Amos 3;8 says, "The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can prophesy?" As one walking in a jungle fears to hear the lion's roar, so much more should one fear the words of Almighty God spoken in judgment. Lets see how the people were to identify, Gods spokesman or prophet? How was it possible for hearers to determine whether or not the one speaking was a true prophet.? The land was filled with false prophets and not all of them used various heathen methods of divination. Some would prophesy in the name of the Lord and claimed to have received His message through a dream or vision. However, The Lord provided several biblical tests for validating the claims of a prophet.
First, the prophet only spoke in the name of Yahweh. This is the validation used in Amos 3:8.
Second, the prophet spoke only by revelation. If a prophet claims to speak on behalf of Yahweh, but practiced sorcery or divination, he was rejected as false.
Third, the true prophet of God could be identified by his personal testimony.
His moral character was such that his life style marked him as a prophet of God. The false prophet was a mercenary who prophesied for money ( Micah 3; 5, 11).
He was often a drunkard (Isa. 28:7). He could be profane and wicked (Jer. 23:11). He sometimes conspired with others to deceive and defraud (Ezek 22:25). He often committed adultery, walked in lies, and supported evil-doers (Jer. 23:14). His overall lifestyle was one of immorality and misconduct (Jer 23;15). In addition, more than all else, he was a religious opportunist.
Fourth, the true prophet was conscious of a definite call experience. We will see that Amos recognized this in giving his personal testimony in 7:14-15.
Fifth, his message was always in harmony with all previous revelation.
Sixth, whatever the prophet prophesied, eventually came to pass. There would be a event in subsequent history that would confirm and authenticate the fact that he spoke for God.
We see Amos Judgment on Bethel, as he continued God's impending judgment on Israel by looking to the future through the Assyrian conquest. On that day, God said, (vs.7: 14-15). I will also visit ( or punish) the altars of Bethel.' Bethel you recall was the sight of one of Jeroboam's golden calves. Is it not ironic that Bethel, which means " house of God" and which had such a sacred history in connection with the patriarchs, especially Jacob and his vision of the ladder, should have been a place defiled by sin of Jeroboam? God said, " The horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. (3:14). " I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord." Their was at that time a indication of great misuse of prosperity of the time. Their is evidence from archaeology, of the opulent lifestyle during that time, by the discovery of wall panels inlaid with ivory. Many people had second home in the hills from which to escape the summer heat. Remember their was no middle class, and as a result the poor and the needy were crushed. Now chapter 4, Amos addresses the overweight women of high society saying" Hear this word, ye kine (Cows) of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria. " These women would recline on ivory beds, drinking wine and nagging their husbands for even more riches.
What a picture we have here of the blatant social injustice being perpetrated by the Israelites. There was the elitist group, the wealthy and powerful people; and the Lord swore in his holiness that, " the days will come upon you, that He will take you away with hooks and your posterity with fishhooks" This was a reference to the Assyrian practice of putting hooks through the lips of their captives before leading them away. The next verse describes them being led out single file through a hole in the city wall. Historically, we know that this exactly what happened when the Assyrians invaded.
Now with sarcasim, the Lord spoke through Amos:" Go ahead and do what you love to do, for the Lord knew Israel was not going to repent. Go to Bethel, where I learned to hate you. Go to Gilgal. Take your tithes and your thank offerings of leavened bread." Evil had completely permeated the nation of Israel, Everything was leavened, and in Scripture leaven is always a symbol of evil (Matt. 16:6; 1 Cor. 5: 6-9). These things were what Israel loved to do, because they ritualized the outward show of worship, sacrifice, and the licentious activities that went with the system. Personally, I praise God for the concept chastisement. If it was not for chastisement, we would not beware that we were beginning to stray away from the path God has planned for us (Eph. 2:10). The Old Testament (Jesus Bible) is designed by God and presented to us in a manner we can understand, and it becomes for us the guide for faith and practice, As Paul says in Romans 15:4: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope; P.S. Most scholars don't believe Jesus read the New Testament!
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