Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent [a message] to Jeroboam king of Israel saying Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel The land is not able to bear all his words Jeroboam replies For this Amos shall die by the sword and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land Also Amaziah said unto Amos O thou seer Go Flee thee away into the land of Judah and there eat bread and prophesy there But prophesy not again any more at Bethel from the king's holy place and house of his kingdom 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 And YHWH took me as I followed the flock and YHWH said to me Go prophesy unto my people Israel Now because of this YOU [Amaziah] hear the word of YHWH YOU [Amaziah] say Prophesy not against Israel and drop not your word against the house of Isaac Because of this thus says YHWH Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword and your land shall be divided by line and you shalt die in a polluted land and Israel shall surely be deported from his land
Comments: Amos 7:17 Amaziah knew Amos was a prophet
and thought he was doing Amos a favor and getting “brownie-points” from God by
warning Amos to flee to Judea and prophesy from there. He made the mistake of
his life by trying to play both sides … by informing against Amos to Jeroboam
and then warning Amos to flee the country and speak God’s Word in a different
location.
Think about this: Amaziah was a priest who had the ear of the King,
obviously a high-ranking fellow. Yet, because he chose Jeroboam against God and
told God’s prophet not obey God, he is told that things will become so bad for
him, that his wife, the prestigious wife of a high-ranking priest, who
has likely, up to this point, lived an extravagant, privileged, and respected life,
will take to the streets, becoming a prostitute in order to survive. Will
Amaziah become her pimp? Probably. Epitomes of their society, Amaziah and his
wife will sink into the dregs of society. All the while witnessing the murders
of all of their children. Could the outcome for Amaziah’s family have
been different had he chosen to honor God and not told His prophet to shut up?
2 comments:
Good question at the end. Would things have turned out better for Amaziah had he chosen to honor God than tell His prophet to shut up? Most likely. There are mistakes in my past where I mow wonder the same thing. What may have been then outcome had I obeyed God rather than disobeyed? Regardless, I am thankful for God's grace and have much to be grateful for.
Chip, Me too! I am forever grateful for the mercies of God. I have certainly paid consequences for thoughtless, stupid, and often sinful actions committed in my life, but, looking back, I can also see that even the consequences have often been mitigated by the kindness of my Savior. Thanks so much for visiting the blog and commenting! ~~ Jocelyn
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