#DailyDevotion When True Preacher Meets Teacher Of Errors

Amos 7 ¹⁰Then Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, sent someone to tell Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos is plotting against you right among the people of Israel. The country can’t stand everything he says. ¹¹This is what Amos says: ‘The sword will kill Jeroboam, and Israel will leave its land to go into exile.’” ¹²Then Amaziah told Amos: “You seer, go, run away to Judah and eat there and prophesy there. ¹³But never again prophesy in Bethel — here is the king’s holy place, and here is the king’s palace.” ¹⁴Amos answered Amaziah: “I’m not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet. I take care of cattle and grow sycamore figs. ¹⁵But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD told me: ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’ ¹⁶“Now listen to what the LORD says: You say, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel, and don’t preach against Isaac’s people.’ ¹⁷Just for that the LORD says this: ‘Your wife will be a prostitute in the city, and the sword will kill your sons and daughters. And your land will be divided by a measuring line. You will die in an unclean country, and Israel will certainly leave its country and go into exile.’ ”

So you must remember that Amos was from the tribe of Judah. Him coming to prophesy in Israel would have been seen as an affront from a foreigner. It would be like a Canadian telling the US what to do. He may have even been a bit successful in his preaching against Israel because Amaziah the priest sends a report to Jeroboam the king telling him about Amos’ prophesying against him. If no one was listening to Amos, he probably wouldn’t have done that. Perhap his prophesying was affecting the offerings and tithes there at Bethel which directly affected Amaziah’s livelihood. Instead of worshiping the idol of the LORD, a golden calf, at Bethel, Israelites worshiping there may have started going to Jerusalem to offer up their sacrifices and offerings.

Amaziah’s report isn’t false though. Amos indeed was preaching that Jeroboam would die by the sword and the people would go into exile. We also might want to remember the priest of the LORD in Israel who served at Bethel and Dan were Levites. They were chosen by God in the wilderness with Moses to serve the LORD and to teach His people. They were shirking their duty by allowing the Israelites to worship the LORD in the form of golden calves. This will be important to Amos’ reply to Amaziah.

Now when Amaziah tells Amos to go prophecy in Judah and eat his bread there, he was thinking Amos was one of the professional prophets. There seemed to be a profession and school of prophets in both Israel and Judah. Amos’ answer tells us a little about his former life. He took care of cattle, flocks and sycamore fig trees. He had no desire to be a prophet but the LORD sent him to Israel. He is not doing this for a living. He had no other choice but to listen to the LORD.

Now remember Amaziah was a professional priest of the tribe of Levi. He was to instruct Israel in the ways of the LORD. Now, not only wasn’t he doing this, he was opposing a man sent by the LORD to call His people to repentance. Amos declares Amaziah’s punishment for opposing the LORD’s prophet. His wife would become a prostitute, his children would be killed by the sword and he would die in an unclean country along with the rest of Israel that survives the Assyrians. What should we make of this? The LORD Jesus is certainly concerned about those who preach and teach falsely in His name. It is a warning to all pastors to be faithful in their calling and for people to call their pastors into account for error and for them not to follow false

teachers.

Almighty Father, give us pastors who preach and teach according to Your Word, so we may rightly follow it, believe in Christ and have eternal life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.