Sons of Encouragement
Page 72
“I don’t think I can do what He asks.”
“You can’t. Neither could I. I am a shepherd. I tend sheep and prune sycamore figs. Who would think me equipped or even worthy to preach God’s Word in Bethel? Yet God made it so. I could say or do nothing until the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and then anything was possible. God will make it possible for you to do the task He’s given you. Your work is to trust Him.”
“Will you go back to Bethel with me?”
Amos saw the hope—and fear—in Hosea’s eyes. He shook his head. “No. This is where God wants me. For now.” Hosea would have to rely on the Lord to complete his mission. And the Lord would be there with him at all times.
Hosea smiled ruefully. “I didn’t think you would agree, Amos, but I had to ask. No man wants to be alone.”
“You won’t be.”
Hosea understood and nodded. “I will remember you. Your courage. Your obedience. I will remember what you said and heed well the warning.”
“And I will pray for you and continue to pray for all those you are sent to serve.”
They embraced.
You call Your prophets to a hard life of pain and suffering, Lord.
The Spirit moved within him, and Amos knew God suffered far more than any man could imagine. The One who created man, the One who molded and loved him into existence was treated like a cast-off lover. You suffer more, Father, for Your love is greater.
Amos’s throat tightened. He bowed his head. Oh, may the words of my heart be pleasing to You, Lord, for You are my Shepherd.
When he raised his head, Amos looked north and saw Hosea standing on the top of the hill. They raised hands to one another, and then Hosea disappeared over the horizon.
Israel refused to heed the warnings. Would they also scorn love?
Tears ran down Amos’s cheeks, for he knew the answer.
Amos brought the flocks back to Tekoa and wintered them in the protected pastures and shelters of home. Leaving his trusted servants in charge, he went up to Jerusalem to worship in the Temple and visit his brothers.
Bani told him the news. “King Zechariah has been assassinated in Samaria.”
Ahiam poured feed into a manger. “He was struck down in his capital right in front of the people. And his assassin, Shallum, is now king of Israel.”
The Word of the Lord given to Jehu all those years ago had been fulfilled, and Jeroboam’s dynasty had not lasted past the fourth generation. In fact, Zechariah had lasted only six months, and no other member of the family of Jeroboam remained alive to retake power from the crowned usurper.
Within a month, Amos heard from a merchant passing through Tekoa on his way to Jerusalem that Shallum had been executed and still another king was on the throne of Israel.
“Menahem refused to bow down to an assassin. So he came up to Samaria from Tirzah, killed Shallum, and crowned himself king of Israel.”
And so a terrorist always claims a noble excuse for murder.
Having turned away from the loving-kindness of God, the people now lived under the shadow of a murderer.
And worse would come.
With each day that passed, Amos’s sense of foreboding grew. He had killed a lion four days ago, and heard wolves last night, but there was something else, something even more ominous in the air. He kept the sheep close, his gaze moving to any disturbance.
A man came over the hill.
Amos raised his hand to shade his eyes. It was not Elkanan or Ithai or Eliakim. The man kept walking toward Amos with purposeful strides. When Amos recognized him, he knew why he had come.
“Paarai.”
“Greetings, Prophet.”
Strange that fear should leave him now. Amos inclined his head, his mouth curving in a bleak smile. “How does your father fare these days?”
“My father is the one who sent me.” Paarai drew a sword.
Amos had faced far worse than this arrogant young braggart. He could easily have defended himself with his club. But he did nothing. “What do you think you will accomplish by murdering me?”
“Your prophecies die with you! Our family will remain in power. And you will be food for the buzzards!”
Amos grasped the one last opportunity given him to speak the truth. “You’re wrong.” Amos dropped his staff and club and spread his arms. “Kill me if you think you must, but know this. Men plan, but God prevails. The Word of the Lord will stand. And everything will happen just as God had me say it!”
Paarai cried out in rage and thrust his sword into Amos’s stomach. He leaned forward, using both hands to push the blade all the way through and then let go and stepped back. Amos couldn’t breathe through the pain. Looking down, he grasped the bloody hilt and sank to his knees.
“Who holds the power now?” Paarai ground out. Uttering a guttural cry of rage, he put his heel to Amos’s chest and shoved him back. The blade thrust upward, slicing Amos’s hands. He lay on his back, writhing in pain. “This is what you get for making a better man than you suffer! My father will be able to sleep now! He will be able to eat! He will no longer fear your words ringing in his ears!”
Standing over him, Paarai pulled the sword out slowly. Amos cried out in agony, and saw that Paarai relished it.
He knelt at Amos’s side. Leaning over, he gave a feral grin, eyes black with triumph. “I’m going to leave you here now to suffer. Pray you die before a lion comes. Or the wolves. It gives me pleasure to think of your flesh being torn by hungry animals!” He stood, spit on him, and cursed him by the gods of Bethel. After kicking dust into Amos’s face, he walked away. Paarai scooped up a handful of rocks, flung them at Amos’s sheep, and laughed as they ran in panic.
Amos tried to rise and couldn’t. When he turned his head, he saw the sheep scattering. Tears filled his eyes. He cried in pain and despair as the sun set and his lifeblood soaked into the ground. He heard the wolves and saw them gathering on the hillside. The sheep moved restlessly, no shepherd to guide or protect them.
Like Israel.
And the nations will gather around the hills of Samaria. . . .
Amos wept. By Your mercy, I will not live to see it happen.
Had his father once said to him that the righteous often pass away before their time because the Lord protects those He loves from the evil that is to come?
A wolf came close, crouching low, growling. Amos was helpless to protect himself. His strength was gone. The wolf came a foot closer and then bolted away, frightened by something unseen.
A gentle breeze stirred the grass. It would be night soon. Darkness was closing in. Amos felt himself lifted by strong arms. He looked into a face he had never seen before and yet his soul recognized. “Oh!” Joy filled him and he kept his eyes fixed upon the One he loved.
“Do not fear.” Tears fell upon Amos’s face. “All that has been said will come to pass. And then I will restore the fallen house of David. I will rebuild its ruins and restore it so that the rest of humanity might seek Me, including the Gentiles—all those I have called to be Mine.”
The hope of salvation filled Amos, but he had not the strength left even to smile.
The Lord kissed his forehead. “Rest, Amos. Rest, My good and faithful servant.”
Amos closed his eyes as the Good Shepherd carried him home.
EPILOGUE
Not long after Amos died, his prophecies began to come true.
The town of Tappuah and all the surrounding countryside as far as Tirzah rebelled against Menahem. In retribution, Menahem sacked the city, killing men, women, and children, and even going so far as to follow the brutal Assyrian custom of ripping open the bellies of pregnant women and thus annihilating the next generation.
King Menahem reigned for ten years, and then the Assyrian king, Tiglath-pileser, invaded Israel and forced Menahem to pay thirty-seven tons of silver. He extorted the money from the rich of Israel. Upon Menahem’s death, his son Pekahiah ascended the throne, only to be assassinated two years later by Pekah, the commander
of his army. Pekah then declared himself king of Israel.
Twenty years passed as the people fell deeper into pagan worship. Hosea the prophet obeyed God’s command to marry a prostitute. Time after time, Hosea took his wife back, but the people around him failed to understand the living parable of God’s love for wayward Israel.
King Tiglath-pileser attacked again and captured the major cities and primary regions, taking the people captive to Assyria. Among them were Amaziah and his son, their wives left behind to fend for themselves as prostitutes.
Pekah was soon deposed by Hoshea who reigned in Samaria for nine years before King Shalmaneser of Assyria defeated him and plundered the country. When King Hoshea attempted to enlist the help of King So of Egypt, the King of Assyria returned, besieged Samaria, and razed it.
Just as Amos and other prophets warned, Israel was devoured by war. Assyrian wolves preyed upon the sheep of Israel. Those who survived were led away to foreign lands, leaving enemies to enjoy the bounty of the land God had given them. Dispersed, the ten tribes disappeared.
Judah repented under the reigns of King Hezekiah and King Josiah, but all too soon the southern kingdom also turned away from the Lord. One hundred and sixty-four years after Amos’s death, Babylon invaded and conquered Judea. As the people were led away to slavery, Babylonians stripped Solomon’s Temple and tore it down stone by stone.
Only then did the people repent and cry out to the Lord, and God heard their prayers.
Seventy years later, the Lord fulfilled His promise to bring them home.
For from Judah would come the Messiah. And on His shoulders would rest the government that would never end, and He would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Jesus, the Christ, God the Son, would be the Good Shepherd who would save His people and lead them into the folds of the Lord God Almighty.
SEEK AND FIND
Dear Reader,
You have just finished reading the story of Amos the prophet, as told by Francine Rivers. As always, it is Francine’s desire for you the reader to delve into God’s Word for yourself to find out the real story—to discover what God has to say to us today and to find applications that will change our lives to suit His purposes for eternity.
Amos was a humble shepherd and gardener. His heart for God helped him to weather the times he lived in and to face rejection. Amos did not shrink from the task to which God called him. Rather, he stepped forward and embraced his calling. Amos’s obedience to God’s call on his life is extraordinary. It foreshadows another prophet—the ultimate Prophet, Jesus of Nazareth.
May God bless you and help you to discover his call on your life. May you discover a heart of obedience beating within you.
Peggy Lynch
THE CALL
Seek God’s Word for Truth
Read the following passage:
This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel. . . .
Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos is hatching a plot against you right here on your very doorstep! What he is saying is intolerable. He is saying, ‘Jeroboam will soon be killed, and the people of Israel will be sent away into exile.’”
Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos: “Get out of here, you prophet! Go on back to the land of Judah, and earn your living by prophesying there! Don’t bother us with your prophecies here in Bethel. This is the king’s sanctuary and the national place of worship!”
But Amos replied, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’ ”
AMOS 1:1; 7:10-15
Who was Amos and where was he from? What was his profession and sideline?
When and how was Amos called to be a prophet? What kind of prophet was he? What kind of training did he have?
How was Amos received by the religious leaders, and why? How was he received by the political leaders?
How did Amos respond to the religious and political leaders? How did he respond to God?
Find God’s Ways for You
Who are you and what kind of training do you have?
God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
ROMANS 8:29-30
According to these verses, to what has God called you and why?
What is your response to God? Explain.
Stop and Ponder
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. . . . As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-29
MESSAGE FOR OTHERS
Seek God’s Word for Truth
Read the following passage:
This is what the LORD says:
“The people of Damascus have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They beat down my people in Gilead
as grain is threshed with iron sledges.
So I will send down fire on King Hazael’s palace,
and the fortresses of King Ben-hadad will be destroyed.
I will break down the gates of Damascus. . . .
I will destroy the ruler in Beth-eden,
and the people of Aram will go as captives to Kir,”
says the LORD.
This is what the LORD says:
“The people of Gaza have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They sent whole villages into exile,
selling them as slaves to Edom.
So I will send down fire on the walls of Gaza,
and all its fortresses will be destroyed.
I will slaughter the people of Ashdod. . . .
Then I will turn to attack Ekron,
and the few Philistines still left will be killed,”
says the Sovereign LORD.
This is what the LORD says:
“The people of Tyre have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They broke their treaty of brotherhood with Israel,
selling whole villages as slaves to Edom.
So I will send down fire on the walls of Tyre,
and all its fortresses will be destroyed.”
This is what the LORD says:
“The people of Edom have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords,
showing them no mercy.
In their rage, they slashed them continually
and were unrelenting in their anger.
So I will send down fire on Teman,
and the fortresses of Bozrah will be destroyed.”
This is what the LORD says:
“The people of Ammon have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders,
they ripped open pregnant women with their swords.
So I will send down fire on the walls of Rabbah,
and all its fortresses will be destroyed . . . ,”
says the LORD.
This is what the LORD says:
“The people of Moab have sinned again and again,
and I wi
ll not let them go unpunished!
They desecrated the bones of Edom’s king,
burning them to ashes.
So I will send down fire on the land of Moab,
and all the fortresses in Kerioth will be destroyed . . . ,”
says the LORD.
AMOS 1:3–2:3
Name the six neighboring people/cities/nations on which Amos pronounced God’s judgment.
What did these neighbors have in common? Why was God angry with each of them?
What judgment was decreed?
What can we learn about God from this passage?
What is implied about Amos? Explain.
Find God’s Ways for You
What similarities do you see, if any, between the behavior listed in this passage and what is going on in the world today?
I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 PETER 3:17-18
What warnings are we given in the above passage, and why?
What are we to do to remain secure? Are you doing it?
Stop and Ponder
The day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
2 PETER 3:10
MESSAGE FOR KINSMEN
Seek God’s Word for Truth
Read the following passage:
This is what the LORD says:
“The people of Judah have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They have rejected the instruction of the LORD,
refusing to obey his decrees.
They have been led astray by the same lies