Amos, the message and the messenger

Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
(Amo 7:14 KJV)

Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: “ I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit.
(Amo 7:14 NKJV)

The message
Instead of weighing the message that Amos brought of God’s judgment, Amaziah went to complain to king Jeroboam that the ‘land can’t bear with all his words’. God in His mercy warned Israel through His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). Amos had a strong message to other nations first (which the listeners probably readily accepted because it involves others) then turning to Israel and it became hard to swallow. He must have had a tremendous sense of boldness to declare the things he did. If his message didn’t carry God’s authority, it would have been promptly dismissed, but something must have stirred within the hearts of the listeners. I wonder if we were there listening to Amos speaking the hard message, would we have heeded and repented. I wonder if these lone voices crying in the wilderness today are still being negatively reacted to. There are definitely these voices today which many churches take as being too harsh and say that these message don’t carry the elements of ‘grace’ in them. Many find means and ways to counter these messages. If they weren’t true, why bother to fight back? On the flip side, we have to realize that God’s grace did exist in these messages because they are warnings prior to impending judgment. Of course we have to be like the noble Bereans (Acts 17:10) to search Scripture even though the message was from the apostle Paul. The plumb line has always been the Scripture not man’s standard. Unless some dare to declare that God who is the same yesterday, today and forever has changed his moral standards and will in the way He does things? Note also that it was the spiritual authority that rejected truth.

The reason why I am writing about this is based on my prior experience when many individuals from diverse places (countries and ministries) have come to speak the word or warning which was not only was rejected but reacted upon. It is sad to see leaders of churches reject what was consistently spoken over the pulpit by outsiders. Surely God’s grace prevailed to warn us. Our respond today was very much like the days of Amos.

The messenger
There seem to be an explosion of Christian books and popular preachers in the last few decades than ever before. I noticed a book by a well known pastor becoming one of the top sellers even among secular books. The prophets of the Bible as well as the apostles lived, suffered and died because they believed in the truth. One will discover that the saints accounted in the Foxes book on martyrs didn’t lived lavish lives nor seek after popularity or excess wealth but were ready to live (and died) as the prophets and apostles did. They lived the way they did because they believed in the truth and willing to stake their lives on it.

The Bible in both the Old and New Testament warns of prophets who look for earthly gain.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
(Eze 22:25)

Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
(2Pe 2:15)

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
(Jud 1:11)

Many will chose the path of least resistance and wealth because there will always be a market for ‘smooth’ messages.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
(2Ti 4:3)

John the Baptist was the lone voice prior to Jesus coming and I personally believe that God will also rise up Elijah’s and John’s in the closing chapters of the fallen human history to usher in the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
(Isa 40:3)

Who was Amos?
He had a short prophetic ministry and was called out of Judah to speak to Israel in the north. As in Amos 7:14 states, his profession were a shepherd and gatherer of the sycamore fruit.

David was a shepherd boy and Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. The shepherd will understand the meaning of ‘going astray’ from the right path as sheep do. He also understands that the rod of correction and staff of comfort (Psa 23:4) was both needed by the office of a good shepherd to keep the sheep in line as well as to protect. We all like the staff of comfort, but stay away from the rod of correction. Even bringing up children we have administer both at the right time. God Who is wiser than any good parent will certainly know best. We can’t reject the rod and accept the staff only.

The job of Amos was also to gather or tender the sycamore fruit. The sycamore is sometime called wild figs or ‘false’ figs which has a hard skin which prevents the ripening of the fruit. The tenderer of the sycamore will pierce or scrape the skin of the fruit which will start the ripening process which takes about 4 days. Without artificially piercing or wounding the fruit, it will be of no value and can’t be eaten. There are times that God will have to wound us by piercing us with the double edged sword that we will become good fruit for His harvest. Piercing us doesn’t kill us, it makes us valuable. How can we reject such work of God through men and women who speak like Amos, Elijah and John? Jesus Himself has some hard things to say about the church (sheep vs. goats, Matt 25; wheat vs. tares, Matt 13; ten virgins, Matt 25; etc). Some will argue that Jesus was separating the saved and the unsaved. Read Scripture carefully and see how the goats called Him 'Lord', the tares were in the same field among the wheat and all the virgins were waiting for the bridegroom.

God was using the Amos, the messenger as the message himself. Interestingly Jesus was called The Word (John 1:1), Who is the message Himself. Likewise being ambassadors of Christ, we to have to be God’s testament to the dying world.

There is a sad outcome of refusing to receive God’s whole truth

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
(Amo 8:11)

Notice the famine is not of the Word of the Lord revealed to us, but the ‘hearing’ of it. Subsequently when people want to hear truth, there is none to be found.

These are some of the saddest judgments that God pronounced on Israel for refusing to respond to God’s speaking.

Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.
(Amo 9:2-4)

God's preservation
God’s mercy is one thing our human minds can never understand. But do keep in mind that the restoration is for the remnant not the majority who rejected the warning. Jesus said in the Parable of the Kingdom in Matt 22 that ‘many are called, but few are chosen’. Similarly in Matt 7:13 about walking into the strait way and narrow gate, few will find it.

And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
(Amo 9:14-15)

But we don’t have to suffer the consequences of refusing to hear what God is speaking to us, no matter how tough it is to swallow. Yes, He does speak of His Love, Loving kindness, Forgiveness and so many other great promises from His Word. When He should speak difficult things, may we have a heart, divinely pricked by the Good Shepherd as the sycamore fruit that in due time transformed from being hard and ‘inferior’ to one of tenderness, carry a sweetness of soul and bearing the heavenly preciousness. May we find ourselves walking on the strait path, having entered into the narrow gate and finally finding ourselves as His ‘sheep’? May we be God’s living testament in the final moments of the history of the fallen world by being God’s message?