prosperity. The prophet Amos who prophesies during this period, reveals a society of enormous wealth, complacency, and security and yet bearing startling inequalities of income, and outrageous exploitation of the poor by the rich.
Uziya's long reign is filled with a long list of impressive accomplishments: Military conquests, extensive fortification of Jerusalem, development of agriculture and a cutting-edge military. However, his successes lead to arrogance and his eventual downfall, plagued till his death with Tzaraat. Yishayahu describes a society in Yehuda similar to what Amos described in the North.
While Sefer Melakhim dwells almost exclusively on the issue of idolatry, Amos and Yishayahu highlight the sins of arrogance and social injustice. Amos warns of an earthquake which shakes the kingdom a mere two years after Amos begins his prophecy. And yet, even with a national disaster of this proportion, Israel and Yehuda fails to harness its peace and wealth towards kindness, justice, and communal support.
