What sort of person does God choose to work with? What are the credentials for God’s messenger?

Read: Amos 7: 1-17

Amos and Jonah were contemporaries with much in common (as well as some significant differences). Jonah, from the northern Kingdom of Israel, was sent to deliver God’s message to the people of Assyria. Amos from the southern Kingdom of Judah was sent to Israel. Both had the disadvantage of being prophets to a foreign culture before they even started to speak, and while Jonah was at least an experienced prophet with a good track record, Amos was an amateur, called from his everyday life to be God’s messenger.

So, why did God call a foreign prophet when there were probably home-grown ones in Israel, and what made Amos in particular fit for God’s purpose?

Today’s reading gives us several clues.

Firstly, Amos was obviously a good listener. I guess being a shepherd can involve lots of time alone in quiet places; perhaps it’s easier to hear God when there are few distractions. The fact that he recognised God speaking to him suggests that he spent regular time in prayer and worship, building a relationship with God. For him, prayer was a two-way conversation, where God actually worked with Amos and, although he had the power to enact his judgement, chose to be persuaded by the compassionate prophet and “relented from his plan” – God changed his mind!

Secondly, he was brave enough to obey God and speak out against Israel’s sin, but he did so with great compassion. He clearly loved the people God had sent him to as much as he loved God, and like many Bible characters, before and after, he was prepared to speak up and ask God to show his mercy rather than his judgement. I cringe when I hear followers of Jesus preaching a message of judgement, almost relishing the way God will punish wicked people and showing not an ounce of care or compassion for them. Amos, on the other hand, reflected God’s heart.

Finally, he was confident in his authority as God’s representative. Opposition and threats from a corrupt priest cut no ice. God has given him a task to fulfil and a message to speak, and he had the courage to deliver an unpopular message that could have got him killed. Discouragements often come to God’s people, so this quality of unwavering trust in God’s choosing and anointing is indispensable.

So, Amos got the job, and he got it done.

If the qualities of Amos are the qualities of someone who’s fit for purpose to work in partnership with God, how much are you like him? A person of prayer, who listens for God’s voice and recognises God speaking? Someone who courageously speaks hard words out of love and compassion, hoping for change? Someone who doesn’t give up when things get tough or dangerous?

Are you fit for purpose yet?

To another group of people, at another time, the Apostle Paul said: “I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together.” (1 Corinthians 11:17 NLT)

Read: Amos 5: 21-27

Back in 1974, singer/songwriter Garth Hewitt began to pen song lyrics that made a lot of western Christians extremely uncomfortable.

For example, in his song “The People of the West (Amos rides again)” he writes:

“You’ve silenced your prophets, You’ve shut down your dreamers, Your life blood is money, You’re exploiting the poor – Oh the people of the West, they just love to invest in a system that keeps the poor man poor… higher living standards, that’s the God you adore…”

The seventies marked a period when self-centredness and consumerism were on the rise in western society, and the church was being carried along with this prevailing trend. The church was characterised by a focus on personal needs, of happy worship that made them feel safe, nourished, and happy. Consequently, songs reminding Christians of the poor and hungry were not popular. In short, the church increasingly became part of the problem, as it encouraged its people to focus on the things of heaven and forget the incarnational aspects of being a follower of Jesus. Surely, the argument ran, that’s for the state to sort out, not for the church to meddle in.

Garth Hewitt remained true to his prophetic calling, founding the Amos Trust that has brought help and hope to many of the world’s poor, over the years was joined in God’s incarnational work by churches and individuals that recognised that God’s Kingdom work was much more encompassing than just personal salvation.

It was slightly scary to note, that when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, many western churches rushed to get worship services online; it was also heartening to note the efforts made by many to keep on serving their communities in practical ways, and to continue to speak out for the poor and disadvantaged in our increasingly self-centred and selfish world.

Maybe this time we’ve learned the lesson…

Here are some words from another of Garth Hewitt’s songs, “Walk in His shoes”:
“He’s a friend of the poor, he brings good news, a friend of the oppressed he walks in their shoes – he hungers for justice for those born to lose, he’s the healer of the broken, confused and abused – and those of us who follow him must walk in his shoes.”

How is Jesus asking us to walk in his shoes…and in the shoes of the poor…at this time?

We don’t like hearing unpleasant truths about ourselves, especially if, in our view, the messenger is not qualified to deliver it.

Read: Amos 1: 1-2 and 7: 12-15

Imagine that a British prophet is sent to the United States to call the rich and powerful to account for their attitudes and actions. How well would that go, especially as in many ways the rich and powerful in Britain are just as bad?

That is exactly the situation that Amos found himself in, back in around 765 BC, when he was sent from his native Judah to the breakaway northern kingdom of Israel, to deliver a message from God.

If you read the first two chapters of the book of Amos, you’ll quickly realise that Amos was a very skilful and subversive prophet, despite, as he says, not being a professional prophet with training and prior experience.

He starts by delivering prophecies against some of the surrounding Kingdoms – the Arameans, with their capital at Damascus, the Philistines, the Kingdom of Tyre, the Ammonites, the Moabites and the Edomites…all nations that have been Israel’s enemies. His listeners are all ears…these are just the kind of prophecies they want to hear.

Then it get’s even better, as Amos delivers God’s message of disappointment and impending judgement to his own people in Judah. The people of Israel love to hear this and are well and truly drawn into the prophecies of Amos.

It’s at this point he demonstrates how subversive he has been…he has left the longest and most damning prophecies until last and they’re all about Israel. Gotcha!

The religious elite, like the priest of the temple at Bethel, Amaziah, don’t like it. They try to belittle Amos for his lowly occupation and his lack of prophetic kudos. They suggest that this foreigner would be better served if he prophesied to his own people.

It makes little impression, because Amos is certain that it is Yahweh, the LORD, who has both called him and given him this message for Israel. In crossing the border and delivering the message he has done his part.

Now it’s Israel’s turn. They must choose to listen and act or ignore the warnings he brings.

If you were the Israelites, what might Amos say to you? How might you respond?