AMOS
7: 12-15
14
And Amaziah said unto Amos, “O thou seer, go, flee thee away to the land of
Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there;
13
But never again prophesy at Bethel: for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
14
Then answered Amos Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a
herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees,
15 And the LORD took me from following the flock, and the
LORD said unto me, “Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”
WHY
I SELECTED THIS PERICOPE
This pericope illustrates how God calls whom
God will call to preach the word of God.
It exemplifies the plight of a man who is virtual unknown and minding
his own business. The Lord takes Amos
from a peaceful life and tells him to speak and he has no choice but to deliver
God’s word. This is the sign of a true
messenger of God. In verse 14, Amos
explains to Amaziah that he did not choose to be a prophet. Amos had a life. His goal was not to gain profit by being a
holy man nor did he inherit the title.
But when God spoke, Amos listened and prophesied to the people of
Israel.
Today, many preachers and teachers of the
word of God teach on their own volition instead of waiting for God to
speak. The voice of God and the voice of
human’s get very confused at times. I
selected this pericope as a reminder to wait for God to speak before speaking
for God.
HISTORICAL
AND SOCIAL SETTING/ CONTEXT
The book
of Amos was written by a prophet during the first half of the 8th
century BCE during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) and
King Uzziah of Judah (785-733 BCE).
During this time, Israel was more prosperous than it had ever been
before. This abundance led to massive
inequality between the elite and the impoverished. “Through manipulation of debt and credit,
wealthy landowners amassed capital and estates at the expense of small
farmers. The smallest debt served as the
thin end of a wedge that lenders could used to separate farmers from their
patrimonial farms and personal liberty.”[1]
Amos, a native of the Southern Kingdom, denounced the
gross injustice and lack of righteousness in the Northern Kingdom. He felt that the sins of Israel were worse
than any other nation because of their relationship with God, see v. 3:2. The main theme of Amos is justice and God’s
passionate concern for the poor and oppressed.
“The immediate purpose of Amos’ prophetic ministry was to call the
leaders of ancient Israel to repent and reform.”[2]
FORM
CRITICISM
Amos 7:12-15 are narrative verses which begin
as an accusation against Amos by Amaziah.
Amaziah tells Amos to leave Judah, make a living somewhere else, and preach
there. This verse accuses Amos of being
a prophet for profit. Amos then counters
this accusation by explaining to Amaziah in v. 14-15 that he is not a prophet
or a child of one but a herdsman and tree dresser. God took him from his flock, not asked him to
leave but took him, and told him to prophesy to the Israelites. This calling was not voluntary nor was it a
request. It was a demand that had to be
met.
WORD
STUDY
Prophet
נביא
nâbı̂y'
naw-bee'
From (נבא, nâbâ', naw-baw' A primitive root; to prophesy, that is, speak (or
sing) by inspiration (in prediction or simple discourse): - prophesy (-ing)
make self a prophet.); a prophet or (generally) inspired man: -
prophecy, that prophesy, prophet.[3]
The words
prophet and prophesy as used in Amos 7:12-15 referrers to one that declares the
word of God by the prompting of the spirit of God. “Three key terms are used of the
prophet. Ro’eh and hozah are
translated as “seer.” The most important
term, navi’, is usually translated
“prophet.” It probably meant ‘one, who
is called to speak,’.”[4]
It is difficult to explain the
etymologically of navi’.
The biblical prophet describes a person who spoke for God and brought God’s
message to the Israelites. “Prophets received their call or appointment
directly from God.”[5]
Their authority came from God alone and
they came from all walks of life. The
position of the prophet was closely relevant to the current economic and
political structures. The prophet speaks
for God in the midst of economic disparities, political upheaval, and social
injustices. Amos was such a prophet. He was called out by God from his regular
life. He was told to be the mouth piece
of God to speak about injustice and unrighteousness. And, Amos spoke in spite of the dangers of
doing so.
SOURCE CRITCISM
Many scholars believe that the book
of Amos was written by the prophet Amos of Tokoa or by a group of his disciples
to a community of elitist Hebrews that were getting fat off of the poor and
wallowing in social injustice and unrighteousness. My pericope is a narrative between Amaziah
and Amos regarding the differing views of a prophet. It is clear that Amaziah feels that Amos is
in Judah preaching for money and asks him to go and somewhere else and pimp the
people. Amos explains to Amaziah that he
isn’t hurting for money, that he knows how to make a living, and the reason why
he is preaching is because God took him and told him to.
The prophet writing Amos declares
Amos a prophet after a long line of prophets that God “took” and made them
speak for him when the people are crying out, to warn the people, and to
declare God’s judgment. See: Hos. 12:13,
Judg. 6:8, 2 Chr. 25:15, 2 Chr. 24-19, etc…
REDACTION
CRITICISM
The exegetical intention of the
redactor in this pericope is to make plain the power of God to call a prophet
to speak even when and where he isn’t wanted.
The redactor makes it clear in v.12 that the prophet is not wanted in
Judah. It furthers the rejection by negatively
attributing the prophetic message with money gain. Verse 14 picks up as a defense to the
implication that Amos is prophesying for profit. Amos gives his resume and in v. 15 says that
he was taken from his peaceful life and told to preach. Prophesying was not his choice but God’s.
The redactor’s aim is to push the
sincere nature of Amos’ mission. It is
made clear that there is no gain for Amos to want to be in Judah or to preach
the word of God. Amos is fulfilling his
duty and will not stop until God’s word is delivered. God’s word is delivered in the verses that
follow the pericope.
SUMMARY
My research revealed that God is a commanding
personality that calls speakers from among the people to deliver God’s
word. It is clear that when God calls,
the prophet must do as he or she is told despite being ridiculed, banished, or
endangered. The calling is not a request
but a summons to do a job until that job is totally and adequately
completed. Amos 7: 12-15 is a perfect
example of this.
CONTEXTUALIZATION
I hope to broaden the contemporary Christian
perspective about delivering the word of God.
Preaching is a both a privilege and a powerful responsibility. It is not a vocation like any other just to
earn a living. It requires a call from
God and a message from God. It does not
push the church’s agenda, the prophet’s agenda, the people’s agenda, or the
preacher’s agenda. Only the will of God
should be considered.
If the definitively divine, clear, and
comprehensive word of God has been heard, no word should be spoken in God’s
name. If modern ministers, leaders, and
congregants adhere to this, the polluting of doctrine, victimizing of the
faithful, and swindling the naïve would be minimized. Too many times the church is enveloped in the
purpose of the minister or leaders instead of the purpose of God. The voice of God is being muted and replaced
by our own. The church must be quiet and
seek the undeniable voice of God and listen intently to what it says to ensure
that we are on the path that fits God’s purpose. When this is done, the word should be
delivered.
Bibliography
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2010).
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Bible Comentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995.
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New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,
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