Amos 14: Facing Opposition

Bookmarks & Needs:

B: Amos 7:10-17

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Opening

Thanks to the praise band, and for the privilege of getting to play along with you all today. Good morning, and thanks for being here to worship the Lord together, whether you’re here in person or online. It’s such a blessing to be a part of such a wonderful gathering of believers and to have the privilege of getting to share God’s Word with this fellowship.

As I mentioned last week, we are in the “home stretch” of the message of God through the prophet Amos, as chapters 7-9 are the closing section of this book. We have been considering God’s message to His people through His prophet of judgment and justice, and the reality that God will not allow sin to stand forever, even in His people. Because of this, as we saw in the first message of this study, “The Sovereign Lord roars.” Today, we will finish up chapter 7, considering verses 10-17 as our focal passage today, so let’s stand in honor and reverence for God’s Word as we read it together:

Amos 7:10–17 CSB

10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you right here in the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words, 11 for Amos has said this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.’ ” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. Earn your living and give your prophecies there, 13 but don’t ever prophesy at Bethel again, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.” 14 So Amos answered Amaziah, “I was not a prophet or the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman, and I took care of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ ” 16 Now hear the word of the Lord. You say: Do not prophesy against Israel; do not preach against the house of Isaac. 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: Your wife will be a prostitute in the city, your sons and daughters will fall by the sword, and your land will be divided up with a measuring line. You yourself will die on pagan soil, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.

PRAY

This section of the message of Amos is unique in the book. It is the only section (other than the very first verse) that is biographical, and not an oracle or prophetic (for the most part). In it, we have the opportunity to reflect back for a moment on where we started this series back at the end of June. In that first message, we looked briefly at the identity of Amos the prophet, so that we could understand the setting and the message more clearly.

For 6 1/2 chapters since then, Amos has been declaring the call of God against injustice and the declaration of God for the coming judgment, and that message has apparently reached a boiling point for the person who we can only assume to be the high priest of the false altar at Bethel. This high priest’s name was Amaziah.

It was likely that Amos first started his prophetic message in Bethel, but it also appears that he traveled throughout Israel, sharing the message of the Lord in other places, such as the capital city of Samaria. This recording of Amos’ interaction with Amaziah shows us that it is highly likely that the Plumb Line Vision, which we looked at last week, was given in Bethel itself, and that Amaziah decided that he need to oppose Amos and his prophetic ministry because of it. Just to remind us of that vision:

Amos 7:7–9 CSB

7 He showed me this: The Lord was standing there by a vertical wall with a plumb line in his hand. 8 The Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” I replied, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will no longer spare them: 9 Isaac’s high places will be deserted, and Israel’s sanctuaries will be in ruins; I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.”

I’ll explain why it appears that this vision was the last straw for Amaziah in a moment.

But this morning, to begin I want to acknowledge that everyone who strives to live a life that is honoring to God is going to face opposition. It’s not just the prophets and the preachers. It’s not just the leaders and the deacons. It’s not just the Bible study teachers and the band members. It’s every one of us who wants to live a godly life. Paul said to Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:12 CSB

12 In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

So we shouldn’t be shocked by this. In fact, Peter tells us that we should rejoice when we face opposition and persecution:

1 Peter 4:12–14 CSB

12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you. 13 Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

I open with this message of the reality of our being opposed and persecuted not to bring us down, but to prepare the way for us to give some thought to how Amos was opposed and persecuted in his day, and to have us start with the fact that there is a great reason to celebrate when we face persecution and ridicule for His Name, because it declares that we are blessed because the Holy Spirit lives in us! So before we look at facing opposition, we need to keep this truth in mind.

We are GOING to face opposition if we are living our lives the way that we are called to live them. We’re going to meet people who reject us because they reject Jesus. We’re going to interact with people who hate us because they hate Jesus. And those people are going to be like Amaziah: they are going to question our hope, our convictions, our conversion, and our belief, because they stand opposed to the truth of God—in our case, the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But in Amos’ case, the message of God’s coming judgment against His people. I see three ways in our focal passage this morning that those who oppose God’s message will question us:

1) Opponents of the Gospel will often question our Master.

When Amaziah heard the message of the Lord through Amos, he didn’t get it. If the messages of condemnation regarding worship in the Northern Kingdom are any indication (and they certainly are), Amaziah would have been living as if everything was fine. As far as he was concerned, the relationship between Israel and Yahweh was healthy, because the Israelites were checking their boxes, crossing their t’s, and dotting their i’s, even though they were doing lots of other things that the Lord hated.

There are two ways that Amaziah questions Amos’ Master, and opponents of the Gospel question our Master in the same two ways today:

A) They question whether our Master is the Lord.

Notice what Amaziah sent to King Jeroboam in verse 10:

Amos 7:10 CSB

10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you right here in the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words,

He sent a message to the king assuming that Amos is somehow “conspiring” against his rule. Whether or not he believes that there is some other nefarious source (such as Uzziah, the king of Judah at the time), we aren’t sure. But he believes that Amos is somehow trying to get Jeroboam’s subjects to turn against him. He doesn’t mention the possibility that Amos is actually repeating the words of God in judgment, because he doesn’t believe that that’s what Amos is doing. He questions whether Amos’ Master is, in fact, the Lord.

We will face that same issue, but perhaps more blatantly than Amos did. This is because we now live in what is being called a “post-Christian” society. Our culture as a whole doesn’t see the importance of God, and for many, they don’t see the relevance of God, even if He does exist. The assumption is that everyone should just be able to make up their own version of the “truth,” and thus, God couldn’t possibly have anything objective to say to us.

This is because our society has rejected the idea of truly objective truth, and as a result, we have robbed the very word “truth” of its power, because it means that which is true, that which has perfect fidelity to reality. If everyone’s version of “truth” is supposedly “true,” then objective truth—that which is always true for all people in all places at all times—cannot exist. They would argue that our trust in God and our faith in Jesus Christ is “our truth,” which would be fine for us to just sit back and quietly believe on our own. The world will despise our faith because our trust and our faith compel us to tell them about the reality of God, and our sin, and His judgment, and His solution in Christ… truth that demands a change in life. We can’t put that on them, because they are following “their truth.” But David, in Psalm 14, argues that this is exactly what humanity does:

Psalm 14:1–3 CSB

1 The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. 3 All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one.

So we will face opposition because the world does not believe that our Master is the Lord God Almighty, and that we are following His instructions for how to live our lives when we make the choices that we make.

B) They question whether their master’s authority is higher than our Master’s.

The second way Amaziah questions Amos’ Master is by insinuating that Amaziah’s master, the king, and by extension, Amaziah himself, have more authority than whoever Amos’ master is. The fact that he sent a letter to the king shows the first. What he commanded Amos to do in verse 13 shows the second:

Amos 7:13 CSB

13 but don’t ever prophesy at Bethel again, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”

It’s a sad statement to what had happened to true faith in Israel that when the high priest mentions the sanctuary, what they called their temple, he never makes mention of the God they claim to worship there. Instead, he commands Amos to never prophesy there again, because the sanctuary is the “king’s”, the temple “royal.”

Likewise, we face the flawed understanding of the concept of “separation of church and state.” Without going into too much history, understand that the Establishment clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was given to restrict the government’s involvement in religion, not religious people’s involvement in government. The goal of the clause was the “free exercise of religion,” not some litmus test that says that all people of faith are outside the pale of those who could or should serve in our government. The government can’t tell people what to believe, but believing people serving and speaking and voting are critical to the existence of a moral and just government. To say that the halls of our government buildings and courthouses are somehow “off limits” to faithful believers betrays a misunderstanding of how and by whom our nation was founded.

So opponents of the Gospel will question whether our Master is the Lord, and will question whether their master has more authority than our’s does, as Amaziah did with Amos.

Amos’ defense of this point is simple. Three times in the rest of this passage, he invokes the name of Yahweh: once each in verses 15, 16, and 17. He is making it clear who His master is, especially in verse 16:

Amos 7:16 CSB

16 Now hear the word of the Lord. You say: Do not prophesy against Israel; do not preach against the house of Isaac.

Amos takes his stand on the truth of the Lord’s call on His life and on the word that God has given him to say. And nothing, and no one, is going to sway him from that, because His master is the Lord.

Brothers and sisters, it shouldn’t come as a shock that people would turn aside and doubt that we serve the Lord. Jesus even predicted this in John 15:

John 15:18–21 CSB

18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they don’t know the one who sent me.

So we must ask ourselves a question: Are we serving the Lord Jesus Christ, or not? It’s not guaranteed that Christians will live in a constant state of opposition or persecution, but it is guaranteed that it will occur. If we never face persecution or opposition, is it possible that we are not “striving” for the Gospel, as Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10, Colossians 1:29, and 1 Timothy 4:10?

We are going to face opposition. We are going to face persecution because of Who our Master is, and how much the world hates Him. We need to be aware of that fact, and ready for it, and prepared to stand on the rock of Christ, our foundation and our cornerstone, living lives worthy of the calling that we have received in Christ.

2) Opponents of the Gospel will often question our message.

The second way that we see Amaziah question Amos’ ministry is that he questions Amos’ message. Several times in this narrative, Amaziah refers to the prophetic message as “Amos’ words,” and never the word of the Lord.

“Amos has conspired…The land cannot endure all his words.” (v. 10)

“…give your prophecies there...” (v. 12)

This one who is supposed to be a spiritual leader in Israel refuses to even consider the fact that Amos might be preaching the actual words of God, calling His people to repentance and to justice. He even twists the message that the Lord gave to Amos when he wrote to the king, in verse 11:

Amos 7:11 CSB

11 for Amos has said this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.’ ”

It’s this that shows that the Plumb Line prophecy was the last straw for Amaziah. It’s what he points to. But Amos hadn’t said that first part. He had said that the Lord had declared, “I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.” (Amos 7:9), but Amaziah makes it sound as if it’s an assassination threat against him personally, not a warning of coming destruction on his entire dynasty and line. Jeroboam II appears to have died in peace, and it was his son Zechariah who was assassinated just six months into his reign, according to 2 Kings.

Ironically though, Amaziah is accidentally right when he says that the land cannot endure all of the words of Amos’ message… in forty years, everything that God had promised through Amos would come to pass, and the Northern Kingdom would be no more.

Amos’ defense to Amaziah is to refer back to the source of His message. He tells Amaziah in verse 15 that the Lord said to him, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” He just stands on his foundation in the Lord and points back to Him.

So the question then for us as we consider this point: When we speak, do we speak as God calls us to speak? You don’t have to be a pastor or an evangelist or a teacher or a deacon to speak the truth of the Gospel.

Again in 1 Peter chapter 4, we find this in verse 11:

1 Peter 4:11 CSB

11 If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Amos had been given a message by God. We also have been given a message by God, as if He is making His appeal through us, according to 2 Corinthians 5:20, and He has also given us the strength needed to proclaim that message through His Spirit. That message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ—That because God loves us, Jesus died in the place of sinful man so that we could be made right with God, and He defeated death by rising again, so that we can be God’s children and heirs of eternal life. This is a gift from Him for our blessing, and while it is free, God calls us to surrender our lives to Him, giving up our efforts to save ourselves and to bless ourselves, because we simply cannot. Instead, we trust in the work that Jesus has already done so that we can be saved. That is our message. That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, according to Romans 10:9.

Those who oppose the message of the Gospel will question the simplicity of that message. They will question the totality of that message. They will also question the exclusivity of that message, saying that it’s awfully particular, and in that way, unfair. No, the Gospel is incredibly inclusive. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” according to Romans 10:13. Apart from His incredible love for His creation, there was nothing to compel God to provide a means of salvation for us. But He did. The incredible inclusivity of grace is that God doesn’t allow every single person to go to hell, which is where we deserve to go apart from Christ because of our sin. Everyone should be excluded from God’s presence, but because of Jesus anyone could be included.

Those who oppose the Gospel will question our message, but we must stand on that message and proclaim it. However, we need to make sure that the message that we’re preaching is the message the God actually wants us to preach, speaking His words in His way.

3) Opponents of the Gospel will often question our motives.

This is what Amaziah ultimately does in verse 12. He questions Amos’ motives by instructing him to take a different path:

Amos 7:12–13 CSB

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. Earn your living and give your prophecies there, 13 but don’t ever prophesy at Bethel again, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”

He essentially tells Amos to flee (probably before the king comes), assuming that Amos is just some “seer,” a professional prophet for hire who claims to speak for God for the money. He tells Amos to “earn [his] living,” and “give [his] prophecies” in Judah, where people will want to hear about how terrible Israel is, but he is not to prophesy in Bethel ever again.

But Amos sets Amaziah straight on where he came from, and the fact that he isn’t a prophet for hire:

Amos 7:14–15 CSB

14 So Amos answered Amaziah, “I was not a prophet or the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman, and I took care of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ ”

Amos was keeping sheep and managing a fig orchard. He wasn’t a prophet, and his father wasn’t a prophet. He didn’t go to “prophet school,” and he wasn’t looking to become a prophet as a career path. God “took” him from his job as a shepherd. His motives are not what Amaziah thought they were. His motive was only to proclaim the word of the Lord as he had been given it.

So again, for us we have a question: What are our motives for proclaiming the truth of the Gospel?

I read an article this week that someone wrote that argued that the only reason Christians evangelize is that we actually enjoy being rejected and persecuted because of our faith, because then we can come running back to our church family and grow closer together as we console one another, so it’s an emotional win-win for us: we do what we’re told, and that makes us feel better. And when people reject or persecute us, that allows us to feel better, too, because we can all come together and say, “Woe is us because of how mean the lost people are,” and comfort each other in that. Really. That was their psychoanalysis of all of Christendom: that we evangelize for our own sake.

The article ignored the truth that we actually cling to—We share the Gospel because people are lost and are going to hell without Jesus, and we know Jesus, so we’d like to introduce those lost people to Him. It’s not about how we feel, although the blessing of obedience is a bonus. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be rejected or opposed or persecuted, but I know that being that allows me to identify more closely with my Lord by sharing, in a small way, in His sufferings. The fact that I have a church family that will support me when I face those things is secondary, but also a bonus. It’s this simple: Jesus loves you and died for you. And I love Jesus. And because I love Jesus, then I love you, so I want to point you to Jesus, even if you’re going to reject that invitation, because without Him, you’re enslaved to sin and ultimately bound for hell. It’s not about my feelings. It’s about your eternity.

The interesting thing is that, according to Scripture, this is one place that Paul said that the ends can justify the means, or at least the motives. Look at Philippians 1:14-18:

Philippians 1:14–18 CSB

14 Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word fearlessly. 15 To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. 16 These preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice

I suppose that in Paul’s view, as long as the Gospel is being preached accurately, then the name of Jesus will be glorified, regardless of our motives. But we should be motivated by the love of God for mankind, and His desire that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus did say that when you do good deeds for others, when you pray, or when you fast, you should keep those things between you and God, because if you do them for man’s attention, when you receive that, you have received the thing you were after, and have no reward from God for it. Share the Gospel because God loves people, and you love God, so you love people, and want them to be saved. Don’t give them reason to question your motives.

And finally, we see the outcome Amaziah’s life, predicted by Amos as a result of this conflict:

4) Opponents of the Gospel ultimately will not stand.

Sadly, there is a judgment awaiting Amaziah. Amos pronounces it over him, his wife, his children, and the nation.

Amos 7:16–17 CSB

16 Now hear the word of the Lord. You say: Do not prophesy against Israel; do not preach against the house of Isaac. 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: Your wife will be a prostitute in the city, your sons and daughters will fall by the sword, and your land will be divided up with a measuring line. You yourself will die on pagan soil, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.

Now, to be fair, it would appear that all of these things: his wife becoming a prostitute, his children falling by the sword, and his land being divided up are all based on the last part: that Amaziah would die on “pagan” or “unclean” soil. You could argue that this means he will be taken into captivity and then all of these things will happen, or, what I believe, is that Amaziah would die in Israel, in fact probably at Bethel (which was defiled with their “worship” practices, as we recall from chapter 2), whose land was now “unclean” or “pagan.” Regardless, once Amaziah was gone, there would be be no one to maintain his land, no one to protect his children, and then no one to provide for his wife.

And the judgment on Israel still stands: that Israel as a nation would go into exile. I am not saying that these things are going to happen this way for all who oppose the Gospel. I’m saying that ultimately, God will deal in His way with those who refuse to surrender.

Very quickly, brothers and sisters: we are called to live lives in pursuit of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and as a result, we will face opposition from people in the world. But we need not be frightened of that, because the fact that we stand together upon the Gospel is a sign to those who oppose it, and a sign to us who place our confidence in it. Paul wrote further to the church at Philippi:

Philippians 1:27–30 CSB

27 Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel, 28 not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation—and this is from God. 29 For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.

And this brings us full circle to where we started this morning: Yes, we will suffer persecution and hatred. We will struggle in this world… but we do not face opposition alone! Opposition seems scary, but ultimately, Jesus wins! In fact, He has already won, so we can be at peace, take heart, and be of good courage:

John 16:33 CSB

33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

When God wraps up creation as it is now, bringing a new heaven and a new earth, all things will be set right. We need not be afraid of opposition to the Gospel. We need to pray for those who oppose it, because they stand opposed to God Himself.

Closing

Church, we need to understand that, like Amos did, we are going to face opposition in this world, because this world is not our true home. And that opposition is going to come not just from those who identify themselves as unbelievers, but also from some who claim to believe, but who in reality are opponents of the message of the Gospel. This is because, as Paul wrote to the church, they are “enemies of the cross of Christ:”

Philippians 3:18–4:1 CSB

18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things, 20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself. 1 So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

Since this is the case, we cannot allow our experience of opposition dissuade us from the mission that God has given to all those who follow Christ to share the hope of the message of the Gospel. We do not stand on our own authority, but following our Master, we stand firmly upon God’s authority as we proclaim the Gospel. Our message is not about us, but about Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. And we share the Gospel not because it makes us feel better, but because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, and so we are not ashamed to proclaim it. The opponents, the enemies of the Gospel, will ultimately not stand, because God will judge all nations, whether they like it or not. Their belief or unbelief does not change the reality of God’s existence, His position, and His right to judge all according to His holy standard.

So, brothers and sisters, take heart! For Christ has overcome the world! We can stand firm in the Lord because of His grace and the hope that we have in the Gospel. During our time of reflection in just a moment, offer up a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His presence with us even in the face of opposition.

This morning, you have heard the message of the Gospel, in which Christians take their stand. If you have never trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ to save you, then I pray that right now would be that moment in your life. As we reflect on the message, cry out to the Lord, confessing your need for Him and your giving up, your surrender of going your own way, and trusting Him to save you. If this is you, when we dismiss, just stay in your seat and I would love to come and talk with you about this journey of faith you are starting, so I can celebrate with you and help you as you begin walking with Jesus.

If you are already a follower of Jesus and believe that God is calling you to join this church in fellowship this morning, that’s great. After we dismiss, stay in your seat and we will come and find you so that we can set up an appointment to meet and talk about Eastern Hills, church membership, and to get to know one another.

You are welcome to come and pray at the steps during our reflection time, or to use that time as an opportunity to worship God through giving, either online or by preparing to your offering for the plates by the doors that you’ll pass as you leave today.

As Donna comes to play our reflection song, let’s pray.

PRAY

Closing Remarks

First, have Wayne come up to the floor mic for informing of Barbara Shiplet’s passing and graveside memorial service.

Then, let people know that were looking that the awnings did not get completed this week, but should very soon.

Don’t forget about candy donations for Family Fall Flix Night October 30.

Our church-wide Bible reading is in Ezra now, and today’s reading is Ezra chapter 5. We’ll read all of Ezra, and then pick up Nehemiah right after, so we’ll be in Nehemiah starting on Saturday.

Finally, I need to quickly let you know that we are going to do things a little differently for the budget vote this year, and we are planning on having our budget discussion immediately following morning service on November 8, and then have a normal evening business meeting, including budget vote, on November 15 at 5:30 pm.

Exiting instructions.