Who is the True Prophet?(Amos 7:10-17)

 

Who is the True Prophet?

Amos 7;10-17 (ESV)

Amaiziah Opposes Amos

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For 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, and eat 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.”

Amos Responds to Amaziah

14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was not prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and dresser of sycamore figs. 

15 But 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.’ 

17 Therefore thus says the Lord:

‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

God’s Character (vv. 14-15)

God choose the obedient, not the qualified. Amos was a shepherd and a farmer, not a professional prophet. But when God called, he responded with complete obedience. 

* God uses those who obey Him wholeheartedly.

Lessons for Us

1. False authority silences the true prophet(vv. 10-13)

Amaziah cared more about preserving political power than listening to God’s warning. 

Reflection: Do I avoid God’s uncomfortable truth and dismiss it when it challenges me?

2. A true prophet fears God more than people (vv.16-17)

Amos stood firm in delivering God’s judgment, despite pressure and threat. In contrast, Amaziah and Israel faced divine judgment for rejecting the Word. 

Reflection : Do I fear God’s will more than people’s reasons?

Application 

- Examine how you respond to God’s word- are you filtering it for your comfort?

- Obey God even when you fell unqualified. 

- Don’t ignore uncomfortable truth. God often speaks through it.