By: Obed Pineda
On a certain occasion two evangelists had returned home from a small third world country suffering from severe drought, famine, and disease, where they had just enjoyed their most successful missionary trip. The locals had received them with open arms, desirous to know more about the Gospel than to receive the resources they had brought with them to help the community out. Everyday the tent where they would host the Gospel meeting was filled beyond maximum capacity, in spite of the discomfort caused by the extreme heat and humidity that country was enduring in that moment. A smile crossed each man’s face as it dawned on them that they had been blessed to establish a solid Church in a country that had proven itself to, undeniably, be fertile ground. Suddenly, one of the two evangelists spoke to his fellow laborer and wondered, “How is it possible that we found more willing souls in this remote country, stricken by poverty, than we ever have in the first world countries currently enjoying great prosperity?” After carefully considering the question, the other evangelist responded, “Because, it is difficult to teach about the hope of receiving Paradise to those who believe they are already living in it.” “Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, ‘Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God’” (Mark 10:23-25). Behold the challenge that Amos of Tekoa was assigned to confront by the Almighty! Amos had been called by God as a prophet “in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake” (Amos 1:1). Holy Writ reveals that during Jeroboam II’s forty-one year reign (793 – 753 B.C.) the northern kingdom of Israel lived prosperously (cf. 2nd Kings 14:25-28). Lamentably, this same prosperity became Israel’s own snare. Amos was sent by Jehovah God to Israel to reveal to them that even though they had garnered great material gain, they were morally and spiritually poor (cf. Amos 2:6-8, 11-13). Samaria was delusional in believing that their increase in wealth and power was evidence that God was still with them and would not abandon them, ignoring that they had already alienated themselves from Him since Jeroboam II “did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin” (2nd Kings 14:24). The inspired penmen is alluding to the two golden calves that Jeroboam erected and placed in Bethel and in Dan as a means of preventing the children of Israel from going to Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices in the house of the LORD (cf. 1st Kings 12:26-33). This is verified when Scripture makes manifest that Amos was confronted by “Amaziah the priest of Bethel” (Amos 7:10a). Keep in mind that in addition to the evil of worshiping idols at Bethel, this was a direct assault on God’s worship as well because He had commanded the house of Levi (and no other) to serve among the people of Israel as His priests (cf. Numbers 3). For this reason the LORD, through His chosen prophet, urged the Israelites, “Seek Me and live; but do not seek Bethel, nor enter Gilgal, nor pass over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing” (Amos 5:4-5). The hardness of the heart of Amos’ audience is illumined when further in the chapter God warns “Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light” (Amos 5:18). Clearly, the northern kingdom was erroneously confident that God would arrive bearing gifts from heaven, thinking that He was pleased in their vain worship (cf. Amos 3:14, 4:4-5, 5:21-24). Israel’s false sense of security was founded in their misinterpretation of their ill-gained riches as signifying God’s approval of the thieving ways they practiced to amass their fortune. This, too, Amos exposed accusing them of “making the ephah small and the shekel large, falsifying the scales by deceit, that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals – even sell the bad wheat” (Amos 8:5-6). Verily, this reminds this author of the Master quoting a contemporary prophet of Amos to the self-righteous Pharisees who were in disagreement with His choice of company, boldly stating, “go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13, cf. Hosea 6:6). The urgent message that Amos was delivering to the house of Israel was unequivocally to wake up from their spiritual sleep (cf. Ephesians 5:8-14)! The blinders of materialism had obstructed their eyes from the commandments and desires of the heavenly Father. This carelessness fueled the corruption of the worship that belonged to God, and dulled their hearing of Amos’ godly message. The usurping priest Amaziah falsely accused Amos of conspiring to overthrow King Jeroboam II demanding “Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, and there prophesy. But never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is the royal residence” (Amos 7:10-13). Regrettably, Amaziah’s rejection of God’s word by the mouth of Amos solidified their punishment at the hands of the Assyrian Empire (cf. Amos 7:16-17, 2nd Kings 17:5-41). It is true that it is a difficult task to preach God’s truth to a people bogged down by misery and woe who have lost all hope, but Amos’ example reveals that perhaps it is much harder doing so to a nation self-deceived by its riches and earthly glory. The wise Solomon concurs with this threat as he cautions, “Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:4-5). It must be noted the beauty of God choosing a man that would be viewed by them as someone who was not up to their social standards as a way of reprimanding their vanity (cf. Amos 7:14-15, 1st Corinthians 1:18-31). This key detail also brings forth Amos’ boldness and devotion to obeying God’s instructions, not allowing his “lower” social status to impede him from doing so. Amos bravely confronted a defiant and proud society that would irrefutably despise and look down on him due to his profession as a sheepbreeder and a tender of sycamore fruit (cf. Amos 7:14). The example of this herdsman from Tekoa is one that must be emulated in our modern society. Regardless of all of the earthly advancements the world has achieved today, it still lacks making progress in the spiritual affairs. Amos’ ministry is an echo of the Master’s rhetorical question, “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul” (Mark 8:36)?