7-30-06 Amos 7:10-15

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying:‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’” Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

It’s All in the Call

Faithfulness is a big word. How would you define it? Off the top of my head, I would say that it means sticking with something – keeping to a task or a promise - even when the going gets tough. It means not giving up at the first sign of defeat or opposition. It’s something that I can’t help but admire in what Tom Brokaw coined the “greatest generation.” Even though World War II ended up in the deaths of millions of people, they stuck with it to the end. Even if their marriages were absolutely miserable – a majority never even thought about leaving one another. Even if they absolutely hated their jobs, they kept going day in and day out for thirty years. Very rarely if ever did they quit something.

It is admirable because it is so rare in today’s society. It seems that people give up so easily today. At the first sign of conflict within a marriage, one spouse either threatens to leave or does in fact leave. If a class in college seems to actually require some homework, the student immediately drops it in fear of the work it will bring. You rarely meet the young church member who faithfully comes to every Bible study and even the Midweek worship services when they are offered. The Bible class has to be offered at just the right time with just the right topic in order to try and entice people to come. A majority of us need to be coddled. Employers need to sweeten the pot for not missing a day of work. Teachers have to give gift certificates for reading books. Whatever happened to just good old faithful service?

The problem ultimately comes down to a fear of God and a sense of duty to God. If God has given you a wife and told you to stay faithful to her until the point of death, then you right well better do so. If God has given you a teacher to teach you reading, writing and arithmetic, then you right well better do whatever he tells you to and do it on time. The confirmation verse – Revelation 2:10 says, “be faithful to the point of death”, not to the point of comfort – or as long as you feel like it. This verse makes no mention of how you feel or what you want to do. It simply says to “be faithful.” This primarily means to your listening to and feeding on Christ, the Word of God. Yet it could also apply to all areas of your life – as a father, mother, son, daughter, employer, employee, pastor, teacher, or whatever you are. Be faithful, not fickle. So ask yourself, are you a faithful church member? Are you a faithful father? Employee? Wife? Husband? Are you dependable? Are you regularly performing your duties – or are you constantly making excuses for your lack of performance? Do you find yourself trying to you’re your conscience because you aren’t spending time with your children, you aren’t working hard at work, or making God’s Word a regular part of your life?

I. Be faithful to your call – no matter what it is

Back growing up I remember staying over night with a friend of mine who lived on a farm in a shepherd like setting. He had no choice but to get up at 5 or 6 in the morning and help his dad with the chores – so he did. Amos reminds me of a good old farm boy. I can’t read Amos’ heart, but something tells me that he was a faithful guy. You can tell from his background. He says, “I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.” There doesn’t seem to be anything flashy about him. He was just a hard working blue collar guy. Yet God called him to go up from the farm lands of southern Judah – and head north to Bethel – a major worship center of the northern kingdom in the middle 700’s – about three decades prior to the Assyrian Captivity in 722 B.C. King Jeroboam the 2^nd had followed in the idol worship of the northern kingdom. Right after the original King Jeroboam had broken off from Rehoboam, he set up to golden calves and told the Israelites – “here’s your gods who brought you up out of Egypt. Go worship them at Bethel and Dan instead of going down to Jerusalem.” The people actually BOUGHT INTO this garbage and DID IT. They even set up their own priests to lead them in their worship.

It’s neat then to hear this fig plucking farm boy come up to the north and give them a stern message. He even uses farm illustrations in his application of the Law of God. Amos 2:13 "Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain. Amos 9:9 "For I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground. He was faithful to his call to preach to these bunch of heathens and tell them that they needed to repent or be taken into captivity.

It was at this time that Amaziah, the big time priest of Bethel, came to the scene. Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying: ”‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’” Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Basically, Amaziah told Amos that he had no business being there. He accused Amos of leading a rebellion and spreading fear into the people. But how did Amos respond? He was FAITHFUL. Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ He basically told Amaziah, “I know I don’t have the credentials to be a prophet. All I ever did was pluck figs and tend flocks. But the LORD called me to do this, so here I am.” Even though he himself didn’t really feel “qualified” to be prophesying, the LORD did. So he was faithful in his calling and did what the LORD told him to do.

In Amaziah and Amos you see two completely different attitudes and actions. Let’s look at Amaziah first. He had the familiarity of the people and the place. He had the backing of the king. This was his territory. Because of this he had an official confidence about him. He felt that the people could not handle such a hard and judgmental message of captivity and death. He showed a genuine concern for the PEOPLE! He didn’t want them being brought to despair over such a harsh and judgmental message.

On the other hand, Amos was out of his league. He wasn’t even from Bethel. He had no prophetical training or background. Yet here HE was trying to tell these foreigners how to live and what to do? He had never even prophesied before. He seemingly had no concern for the effect this would have on the people. He had no understanding of the northern culture. He had no respect for the fact that these were Amaziah’s people and flock. He just came barging in with his message of repentance. Amaziah was broad minded enough to be concerned about what the people would think of his message and how they would respond. Amos was only concerned with what God said.

Which would you rather have? An anthropologist or a preacher? A politically correct pastor who fashions his message according to what he believes you and your society can “bear” – who can understand you? Or would you rather have a pastor who is willing to tell you exactly what God says – whether you can “bear” it or not? Would you rather have a sensitive man to feel your pain or an honest man who tells you what you need to hear? Paul told Timothy, “Preach the Word. Be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and train with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2) What a terrible preacher it would be who would be unwilling to tell you things out of fear he would make you angry. What a terrible preacher it would be who would be more worried about keeping people on the membership list than proclaiming the Law and the Gospel. Faithfulness means sticking to the Word and preaching it, even when you know it will hurt – when you are almost sure that people will respond negatively. Amos may not have been cultured, but he was faithful.

This doesn’t only hold to the role of prophet. It applies to the role of parent, employee, child and friend. Proverbs 27:6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. It doesn’t mean that you should be rude or judge in things that God doesn’t. Yet sometimes you need to be bold and say the hard and loving thing. If your husband is being a whiner, then you may need to lovingly tell him. If your employee is having an attitude, then you need to say something. If your child is lacking respect, then you had best do something about it. Yes, your children may not like you for being honest. Your wife may respond with a little pity party. Your employees may sulk for a time. But if God has clearly condemned some behavior, it is your duty – your call - to lovingly do something about it.

Let’s say you have a Christian friend who is having too much to drink on the weekends on a regular basis. We think to ourselves, “I would say something, but I know I’ve gotten drunk before. He would just take it in the wrong way anyway.” You know in your heart it may cause a feud, so you say nothing. So you maintain an outward peace – while allowing problems and sins to go on unchecked. I can recall in my own life having a friend of mine speak in a very degrading way to his wife. I could have said something to him. I should have stood up for her. But I didn’t want to involve myself in it – even though he was doing this right in front of me. I didn’t want to get in an argument with him. I said to myself, “It’s not my business. I’ll let them deal with this.” I should have done more. But I didn’t. The devil has gotten us to buy into this line of reasoning – that it is not worth the effort to cause any waves or do anything we think might be what we call “offensive” or cause people to leave. If we know it is going to cause someone to be angry, we know that we then will be the next one attacked.

Amos was attacked for saying something in a place and area that seemingly “wasn’t his business”. What was Amos answer? He more or less said, “It’s not about me. I know I’m not any more qualified than a cow herder. But this is what God’s Word says. He called me to come here to say this. OH, and by the way Amaziah – you’re going to go into exile, your wife is going to be made into a prostitute, and your children are going to die by the sword. Have a nice day.” (Amos 7:16-17) It may seem like a “rude” and “unloving” response. But how loving is it for a grandparent to say nothing to his grandchild – whom he or she knows is straying from God’s Word or dating an open unbeliever? You may not feel capable of being a parent or confident enough to correct a friend. But it’s not about you. If God gave you children – He can give you the ability to parent. If He gave you the promotion, you would have to assume that He’ll give you the ability to perform the duty and rebuke your employees if needs be. If He gave you the parents He gave you – then He will give you the ability to obey them. It’s not about you. It’s about the fact that God has given you a call to serve in the place you are – even if you aren’t trained in it or natural at it. Being faithful to a duty means doing it even when you don’t feel worthy – even when it may cause waves – because you believe that God has called you to be a parent, preacher, teacher, boss, or student.

II. Be faithful to your call because of what it is

Before we go any further, I want to emphasize something. This text isn’t just about a man who did his duty even though it was difficult. It’s deeper than that. Listen to what the call was. Amos said, “the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ What is God’s primary concern? The salvation of His people! The REASON the LORD chose Amos was to reach out to the northern Israelites. Even though they had fallen into worshiping a golden calf – the exact same thing they did at the bottom of Mt. Sinai which caused God to threaten their annihilation, the LORD still wanted to save them. After years of having worshiped these false gods, the LORD still considered them “MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.” If you want to know what faithfulness is, you need go no further than the LORD. He didn’t want to send them into the Assyrian Captivity. He wanted to have MERCY. Amos was not just sent as a test of his faithfulness. Amos was sent on a rescue mission – to bring these misled Israelites back to repentance and faith. It’s all in the call.

Think about the big mission – think about the LORD – when you are called to those difficult missions. Don’t just deal lovingly with your angry spouse because you are trying to be faithful and do your duty. Don’t just be a hard working son because I am telling you to. Remember WHO is calling you – the faithful LORD. Think about how many times – how every day – the LORD faithfully forgives you and sticks with you. Think about how the LORD still wants you in heaven – even though you haven’t been a faithful parent, teacher, or child. Think about how in His mercy God still reaches out to your rebellious children or students – how He still wants them in heaven. Here the LORD was reaching out to people who weren’t just going a little bit astray with a wrong thought or a lazy attitude. In the book of Amos He was reaching out to people who were openly worshiping a golden calf – blatantly breaking the 1^st Commandment.

This call shows us that the LORD is faithful. If you ever doubt this, just look at the life of Jesus. Jesus didn’t quit, wouldn’t allow Himself to quit His mission here on earth. Even on the way to the cross He wept over Jerusalem. Peter was begging him to flee the cross, but He wouldn’t listen. The disciples that he was dying for – left him alone to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. His own Father abandoned Him on the cross. Yet Jesus didn’t give up. He prayed for those who were persecuting Him. He stayed on the cross to the death. He was faithful even beyond death, as He still remains faithful to this day. He continues to keep the sun shining – He continues to pray and intercede for us – His saints. He continues to work all things out for our good. He is faithful to His duty to be our Redeemer, our Savior, and our Friend – and He will remain so until we are dead and in heaven with Him. There is no limit to the LORD’S mercy. It means that the LORD is never going to say of you, “I give up on this guy.” It means that the LORD still wants your straying friends and family to be brought back to repentance and faith. He says, “I haven’t given up on them yet.” It means that He still is calling you to reach out to them - to win them back to faith in the Savior.

When I went back to Norton on my last vacation I got to go help work cows with my father in law. It amazed me how he had trained these 1500 pound animals to come running after him in a truck and just yelling the simple words, “soo-ee.” That part was fun. There is some consistency to these jobs and some nice things about them. The time for harvest comes at approximately the same time every year. The animals – though not always the most cooperative – never talk back. They can be trained with a stick and a snack. Yet overall, even fig plucking and farming the flocks are not easy calls. There’s hard work and sweat involved. Cows don’t always come when called. They stink. They don’t say thank you. The “figs” don’t usually bring big rewards either.

I would venture to bet that if Amos had a choice between prophesying and picking figs – he probably preferred working with the flocks and the figs. It would have been so much more tranquil and predictable. It was what he was seemingly born to do. On top of this, the flocks wouldn’t have accused him of trying to lead an insurrection. The figs wouldn’t have told him to go home. He wouldn’t have had a bunch of foreigners laughing at him or ignoring him. Yet when the LORD called him to go on this call, he went and preached repentance to the Israelites of the north. He was faithful – even though the Israelites didn’t listen.

Life sometimes presents us with situations that we would rather not be in – that we don’t feel qualified for – that in hindsight we would never choose to be in. Maybe the lady you married isn’t the lady you thought she was. Maybe the kids you were so excited about having, haven’t turned out to be the little angels you prayed for. Maybe your job isn’t what you envisioned it would be. At times like this, you will be tempted to go back to the figs and the flocks – the old way of life that was so much “easier” in your mind. At that point - remember that the LORD has called you to be where you are. Even if it is a difficult or seemingly impossible call, don’t give up. It’s not about you. It’s all in the call. The faithful LORD placed you here. Be faithful and do whatever He is calling you to do – be patient, hard working, forgiving, and kind – even if it is difficult. Know that the faithful LORD is patient with you and forgiving. He will give you the strength to get through your call – because He is called “faithful and true”. Amen.