Monday, August 12, 2019

Monday - Amos 7 - The Prophet Continued Preaching



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MOS' prophecies were unpopular. He saw visions of hard times in Israel's future, and no surprise, they didn't like that too much. Even Amaziah the priest had his fill of the preacher's negative messages. Amaziah tattled on Amos and then tried to persuade him to just go home.  It was no use though. Amos was determined to fulfill his mission. God had called him out of obscurity, away from farm life and into the prophesying ministry. All Amaziah accomplished was that he caused Amos to use him as a sermon illustration (Amos 7:16-17). Amos would not back off.

Now, Amos was not eager to see God's judgment falling on Israel. On two different occasions we find him interceding for Israel. God showed him the next piece of bad news, and he asked God to show mercy to Israel. And, God did exactly that. But, God's toleration of Israel's wayward ways would not last forever. The third thing God showed to Amos was a plumb line (Amos 7:7-9). This straight line of demarcation represented a boundary that could not be crossed. Even though God had shown mercy, the end of chances was near. And that is exactly when and where Amaziah piped up and told the preacher to get lost (Amos 7:12-13).

So, Amaziah took his frustration out on Amos, but Amos wasn’t central. In Amos' words, he said, "I was no prophet, neither was I the son of a prophet, but God sent me with a message to declare" (Amos 7:14-15). So, Jeroboam and Amaziah didn't like the message. Too bad! The preacher is obligated to preach.

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