Amos was not a trained or educated prophet. He was merely a herdsman. He received his calling and credentials explicitly from God and God alone. The priest Amaziah was chosen by man and was allowed to be a priest of Bethel by God but did not want to hear the warnings directly from the Lord through Amos. We can see here that his fear of losing his position and comforts were greater than his fear of the Lord. Amos came as a warning from God to Amaziah and Amaziah did not want to believe the words from God. He only wanted to deliver good news to the king and to the people. He chose to harden his heart to God and chose to ignore God’s warnings. It’s easy for us to read this about Amaziah and think he is a fool and think of him lowly but how many times have we ignored God’s warnings to us in our lives? Every time we choose our way over God’s to stay comfortable in the world he has blessed us with we are doing the same thing Amaziah is doing here. Now granted Amaziah was a priest and when you are in the position Amaziah is in he is judged differently but it is the same sin. Don’t let money, comfort, or material things drive you. Though there is nothing wrong with these things, don’t let the fear of losing them cripple you from doing what God is leading you to do in your life. Always seek direction from the Holy Spirit and heed his warnings and callings. Be careful not to let the things of this world blind you from what God’s will is for your life. Love y’all! Have a great day!
Amos 7:1-17
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“The Lord God showed me this: He was forming a swarm of locusts at the time the spring crop first began to sprout — after the cutting of the king’s hay. When the locusts finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, “Lord God, please forgive! How will Jacob survive since he is so small? ” The Lord relented concerning this. “It will not happen,” he said. The Lord God showed me this: The Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land. Then I said, “Lord God, please stop! How will Jacob survive since he is so small? ” The Lord relented concerning this. “This will not happen either,” said the Lord God. He showed me this: The Lord was standing there by a vertical wall with a plumb line in his hand. The Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos? ” I replied, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will no longer spare them: Isaac’s high places will be deserted, and Israel’s sanctuaries will be in ruins; I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.” Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you right here in the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words, for Amos has said this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.’ ” Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. Earn your living and give your prophecies there, but don’t ever prophesy at Bethel again, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.” So Amos answered Amaziah, “I was not a prophet or the son of a prophet; , rather, I was a herdsman, and I took care of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ ” Now hear the word of the Lord. You say: Do not prophesy against Israel; do not preach against the house of Isaac. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: Your wife will be a prostitute in the city, your sons and daughters will fall by the sword, and your land will be divided up with a measuring line. You yourself will die on pagan soil, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.”
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