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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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