A very small connection with Amos

Amos 1:1

Most of the time I can state with much clarity that I struggle to identify with the prophets, both the major ones like Isaiah and Jeremiah, and even those who are called Minor Prophets like Micah and Joel, but I do connect in some ways with Amos.  He was a farmer and for most of my life I’ve enjoyed growing veggies and it must have come from my granddad Golden, who farmed most of his life.  Amos was a man of the soil, he farmed to make a living, he had no desire to be a prophet, but God called him and then sent him out with a message.  I’m at best a peddler turned writer, but much like Amos I have felt God’s call to write about life; mostly my own and how Jesus Christ has given me hope and a eternal view of life in the promises of His written Word.

Amos was called with a message for Israel; Gene A. Getz gives this insight: “Amos pointed out that God despised those who participated meaninglessly in festivals, offering, and worship.   God hates empty ritual.  Amos also condemned those who loved riches rather than God.  There is one God, our Creator and Redeemer, and He should be worshiped with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.  Amos warned his audience that if they continued on the path they were on, God’s judgment was imminent.  Yet, he made them aware, though their nation was in a downward spiral, individuals who turned to God would experience His grace and compassion.”

I have more than a little trepidation about sharing with you what I believe God is up to by asking someone like myself to express thoughts in written form.  I do not have any of the tools, skill sets, or education that is needed in putting words on paper, or in this case on a computer screen.  But I’ve sensed the need to share with the community of faith the thoughts that come into my mind as I read the promises of God’s word.  In no way does that make me a prophet, for I believe strongly that when Jesus said it was finished, all that is needed to find an abundant life on planet earth and fellowship with the Father has been written in the manufacturer’s handbook on life, often referred to as God’s word, or the Holy Bible.

We have this from Dr. Claude Mariottini, Professor of Old Testament at Northern Baptist Seminary.  “One of the most important earthquakes in the Bible happened in the days of Uzziah, King of Judah around 760 B.C. The call of the prophet Amos to the prophetic ministry is dated from this event: “The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake” (Amos 1:1).

This earthquake probably was very devastating because it remained in the memory of the people of Israel for centuries. Two hundred years later, the prophet Zechariah spoke of that earthquake as a divine judgment upon the sins of Jerusalem: “And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yes, you shall flee, like as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah” (Zechariah 14:5).”

As a fellow member of the Christian faith, a follower of Jesus Christ, and a man who knows that his feet are of clay, and often his mind tunes into the deception channel, a channel that is full of worldviews and logic not found in the council of the Holy Spirit, let us explore the riches of knowledge and wisdom that is found in the words of this Minor Prophet.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice