The Prophet Who Wasn't A Prophet
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This week we begin our journey through the book of Amos. We are travelling back in time as Amos precedes Hosea by maybe a few years. The opening verse tells us Amos prophesies during the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II, king of Israel. Amos prophesies during what is considered a second golden age in Israel despite the many years of the kingdom being divided. There is relative peace for both nations and Israel has gained control of many major trade routes. This brought a lot of prosperity to the nation and made many people very rich. The nation also saw a religious resurgence. People were participating in worship. However, the king tolerated the worship of false gods. You might consider this the start of the decline, though Israel had its issues long before then.
The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he envisioned in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Amos was from the town of Tekoa, which was about 7.5 miles southeast of Bethlehem, the city of David’s birth and the city where Jesus will be born. Not much is known about the town, but it does make an appearance a few times in scripture. In Amos’ time, it seemed Tekoa was a place for shepherding sheep, since Amos is described as one who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa. Later in Amos 7:14, he describes himself as a shepherd and a grower of sycamore figs. The opening verse also tells us that he prophesied in the two years before the earthquake. This earthquake was also referenced to by Zechariah in Zech. 14:5.
The book of Amos is a collection of Amos’ prophecies Primarily concerning Israel. What is interesting to note is that being from Tekoa, Amos is from Judah, the southern kingdom. So God sends a man from the southern kingdom into the northern kingdom to prophesy against them just a couple years before Hosea, one of their own, does the same.
While his prophetic ministry primarily concerns Israel, Amos also pronounces judgment on surround nations. While he does not travel to those nations, the prophecies concerning those nations ought to catch the attention of his intended audience. The prophecies against neighboring nations are like a funnel. Amos starts with those who are furthest away, moving closer to Israel, who is at the very center.
Prophecies against neighboring nations:
Prophecy against Aram (1:3-5)
Prophecy against Gaza (1:6-8)
Prophecy against Tyre (1:9-10)
Prophecy against Edom (1:11-12)
Prophecy against Ammon (1:13-15)
Prophecy against Moab (2:1-3)
Prophecy against Judah (2:4-5)
Aram came under judgment for crimes against Israel. Gaza had deported an entire people group and delivered it into the Edomite slave trade. Tyre broke a covenant by doing the same as Gaza. Edom attacked Israel. Ammon preyed on pregnant women and innocent unborn babies for the sake of enlarging their borders. Moab was in trouble for burning the bones of the Edomite king to lime. Judah had rejected the law of the Lord.
While we do not have details concerning all of these prophecies, three things become clear:
God cares about how you treat others.
God cares about keeping covenant promises.
God is extremely patient.
Then comes the prophecy concerning Israel.
Thus says the Lord,
“For three transgressions of Israel and for four
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they sell the righteous for money
And the needy for a pair of sandals.
“These who pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the helpless
Also turn aside the way of the humble;
And a man and his father resort to the same girl
In order to profane My holy name.
“On garments taken as pledges they stretch out beside every altar,
And in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
“Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
Though his height was like the height of cedars
And he was strong as the oaks;
I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below.
“It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And I led you in the wilderness forty years
That you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.
“Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets
And some of your young men to be Nazirites.
Is this not so, O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
And you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’
“Behold, I am weighted down beneath you
As a wagon is weighted down when filled with sheaves.
“Flight will perish from the swift,
And the stalwart will not strengthen his power,
Nor the mighty man save his life.
“He who grasps the bow will not stand his ground,
The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will he who rides the horse save his life.
“Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day,” declares the Lord.
Israel had become very prosperous, but with prosperity came corruption. In verse six we get a glimpse into the sins Israel committed. They sold the righteous for money, the needy for a pair of sandals. When wealth becomes your god, it will lead you to do despicable things to get it. What makes this act so reprehensible is Israel is not enslaving outsiders and extorting them. They are doing it to their own people. They were also guilty of using the courts to pervert justice. When the poor could not pay their debts, the ruling class treated them like dirt. This sin expresses the low value Israel’s upper class had for human life.
In verse seven Father and son are sharing the same woman. In verse eight, garments taken as pledges were not returned as the Law stated, but rather laid at the altars. One might have pledged his cloak for a number of reasons, perhaps used as collateral, but Exodus 22:26-27 states that the possessor of the cloak was to return it by sunset so the owner would have a covering for the night. The rich broke this law. The part about drinking the wine of those who were fined suggests that wine was the payment and the poor were likely unjustly fined in the first place. Think of a wealthy man who already has a wine cellar who goes to the poorer in the community and takes their wine so he does not have to drink his own. That’s kind of what is happening here.
The point is this: The wealthy in Israel could have bought whatever they wanted, but they chose to extort their own people in order to get more. For this reason, Israel comes under the judgment of God. This is the message given to Amos, an outsider.
The issues we face today are not unlike the issues Israel faced back then. Those in power seek to step on the little guy to gain even more power. And they are doing it to their own people.
Christian artist Matthew West came out with a song in 2014 called Do Something. The lyrics go like this:
I woke up this morning Saw a world full of trouble now, thought How'd we ever get so far down, and How's it ever gonna turn around So I turned my eyes to Heaven I thought, "God, why don't You do something?" Well, I just couldn't bear the thought of People living in poverty Children sold into slavery The thought disgusted me So, I shook my fist at Heaven Said, "God, why don't You do something?" He said, "I did, yeah, I created you"
Amos was an ordinary guy. He wasn’t a trained prophet. He was herding sheep and growing trees. He was an ag guy. He was a blue collar worker. He wore wranglers and Levi's. He wore cowboy boots. His clothes showed signs of getting dirty. His hands were rough. He wasn’t a suit and tie guy with an office and a staff. He was more like you and me and God called him to get up and do something. He was a prophet who wasn’t a prophet.
God has uniquely called each of us to identify evils and injustices in the world and go out and do something.
God has uniquely called each of us to identify evils and injustices in the world and go out and do something.
We could use a modern-day Amos. But God has already sent one: You. It’s scary and unbelievably challenging, but we have the strength and the power of the Almighty on our side when we have surrendered to His calling on our lives.
How to be a modern-day Amos:
Know your stuff.
Find the courage to speak up.
Know your stuff. Read your Bible. Agree with God in identifying what sin is, then call it out. It is not enough for us to amen each other when we all agree that something is evil. Amos didn’t look at the evils taking place in Israel, go back to his shepherd buddies and say, “Boy, what they are doing over there sure is evil.” “Yeah, that’s just terrible. That needs to stop.” No, he took the message God had for them and told it to their faces. That takes guts! We all need the courage to stand against the evils we see in our own society. Will you answer the call? Will you stand in the gap?