Faithful Friday Faves: Amos

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

The little book of Amos is, to put it mildly, a strong word. First to the nations around Israel and Judah...then to Israel and Judah also. I'm not going into the word that Amos spoke, though, because what caught my eye as I read through this is Amos' defense of his message to Amaziah, the priest of Bethel:

"I was neither a prophet nor a prophet's son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'" - Amos 7:14-15

There are two pretty amazing things about this verse...first, Amos was, theologically speaking, a nobody. He had no credentials and no credibility, but God called him and sent him out with a message.

The other amazing thing is that Amos went. He left what he knew, where he was comfortable, the normal and the usual, and went to do something totally unfamiliar and prone to ridicule and offense.

Talk about a transition.

How clear was the word of God to Amos before he walked away from the sheep? Did he have angels and trumpets? Did his visions come then or later? Or did he just have that gnawing in his spirit that he could not silence so he HAD to go and speak? Amos doesn't say...but whatever it was, Amos was convinced that it was God. So he went.

Or...maybe Amos wasn't absolutely convinced. Maybe, just maybe, he figured the only way to know if God was really speaking would be to walk it out and see. 'Cause if it wasn't God, he sure wouldn't get very far. But he went anyway.

And his message reached the king.

So...this makes me uncomfortable. Because, if I'm absolutely honest, I LIKE my comfort zone. I DON'T like causing problems and offending folks.

But it is apparent through reading the Scripture that folks who meekly avoided offending people and just hung out where they were comfortable didn't do anything great for God. In fact, they often were the very folks the prophecies decried.

So I'm wondering how Amos' example is going to affect ordinary, unqualified me. Will I let it challenge me to dare to believe that little voice is really God? How will I walk that out if I do?