Amos Shepherd to Prophet
Amos was a shepherd who tended the sheep. One day, God chose him to carry his words to the people of Israel. From shepherd to prophet with a purpose.
This book is mainly prophecies against the nations, including Israel. I’m not going to try and put all the prophecies in. What I do want to do is take you into the life of the prophet. We meet him while he is a humble shepherd. The same class of men whom the angel of the Lord first appeared to when announcing Jesus’ birth. A man on the bottom of the social ladder, but on the top of God’s list for His servant.
Let’s join Amos as God moves him from the life of a shepherd into the life of a prophet. Holy Spirit, guide this journey. Show me what You would have me take from the story. You have already given me the direction to start. Lead me on Your path and show me what to take for my own life today.
♥ ♦ ♥
Amos is nearing his 35th year of life. He is a well-established shepherd. He is not a proud man but he takes pride in caring for the animals and plants under his watchful eye. He is very good at his job and enjoys doing it.
Amos lives near the city of Tekoa and is one among many shepherds living there. The kingdom of Israel has been divided for some time. Amos enjoys the life of one living in the land of Judah; one that still tires to honor the Lord. NOT like her sister who set up idols as soon as she broke away. Uzziah is currently king in Israel and Jeroboam II is king of Israel.
Amos visits Jerusalem each year, at the time of the appointed feasts by the Lord. He brings his offerings and sacrifices. He loves the Lord with all his heart and tries to live the life of a shepherd as close to the life of King David as possible. He sings praises to the Lord while tending his sheep; just like David. And he diligently seeks the Lord’s guidance in meeting their needs. He even seeks God’s leading regarding which pastures to send his sheep into for the winter months.
Amos doesn’t see himself as anyone special, or even worthy of having people listen to his words. He sees himself as a lowly shepherd, at home among the sheep.
But Amos’ opinion of himself isn’t all that matters. There is One far greater who sees Amos differently. He sees Amos as an obedient servant and a faithful witness. HIS view of Amos is what truly matters.
“Have You seen my servant, Amos? He has no idea how loved he is. And how different his life is about to become” the Father says to the Son.
The Son smiles and nods his head. “Things in his life are about to get interesting.”
The Spirit is ready to reach down and touch Amos’ heart. To open it wide, so he can hear the voice of God.
The Father nods and the Spirit touches Amos.
“Amos” the Father says.
Because of the Spirit’s hand on him, Amos knows the Lord’s voice immediately. “Yes, Lord.”
“I have a task for you. You will be a prophet for me to the people of Israel.”
“Lord, are You sure You have the right man? I’m just a humble shepherd. And I don’t even know anyone in Israel.”
The Father smiles. “Yes, Amos. I’m certain. You won’t need to personally know anyone in Israel to bring My message to them. I know them and I know their hearts. I will give you the words to speak in their hearing and bring you to the place where you will speak them.”
“Alright Lord. Do with me as seems best to You.”
“I am about to judge the nations, Israel and Judah being chief among them. Out of all the families of the earth, I chose Israel unto Myself. And she has turned her back on Me.”
“I know” Amos says with downcast eyes. “And, I’m sorry.”
“I know you are, and that is why I’m using you as my messenger.”
God lets that sink in for a moment before continuing on.
“I am going to show you the disasters I have in store for my rebellious people.”
Before Amos’ eyes, a valley ripe with grain stands. Amos easily identifies the fields as being ready for the second harvest, the king’s harvest already having been taken. A darkness begins moving across the valley from the east to the west. The sound of its moving is like the beating of millions of wings against the sky. It only takes a moment before Amos realizes what he is witnessing. It is a great swarm of locust, descending on the crop to destroy it.
Amos cries out; “O Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!” (Amos 7:2).
The vision disappeared and the Lord relented concerning this. “It shall not be” (Amos 7:3), says the Lord.
Amos breathes a sigh of relief. Then before Amos’ eyes appears the great see and the land standing before it. Out of the sky comes a consuming fire. It begins with the great sea. It dries it up quicker that a towel whisking away a puddle of water. The fire continues forward and begins licking up the land in front of it.
Amos’ eyes are wild with fear as the fire moves across the earth. He cries out again; “O Lord God, please cease! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!” (Amos 7:5).
The fire dies out in an instant and the Lord relented concerning this. “This also shall not be” (Amos 7:6), says the Lord God.
Amos breathes an even deeper sigh of relief. Then, before Amos’ eyes appears a man standing beside a wall built that was built using a plumb line. This wall is straight and true; in perfect alignment with the plumb line. In the hand of the man is a plumb line. Amos isn’t sure what to make of this vision. It is not terrifying like the previous two. He waits to see what will happen next.
“Amos, what do you see” (Amos 7:8a), asks the Lord.
Amos focuses on the item in the man’s hand. “A plumb line” (Amos 7:8b), he answers.
God nods. “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword” (Amos 7:8c-9).
Amos cannot argue against this judgment. Israel is SO out of ‘plumb’ with God’s statutes that one would never know that they once served the Lord God of creation. King Jeroboam I brought them to this place when he erected the two golden calves and proclaimed; “Here are your gods who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
It could have stopped there, but the people BOWED DOWN TO IT AND WORSHIPED! The straight and true line Israel had walked while under the rule of King David cracked in two.
“Amos, you will bring My words to the abomination at Bethel. There, you will stand before the people gathered before it and proclaim My judgment. You will proclaim My judgment, not only against Israel, but against all the nations. But you shall specifically pronounce My judgment against the house of Jeroboam. I will put in your mouth exactly what you shall say. Do NOT fear the men gathered there. I will protect you and snatch you out of their hands.”
Amos sets out that very day for the town of Bethel and to the golden calf Jeroboam made for the people. “Your gods indeed” sneers Amos as he thinks about the stories of the Lord as He cared for the people in the wilderness. “That piece of metal wasn’t even crafted while GOD’S people were in the wilderness.” Amos shakes his head at the absurdity.
Amos arrives at the designated spot. He is surprised to see how many people are gathered there. He had no way of knowing that it was one of the festivals set up for Israel to worship their false god.
Amos steps from the trees and begins proclaiming the word of the Lord. He starts with God’s judgments against Israel’s neighbors. God even has him call out against Judah, before turning his attention to Israel.
God doesn’t go after the ‘god’ problem first. He focuses on how they treat their fellow men; the oppression of the poor, turning away the sick, and sexual immorality. All these He calls out before turning to Israel’s spiritual depravity.
“I destroyed the Amorites before you, and I brought you out of the land of Egypt” God thunders through the mouth of Amos. “I raised up prophets and Nazarites among you and YOU corrupted BOTH!”
The Lord turns to Israel’s just punishment. “I will press you down, rob you of your strength and even frighten your bravest men. You will not be able to stand before me on that day. ‘“Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord God, the God of hosts, “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. I will strike the winter house along with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end,” declares the Lord’ (Amos 3:13-15).”
As Amos speaks the words of the Lord, the priest of Israel, Amaziah, begins to burn with anger against him. “Seize him!” he calls out.
Guards surround Amos but he stands fast. The Lord has promised to protect him.
Amaziah calls for a scribe. “Take this down” he orders. “To Jeroboam, the great king of Israel. ‘Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said, “Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land”’ (Amos 7:10-11).”
The scribe leaves immediately with the message to the king. Amaziah turns his attention to Amos. Anger boiling and a sneer curling his lips, he calls out to Amos. “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom” (Amos 7:12-13).
Amaziah’s words do not frighten Amos. He calls back to Amaziah with strength; “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following 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 preach against the house of Isaac.’ Therefore thus says the Lord: “‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land’” (Amos 7:14-17).
Amaziah’s mouth falls open and his face goes beet red, but he does not make a move against Amos.
Amos proclaims again the end of Israel. God uses a vision of a basket of summer fruit. No fruit lasts forever. God promises to destroy His people and “never again pass by them.” “Israel WILL fall for her sins; including her abuse of her poor and defenseless people. Even the Temple will be brought to the ground” Amos tells the people.
Silence settles over the crowd at the weight of God’s words, even though most do not believe them.
Just before leaving, Amos has one final word for them from the Lord. It is of eventual restoration by the hand of the Lord. ‘“Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,’ says the Lord your God” (Amos 9:13-15).
Amos turns and walks right between the guards. None even raise a hand to stop him. He walks until he reaches the pastures where his sheep lie. He is exhausted both physically and mentally.
“Lord God, please do ask me to ever do that again. I am honored to have been used by You, but I don’t know if I was even believed. The people mocked me instead of listening.”
“And they mock Me as well. Rest well, for your work is done in Israel. They were not hearing your words, but Mine. And MINE ALWAYS come to pass. So, if they didn’t believe you, it is of no consequence. But if they do not believe ME, they have chosen their fate.”
Amos sits with that for a while before drifting off to sleep. When he rises in the morning, his life returns to its predictable routine. God has honored his request, as He has delivered his message to the people of Israel once again.
♥ ♦ ♥
I wonder about Amos. How hard did God have to work to convince him that he was worthy of this assignment. Did he actually long for another assignment? Is ALL of Amos one long encounter and prophecy, or did he appear to the people more than once?
I had to Google that last question. According to scholars, Amos gave prophecies several times; the first ones being the earlier chapters. Amos’ visions were separate from the sermons and his final confrontation of the people at Bethel. I can see that, but I wonder where he delivered the first messages.
The most important part of Amos’ story, to me anyway, was his willingness to go. He was a lowly shepherd. The bottom rung of society; just above a beggar. But he went where God sent him. He spoke before EVERYONE, regardless of their status. He even spoke directly to the high priest of the golden calf.
I don’t know who my stories are reaching, but I trust God is using them to speak to others where I can’t. Only through obedience to His purpose can we touch others for God.
Father God, thank You for letting me tell Your stories. I know that they are probably not 100% accurate. I try my best to listen to the Spirit’s direction during our time together. I pray that You can still use them to bring others closer to You. To encourage them to look deeper into the stories and find the hidden jewels You placed in Your word.
