you can't silence the word

Good morning all,
We read this passage a week and a half ago in worship. It is a pretty jarring passage. Yesterday we saw Amos's vision of God with a plumb line; here we see the religious leader's response to his words. It seems that Amos was preaching at Bethel, one of the major religious centers of Israel, and a site that had been important religiously since before there were kings in Israel. As a priest Amaziah should hear and accept God's word, even though with this message we certainly wouldn't expect him to be happy about it. Instead he seeks to silence Amos because his words are too harsh.

The trouble is, silencing bad news doesn't make it go away. Instead, Amaziah is rejecting God's warning and loosing the opportunity to repent. As we see from Amos's prophesy, he is also angering God by trying to silence God's messenger. There's always a part of us that wants to hide from bad news and run away from our weaknesses. I pray that God would give us ears to hear and eyes to see so that we might receive judgement as an opportunity to return to God with all our strength.

God bless,
Sam

Amos 7:10-17
10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11For thus Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’” 12And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

14Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16“Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.” 17Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

judgment and destruction

Good morning friends,
This morning we are back to Amos and he's in full force. Speaking for God he invites the Philistines and Egyptians to witness the injustice and oppression in Samaria (Israel's capital after the division). He foresees the invasion and defeat of Samaria with the only "rescue" being a few pieces of furniture. While he expects the total destruction of Samaria he also envisions the destruction of Bethel (standing in for the religious life of the nation) and the destruction of the wealthy people's homes. Since hypocritical religious worship (worship without justice) and social oppression by the rich are Amos's biggest concerns, this extra detail fits well with the rest of his work. These harsh words remind us how much God hates injustice. May we work to be part of the justice and peace God is building today.

God bless,
Sam

Amos 3:9-15
9Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod, and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, “Assemble yourselves on Mount Samaria, and see what great tumults are within it, and what oppressions are in its midst.” 10They do not know how to do right, says the Lord, those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds. 11Therefore thus says the Lord God: An adversary shall surround the land, and strip you of your defense; and your strongholds shall be plundered. 12Thus says the Lord: As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who live in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.

13Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob, says the Lord God, the God of hosts: 14On the day I punish Israel for its transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. 15I will tear down the winter house as well as the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end, says the Lord.