An often sited scripture to show that the Lord will reveal his will to His servants. Now who are his servants the prophets? Who is Amos? What kind of man was Amos that the will of the Lord was given to him?
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)
Read Amos 7. In vs. 13-14, Amos explains how he was not part of the hierarchy of the time, and had no authority, save the Lord's voice. "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit. And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel."
He was a herdsman. Called out of obscurity like John the Baptist who "came forth from the wilderness crying out, ‘Repent ye..."(TJS, The Mission of John the Baptist, Chapter 6). For the Lords voice always cries as "The voice of one crying in the wilderness..."! (JST Luke 3:2).
In fact, the authorized hierarchy actually does not like Amos at all. See vs. 12-13: "Amos, O thou seer, flee thee away into the land of Juda, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: But prophesy not again any more at Beth-el: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court."
Amaziah is the priest of Bethel (vs. 10)
He speaks evil of Amos to the king, saying "Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words."
It's also interesting to read some of Amos' teachings. He teaches that the Lord despises their offerings and rituals and songs to Him, because they are not leading to justice and righteousness. They are just empty shells, with no redemptive power. (Amos 5:22-24)
He preaches against the rich who sit upon "beds of ivory" and "eat the lambs out of the flock" and "chant to the sound of the viol", while great danger is near. Trying to wake them up that "all is not well in Zion" (Amos 6:1, See 2 Nephi 28.21).
Tells them that their wives will become harlots, their sons and daughters slaughtered by the sword, and their land divided and polluted (Amos 7:17).
Speaks against their terrible treatment of the poor: "O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail ... falsifying the balances by deceit ... that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes" (Amos 8:4-6)
Not surprising he's not welcomed with open arms by the priests and rulers...
Just a foolish, simple, herdman and gatherer. He was not even from the land - Amos was from the southern kingdom, and was preaching against the people in the northern kingdom.
Foreign, poor, unauthorized by man, unconnected to the rich and powerful, most likely unknown to the vast majority of people he preached to.
This is a servant of the Lord. This is who the Lord calls. This is who the Lord can call, even in our day. Brought out from obscurity to deliver a message, rejected by the masses. No rank among men. Surely the Lord will reveal his secrets to his servants the prophets. The meekest of the earth. The least of the earth. Unsupported by man.
Thanks for this analysis. It's really interesting, how he is told that this is the "king's court". As if he has no jurisdiction there, because he has no authority as perceived by the rulers of the time. Today I was looking at the definition in the BD regarding Pharisees and Sadducees. It always takes me off guard to see the comparison.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love what the JST does to this verse. Adds in a whole new dimension, just by changing one little word.
Thanks. I never even thought to look up the JST of Amos 3:7. That adds greater clarity.
ReplyDelete"7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, UNTIL he revealeth the secret unto his servants the prophets. (JST Amos 3:7)
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But is replaced with Until. So the Lord always forewarns us before something happens. Though we may not always recognize the person giving the warning.
Thanks, really like this.
ReplyDelete