I raised up some of your sons for prophets
Sun, 13 November, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.
11 And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
and some of your young men for Nazirites.
Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
declares the LORD.12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
and commanded the prophets,
saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’
Amos has been bringing God’s word of judgment upon the people. Starting with the surrounding nations, Amos tells of God’s anger and how He will pour out His wrath. Since Amos’ audience was from the northern tribes of Israel, they probably enjoyed what he had to say as he pronounced judgment upon the Syrians, the Philistines, the Phoenicians, the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the southern kingdom of Judah. “Let ‘em have it, Amos!” was probably their attitude. “Let’s hear some more of that hell-fire-and brimstone preaching against those pagans!”
But now Amos turns his sights on his hearers as he pronounces judgment upon the northern tribes. All of the sudden, Amos isn’t such a popular preacher anymore.
In listing all the reasons for God’s judgment on Israel, Amos tells them that God has sent them prophets and Nazirites, but they didn’t listen. The prophets were those who brought God’s word to the people, and the Nazirites were those who took a special vow to be set aside for God. Samson was a Nazirite, and Samuel and John the Baptist probably were also. So in rejecting the prophets and the Nazirites, the people were rejecting God’s word and His rule.
What do we learn from this?
God provided His word to the people. He gives prophets His word, and expects the people to respond. But if they do not listen to His word, and reject those who bring it, God holds the people guilty and promises to bring judgment for their mistreatment of His word.
The people of Israel rejected God’s word to the extent that they silenced the prophets, and they forced those who were trying to live for God to break their vows to God. Therefore they faced God’s hand of judgment.
We might be tempted to think that this has nothing to do with us. We haven’t forced any prophets to stop bringing God’s word, nor have we forced any Nazirites to drink wine. We’re just fine then, right?
Wrong. God has given us the precious gift of His word. We have access to the scriptures that were undreamed of in years past. But what have we done with them? Do we read them regularly? Do we study them and meditate upon them? Do we regularly put ourselves under the faithful preaching of the scriptures? What have we done with God’s word? Are we silencing God’s word by ignoring it when we have it all around us? Remember, when God has provided His word to us, He then holds us responsible to make use of it. And if we fail to do so, He holds us culpable. What was one reason God sent Israel into the Assyrian captivity? Because they abused the word He sent to them.
Where is Christ in this passage?
The prophets who faithfully brought the word of God were pointing the people to the coming Messiah who would pay the price for the sins of His people. They pointed to the coming Prophet, Priest and King who would bring salvation to those who come to Him in faith. They pointed the people to Jesus Christ.
