Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Prophet
- Prophet: A prophet is one of the fivefold ministry categories that is used throughout the Bible and especially lifted up in Ephesians 4:11. The prophet is primarily concerned with whether or not the people are hearing the voice of God. The prophet is also concerned about whether or not the people are responding to God’s voice.
There is
one reason above all other reasons for which I love the prophets of Israel:
they are obedient to God, not interested in the respect of the people around
them. Look at Amos in this chapter. Amos gets done telling us about how God showed
him planned punishment after planned punishment. Again and again Amos asked God to relent and
God relents. Amos desires to uphold the
people of God in His sight. That’s what
God calls the prophets to do. They are
to uphold the people of God.
However,
immediately after upholding the people in the presence of God, do you hear the
story that Amos relates? Amaziah, a
priest under the service of the king, comes to him and tells him to go away. He tells him that his message isn’t welcome
here. How is that for gratitude?
Amos
lives up to His calling. He is a prophet
through and through. Whether the people
love him and respect him is irrelevant.
What matters is that he does what God asks him to do. He lifts up the people in God’s sight. He proclaims God’s message knowing that it
will bring rejection, criticism, and even all out hatred. But there is Amos, willing to be hated for
the sake of his calling.
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