AMOS 7:10

The Bible says in Amos 7:10-13, “Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.[11] For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.[12] Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:[13] But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.” Amos spoke forth the Word of God because God gave Amos a message. Amos spoke the truth. It is interesting to see how Amos was treated because he spoke God’s truth. The same is happening today when people speak the truth about Jesus. First of all, Amos was lied about. Amaziah said to the king, “Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel.” That was a lie. The message of Amos was a warning so that the people would turn from their sins and turn to the Lord and prosper instead of suffering the judgment that was otherwise coming. Christians today have the very same message that Amos had. It is the same message that Jesus had too. Repent of your sins and turn to the Lord because the judgment is coming. The message that Christians have is the best message of all. It is a message of love, and forgiveness, and eternal life, and the removal of all guilt and condemnation. And yet the unwise ones of the world say that Christians have a negative message. Because the people of the world are spiritually blind, they do not see. Also, because they do not want to repent nor be honest about their own sins, they hate the message of repentance. When you ask a spoiled child to do something that he or she does not want to do, often that child will get angry.

It is not surprising that in addition to lying about Amos, Amos was told to go away and preach his message somewhere else. That same thing happened to Jesus and his disciples. It will happen in every generation because most people reject the Lord and the truth about Jesus. They said to Amos, “go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there.” The Lord knew this same thing would happen to His disciples. Jesus had a lot to say on this subject. Jesus taught in Matthew 10:14-36, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.[15] Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.[16] Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.[17] But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;[18] And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.[19] But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.[20] For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.[21] And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.[22] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.[23] But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.[24] The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.[25] It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?[26] Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.[27] What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.[28] And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.[29] Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.[30] But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.[31] Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.[32] Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.[33] But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.[34] Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.[35] For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.[36] And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.”

Amos explained why he was speaking to the people of Israel. It says in Amos 7:14-17, “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:[15] And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.[16] Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.[17] Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.” Amos 7:14 and 15 have to do with qualifications to be a preacher. When Amos said that he was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, Amos is talking about from a human standpoint. Amos did not hand around with the other prophets. He did not go to any of their schools and he was not one of them. In other words, from a human standpoint, Amos was not qualified. What did Amos have that qualified him to speak forth the Word of God? Amos had God’s calling. While the prophets and sons of the prophets were doing the things that the standard prophets and their sons do, Amos was involved in doing real work. Amos was doing what many people in that land did to make a living: he “was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit.”

What qualification did Amos have to speak forth the Word of God to the people? Amos had the one indisputable requirement: Amos was called by the Lord to preach His Word. God’s calling is recorded in verse 15, “And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.” In many churches today men like Amos would never be considered for preacher because Amos was not from the established set of prophets, nor was he the son of a prophet. Amos did not have a degree. He did not have a PhD after his name nor the word “Reverend” for a title. What kinds of things does anyone learn who goes to work every day? He learns to do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage. He learns to fulfill his responsibilities day in and day out. He learns the value of a dollar. He learns how everyone else lives. He learns things that cannot be learned in a book or in a seminary. He learns the practical truths of life. Would anyone want a preacher who had not learned such things? That does not mean that book learning has no importance, but it does mean that it is not the most important thing. Moses was educated in the household of Pharaoh, but God put Moses on the backside of the desert tending sheep so that Moses could learn the same kinds of things that Amos already knew.

The Bible says in Amos 8:1-2, “Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.[2] And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.” It is interesting that God simply showed Amos a basket of summer fruit. Obviously, God meant for that basket of fruit to symbolize something to Amos. God explained it when God said in the last part of verse 2, “The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.” Fruit is harvested and then put into baskets. Amos knew all about that because Amos said that he was “a gatherer of sycomore fruit.” Fruit is allowed to grow for a season and then it is harvested. The harvest represents an end to the season. Of course, this is not the only time that God has used a harvest to symbolize the end of people’s lives when they will be judged and give an account to God. Jesus said in Matthew 13:37-43, “He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;[38] The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;[39] The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.[40] As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.[41] The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;[42] And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.[43] Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Once again God describes the judgment that was coming on Israel (that symbolized the judgment that is yet coming upon the whole earth), and the Bible says in Amos 8:3, “And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.” This is an interesting verse because it says that singing will be taken away. Instead of singing there will be “howlings,” and instead of singing there will be “silence.” Music is a big part of human happiness. Jesus sang. It says about Jesus and His disciples in Mark 14:26, “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” Christians are commanded to sing in Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Evidently, the Lord loves to hear us sing. You cannot know the true meaning of happiness if you do not learn to enjoy music. Can you imagine how sad life would be if there were no more music and no more singing? It would be horrible. A well-known popular song was written to express that sentiment. It is called “American Pie,” and some of the words are:

“I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play

And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.”

God said the music would die in Israel. Frank Sinatra recorded a song that also presents this sentiment of how bad it is to be without singing or music. Some of the lyrics are:

“Without a song the day would never end
Without a song the road would never bend
When things go wrong a man ain't got a friend
Without a song

That field of corn would never see a plow
That field of corn would be deserted now
A man is born but he's no good no how
Without a song

I got my trouble and woe but, sure as I know, the Jordan will roll
And I'll get along as long as a song, strong in my soul

I'll never know what makes the rain to fall
I'll never know what makes that grass so tall
I only know there ain't no love at all
Without a song.”

If you want the best songs in your life that can help bring you joy and happiness, then get right with Jesus and sing praises to His name for the wonderful future that He has prepared for you.

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