Verses 10-17, “Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said: ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, And Israel shall surely be led away captive From their own land.’ ” Then Amaziah said to Amos: “Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, And there prophesy. But never again prophesy at Bethel, For it is the king’s sanctuary, And it is the royal residence.” Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: “I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, And the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’ Now therefore, hear the word of the Lord: You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, And do not spout against the house of Isaac.’ “Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Your wife shall be a harlot in the city; Your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword; Your land shall be divided by survey line; You shall die in a defiled land; And Israel shall surely be led away captive From his own land.’ ”
The Lord gave Amos three visions of judgement...first of locusts and fire, followed by the vision of a plumb line. After the first two visions, Amos interceded on behalf of the people, and God relented. The third vision involved a plumb line, which is what builders use as the standard of straight. When compared to God's standard, Israel did not measure up, and therefore would be judged for their persistent crookedness. And because Amos didn't hold the position of prophet, his messages were not well liked. Therefore, Amaziah sent word to King Jereboam implicating Amos in a conspiracy against the king. Amaziah was a priest of an idolatrous worship center in Bethel. His wicked ways were threatened by the words of Amos and so he reported to the king that the land was not able to bear Amos' words. Although Amos responded in agreement that he was not a prophet, he tells them where his authority came from...God called him.
The further away from God's standard you become, the harder it is to hear the words of truth. This is why our hearts need to remain humble so we can receive His words of correction before it gets harsh. Our country has veered so far off from God's standard, that most Americans find the word of God too hard to bear. Even in Christian circles, they are redefining God's words in order to bear them, and easing their guilty conscience with a false sense of obedience. Paul's charge to Timothy is still relevance to us today. II Timothy 4:2-5, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Just like with Amos, if people do not like the truth you speak, they will find something wrong with the messenger, with which to discount the message. It is on us to make sure that any accusations against us have no truth to them. Suffering consequences of our sin is not the same us suffering from persecution for following Jesus. It is only when we endure afflictions for Christ that we will be rewarded. I Peter 4:12-16, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”
“Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said: ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, And Israel shall surely be led away captive From their own land.’ ” Then Amaziah said to Amos: “Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, And there prophesy. But never again prophesy at Bethel, For it is the king’s sanctuary, And it is the royal residence.”” Amos 7:10-13
ReplyDeleteAmazing do not like that Amos came to bethel and what he said. Although he tried to bring a charge against him, there was none to bring. Although Amos was not a trained prophet, it did not mean he was any less prophet than any of the others. He was actually more of one, he was used by God, when the other were just false prophets.
Many times false believers will not like the true ones. They will try to bring allegations against them, but there really isn’t anything to stick. If we know what the word says and obey it. There is nothing they can accuse us of. They will end up just getting mad and leave. We need to make sure that we are able stand when people try to throw things at us. We need to know what the word says and do it. We need to be prepared. People do not go into battle without be ready. We also need to prepare.