Prepare

 

Introduction

In the study on Mark 1:1-3, Mark told the Roman Christians about the prophecies by Jewish prophets, Isaiah and Malachi, of a message sent from Yahweh God about a Messiah He would send to the earth. He explained what this Messiah meant for them and for all people. Mark said each person must prepare the way of the Lord in their lives. They must prepare to see Him, repent, and confess, and accept Him as the Savior of their souls from sin and an eternal death separated from God. Mark referred to the one about whom God called to prepare the way for the Messiah to begin His ministries on earth. This study will lead the readers of Mark 1:4-8 to understand who God chose as the messenger “preparing the way of the Lord” (Mark 1:3).

Preparer of the Way

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:4 [NASB])

Mark began his gospel writing about Old Testament prophecies. He then went linearly to the next step toward introducing the good news by showing the prophecy’s fulfillment. The first step of that fulfillment was introducing the prophesied “preparer of the way.” John the Baptist was the first man who preached to people about preparing the way. He was the forerunner to Jesus’ ministry of salvation and reconciliation. A forerunner is an announcer. He is the one who goes before the one about whom he/she speaks. Other words for a forerunner are messenger and herald. Each of these describes the person who enters a city, town, or village before the one whom he/she announces. The one whom the herald goes before is a dignitary or person who comes with an important message or important work to do. Think of a king of bygone days. When he traveled, he sent a messenger in advance telling the village or town he was soon to be with them in their town or village. A messenger/herald/forerunner prepares the way for a person of great stature. Mark told the readers/hearers of this gospel John the Baptist was the preparer of the way. John was the one who would go before the Messiah, telling people to get right with God and be ready, for the Messiah is coming imminently.

Who was John the Baptist? What made him important enough to be the herald of the Messiah? John’s parents were Elizabeth and Zechariah, both of whom were from the tribe of Levi, descendants of Aaron. The tribe of Levi was the tribe from whom the priests came. Elizabeth and Zechariah were in their old age when God informed them they would have a son. Zechariah was in the temple and did not consider it possible, so the angel of the Lord told him he would not speak until his son was born (Luke 1:9-17). This reminds us of another couple from Israelite forefathers to whom God gave a promise. Abraham and Sarah had no children and in their old age, God promised Abraham more descendants than all the stars of the sky or sand of the seas. He fulfilled that promise beginning with Isaac’s birth (Genesis 12:1-4 & 21:5). Elizabeth was the cousin of Mary, Jesus’ mother. That means John and Jesus were cousins. Like Jesus, angels proclaimed John’s birth. John grew up in the wilderness (Luke 1:80). His public ministry came after almost 400 years of silence from prophets. John was called the Baptizer because of his practice of baptizing people. When people repented of their sins, he baptized them. John was no great king, seer, or leader of the people. He did not live as most people did. Still, God used him to be the preparer of the way for the Messiah.

What else did Mark say about John in his gospel? In verse four, he said John appeared on the public stage when God gave him a word to proclaim. He lived and ministered in the Judean wilderness in the lower Jordan River valley, just north of the Dead Sea. John preached the word God gave to him to say. He baptized by submerging a person under the water. He wore clothes made of camel’s hair and a belt made from animal skin (Mark 1:6). John ate locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6). He was no one special in the eyes of man. To God, he was His child and servant, willing to do as He commanded.

What did God tell John to preach/proclaim? Verse four tells readers/hearers that he preached a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Baptism was commonly used by Jews when a person from outside the faith converted to Judaism. It was not an unusual act for the Jews. John used it for another reason. He used it to symbolize a person’s cleansing of sins when he/she confessed and repented of them. Sin comes from the Greek word hamartia. It means missing the mark. When one missed the mark in target practice on an archery or shooting range, it means the person did not do what was required to be perfect. The same occurs in life when you sin. You strive to do and be good, but you can never do or be good all the time. You are human with freewill. The Jewish religion became bounded by many manmade laws that each Jew must keep. By doing this, they could be in God’s presence at the temple and could enter heaven, hopefully, when they died. Yet, each Jew knew he/she was not holy. He/she was unclean daily. Because of this, God told them to offer a sacrifice for their sins each morning and night. John proclaimed to the Jews a new way to repent. Instead of using an animal as a scapegoat for their sins, the Jews could offer themselves directly for cleansing. John told them if they sincerely repented of their sins, they could be baptized for forgiveness of their sins. The Jewish religious laws never taught a permanent forgiveness of sins. The religious leaders would have spoken against what John preached. John, though, was “the preparer of the way.” He helped the people prepare their hearts to see, listen about, and believe in Jesus and what He taught. Confession and repentance are part of being a Christian. Jesus brought what only He could give for salvation, the sufficient sacrifice.

Mark noted for his readers/hearers that “all the country of Judea was going out to him (John the Baptist) and all the people of Jerusalem, and they were being baptized by Him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins” (Mark 1:5 [NASB]) John did what God called him to do. God told him to prepare the way. He told the people about the Messiah who was coming. John preached about repenting of sins and being baptized for repentance, too. Baptism for salvation is what Jesus gives to everyone who believes. This baptism is symbolized in two parts. The going down under the water symbolizes a person dying to him or herself. A person’s rising up out of the water means becoming a man/woman born anew by Jesus. The baptism John performed symbolized a person’s sincere repentance of sin. Repentance prepared a person’s heart for listening to and accepting the salvation Jesus taught about and gave through His sinless life, death, and resurrection.

In Mark 1:7, John preached One mightier than him would come after him. He said he was unworthy to serve Him by untying the straps on His sandals. The most menial work a servant could do, even John was not good enough to do this for the Messiah. Mark used the Greek word ischuros in this verse. This word means a power/might that comes from God and is greater than what a human has. John recognized his humanity and the divinity of the One who would come after him by using this word, “mightier.” He prepared the way for the people to hear about the One whom God would send to them, the Messiah about whom the prophets proclaimed. This Messiah, John realized and proclaimed, is greater in stature, being, and might than him. He, a man to whom the people of Judea flocked and held in esteem, could not be His servant because he was too low in stature.

John prepared the way of the Lord with his words and ministry. He helped the people prepare their hearts and minds to hear about the salvation God gives through Jesus. John helped them prepare to pay attention to the man all knew came from a tiny village called Bethlehem because He came to be the greatest of all. He explained in more detail how great this Messiah would be. John told his listeners in Mark 1:8, “I baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” He said the Messiah sent from God can save people from their sins, but he himself could not save them or empower them not to sin again. Only Jesus, the Son of God, could do this.. John’s baptism was for the forgiveness of sins. It was just a symbol. He knew people needed a sacrifice that was lasting to make them righteous. Cleansing from unrighteousness means cleansing a person eternally from sins and the guilt of their sins. Eternal righteousness only comes from God. Nothing a person could do would ever clean himself/herself from sins and guilt. The temple sacrifices did not give an eternal cleansing and make a person eternally righteous. For this reason, Mark told his readers/hearers that John said, “I baptize with water. He will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” Water just makes the outside of a person clean; it does not touch the inner person-the heart. All actions and words of a person come from the inner disposition of that person. To cleanse and change the heart requires something far beyond what humanity can do. God knows the heart of a person and only He can reach the heart. His Spirit enters a person when he/she confesses and repents of his/her sins and trusts in Jesus Christ as his/her Savior from sins. From that point, the Spirit of God lives in the person giving direction for the right way to live, think, and be. Only the baptism of the Holy Spirit that comes at the point of profession of faith, as Mark wrote, gives a person salvation from sins, guilt, and eternal death. The recounting of John’s proclamation and baptism for repentance disclosed to the readers/hearers of Mark’s Gospel that John’s baptism was nothing compared to the baptism Jesus offers. John was unworthy to untie the Messiah’s sandal, just like his baptism was not good enough to give permanent removal of sins and give salvation.

Application

The Jews considered their actions would be good enough for God to forgive them of their sins and make them righteous. This did not keep them in a close relationship with God, though. They very often lived contrary to God’s way. They sinned and ran away from God like we all do at points in our lives. God prepared a way for each person to receive salvation. He planned this from before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:17-21). God provided judges, priests, and prophets to continue to call the Israelites to stay in a close relationship with Him. He told the Israelites, when He gave them the Promised Land, that they were to be a light to the nations so that all nations would come to know Him as their God (Isaiah 49:6). Each of these people were to be the messengers of God, though the Israelites, as a nation, did not follow God consistently. After four hundred years of silence, God called a man, John, about whom His prophets foretold was to proclaim about the One whom God would send. John was God’s first New Testament messenger. He told John to proclaim, “prepare the way of the Lord.”

Today, we who are believers in Jesus the Messiah are God’s messengers. He commands us to tell people to prepare the way of the Lord in their own lives and then to tell more people. Jesus commissioned His disciples by saying,

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. God, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20 [NASB])

For people to prepare the way, they must be told about Jesus, their sin, and their inability to be good enough to earn righteousness and eternal life with God. For this reason, God sends messengers to herald Jesus’ arrival and declare, “Behold.” Added to hearing the good news of Jesus, people need to prepare to receive the salvation God offers. They do this by confessing and repenting of their sins. Unconfessed sins are like bricks stacked on top of one another, creating a wall between us and God. The more we sin, the easier it is to sin. This wall makes it harder for us to want to turn to God. Preparing the way of the Lord is confessing and repenting, as John taught. It is listening to the message of good news about God’s salvation offered to everyone who trusts in Jesus. Preparing the way of the Lord is affirming Jesus is God’s Son and accepting the salvation He provides. It then must involve preparing the way by proclaiming about the salvation Jesus gives. He gives it through His life, death, and resurrection so other people will listen to, accept, and experience salvation for themselves.

This reflects the “now and not yet” of God’s good news of salvation. We are saved at a point in time and are being saved from our sins every day until the day we arrive in heaven with God. At that time, Jesus perfects us in His image. He makes us complete; our salvation is complete because we will sin no more. The point of our salvation reflects a “now and not yet” scenario in that God’s salvation plan of humanity is not complete until His kingdom comes in its fullness. While we are alive on earth as His children, we become His messengers of His good news of salvation for each person. We become like Isaiah, Malachi, John, the disciples, and other Jesus-followers since Jesus’ arrival on earth. We are God’s messengers who prepare the way of the Lord by telling others about Jesus and the salvation He gives to each person who trusts in Him. As Jesus-followers, the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 is our command from Jesus.

As we study these verses, we should ask ourselves questions. 

1     Do you realize you are a sinner?

2.     Do you recognize nothing you do is good enough to remove the judgment of your sins and the guilt?

3.     Have you recognized Jesus is God’s Son, and that He died to save you from the penalty of your sins?

4.     Have you professed your faith in Jesus and confessed and repented your sins to Him?

5.     If you are a Christian, are you “preparing the way of the Lord” by living as God’s messenger, telling people about Jesus?

6.     Does your life point toward Jesus so that people will see your works and heed your words, then seek Jesus to be their Savior?

7.     Do your words and actions seek attention for yourself? Do they point to Jesus so other people will come to know Him as their Savior instead of admiring you as great, strong, smart, and wise?

The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36 [NASB])

Are you living life as a “preparer” called by God?

Or are you living as a ”hider” trying to avoid Him?

Restoration

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.” [NASB]

When we think of the word restoration, we think of an old house being renovated to look as good as it did when it was first built. Restoration does the same thing for people, too. It’s a sweeping of cobwebs (old sins and baggage) out of the corners of our lives and hearts and making way for the glory of the Lord to inhabit us and make us new.

Before getting to the point of being restored, we must recognize we do wrong things. We sin against ourselves, other people, and God. When we repent and return to God, we renew a right relationship with Him.

Still, sometimes we feel weighed down by grief, by regret, by sadness, and by embarrassment. These feelings can teach us and strengthen us against temptation. They can humble us to realize we are no better than any other person. But, when we continue to live through these feelings, we should wonder have we accepted God's forgiveness, or have we allowed Satan to continue to torment us because of that sin?

Jesus' sacrifice was perfect and continues to be perfect for cleansing from sin, unlike the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament. His one-time sacrifice cleansed us from all our sins for all time. Jesus’ sacrifice cleansed us not just from the stain of sin, but the weight of sins, too. The blood of animals cannot remove the weight of sin; why else did Old Testament people continually offer animal sacrifices morning and night? Consider what the writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews 9:13-14.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? [NASB]

Once we accept Jesus' redeeming sacrifice for our sins, the sacrifice that saves us from the judgment that would condemn us because of our sins, we are not just clean from the stain of sin; God cleanses our conscience, too. That means the guilt of those sins does not weigh us down. Then, like David, we can have restored joy because of God’s salvation (Psalm 51:12). 

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.” [NASB]
 

We are like the old house being made like new. Its restoration brings joy and excitement to the people who own the house and brings wonder to the people who watch the process. Our being made clean and new, our restoration, by God will fill us with joy, wonder, and excitement because of the salvation we have received. We need only accept within our heart, mind, and spirit God’s forgiveness of our sins to experience complete joy. We can have this assurance of God’s favor that will bring us joy by letting go of the guilt and accepting that God has forgiven us. 

Don't let Satan continue to taunt you with your faults and sins.

Acknowledge God's forgiveness.

Experience again the joy of His salvation.

Lord, I sin. I will be completely upfront about it. Sometimes I still feel guilty and I live my life in a dark haze. I just don’t seem to be able to shake the shame and guilt I feel because of my sins. Lord, help me repent of my sins and receive Your forgiveness. Restore in me the joy of Your salvation. Help me live as Your redeemed child so that others will notice what You have done in me and will ask why I am so joyful. Use me for Your glory and Your purpose, Lord. You are great and merciful. You alone are worthy of all praise and honor. Thank you for Your forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Amen.

Cleansed Conscience

I remember the first time I came across Hebrews 10:2. I had been a Christian for just a little while and understood Jesus died my sin penalty because of His love for me so I could live with Him in heaven. I remember how excited I was about being a Christian, to be able to live forever in heaven with the One who loves me. What joy this gives to a child’s heart! What joy it should give to everyone who believes in Jesus. I thought life just couldn’t get any better than that.

And yet, I remembered things I had done wrong. You know what mischief a child can get into–lying, disobeying, swearing. The child thinks these are not big things. I won’t have to go to jail for these so why not do them, everyone else does? Still, after I gave my life to Christ, I felt pangs of conscience. I felt remorse and fear. What, over lying and swearing? Yes, because God instills in us a conscience when He creates us. That conscience is the moral code from God Himself about what is right and wrong. Whether we want to admit it, even these little things are sins. Why? Because they were disobedience and disrespect to God and my parents. Remember those commandments in the Ten Commandments?

So, one day not long after becoming a Christian, I read Hebrews 10:1-2. It says,

“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?”

Now, two things can happen when one reads this passage. The first response to this reality is, “Hallelujah!” When a person fully repents of all his or her sins, God removes the guilt of those sins from His judgment book because Jesus paid the price. He removed the burden of guilt from the person’s conscience, too. That means it no longer holds a sting from the sin, the sting of guilt. You realize by now the possible other reaction from reading this passage. The second possible reaction to reading this verse is surprise and then repentance. When a person sins before or after becoming a Christian, he or she must repent of each sin to receive forgiveness and cleansing of heart, mind, and soul. That is the cleansing from the stain and guilt of sin. This is of what Hebrews 10:2 speaks. The worshiper, once he or she received God’s forgiveness and cleansing, no longer has consciousness of sin. The guilt of that sin in the conscience does not linger and cause further pain like a sliver Satan might put under your fingernail to remind you constantly of how sinful you are. That power of the sin to cause guilt is gone. Jesus paid it all, and that covers the stain and guilt/consciousness of sin.

Before the writer of Hebrews arrived at this point in his teaching, he spent chapter 9 leading to it. Let me briefly outline for you what he taught before and after Hebrews 10:2 about conscience and consciousness of sin.

With Hebrews 9:9, the writer of Hebrews said the gifts/offerings and sacrifices established as rites of worship by God under the first covenant cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper. That means it cannot make a person perfect, totally clean. This means he or she cannot be in the presence of the Lord eternally.

Later, in verse 14, the writer said the blood of Christ offered to God without blemish through the eternal Spirit purifies our conscience from dead works.  Now, that’s a big jump to make. Why is Jesus’ sacrifice better than those set up by God with the first covenant? The writer explains this in verses 11 and 12. He said, Christ came as a high priest of the good things, those things that originate with God, and He entered the holy places, those not made with human hands, once for all by His own blood, not that of animals. By doing so, He secured eternal redemption from slavery to sin for everyone. That’s a lot to take in, so go read it for yourself. Since Jesus did this, He is the Mediator of a new covenant for those who answer God’s call and receive the promised eternal life. Anyone who answers this call of God gets eternal life because Jesus’ death redeemed them from transgressions committed under the first covenant. The writer of Hebrews spends the next thirteen verses explaining this to us, his readers. He tells of three things Jesus did.

·       He has entered heaven to appear in the presence of God on our behalf    (vs 9:24). This is a past tense action. He never has to do this again    because Jesus died once for all.

·       Jesus appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (vs. 9:26). This is also a past action with a future assurance.

·       Jesus will appear a second time to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him (vs. 9:28). This is a future action.

The next point the writer of Hebrews made about consciousness of sin comes in the first verses I mentioned above, in 10:1-2. He said, the law, which is just a shadow of the good things that come from God, can never clean consciences of sin. If they could, there would be no need for continual offerings every year as established in the rites of worship God gave the Israelites in the first covenant. The writer went onto say these yearly sacrifices remind the people of their sins, instead of removing them from their consciences. He said Christ came to do the will of God (vs7). Jesus did away with the first covenant to establish the second covenant. Through the offering of the body of Christ, we receive sanctification once for all (vs. 9-10). With Jesus’ single sacrificial offering, He perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (vs. 14). God says, “I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more (vs 17).

Listen carefully to what the writer of Hebrews says in the next six verses. Since we have this confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, what are we to do? Being cleansed isn’t just a receiving transaction. Covenanting is a two-way promise, a bond. The writers said next, with your hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and your bodies washed with pure water (vs. 22), you must do three things.

·       Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of your faith (vs 22). This is for you now and in the future. It is a present action with a future benefit. Note it is not just present tense, but present continuous. Draw near and keep drawing near. This command benefits you.

·       Hold fast the confession of your hope without wavering because He who promised is faithful (vs. 23). Once again this is a present continuous verb that carries on into your future. Hold and keep holding fast. This command benefits you.

·       Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging one another (vs 24). Notice this command benefits you and other believers as you congregate together to worship, pray, and fellowship. It is a command that holds a communal aspect. Recognize this command also is present continuous. Consider and keep on considering how to stir up one another to love and good works.

These commands are not just things on your to-do list you get to cross off once you’ve done them. They are to stay on your daily list. Why? Because God calls you to relationship with Him because of His love. His love showed itself with the ultimate sacrifice of His Only Son, Jesus, for your sin penalty so you could be with Him in an eternal relationship. Your love for God will show in your obedience of His commands and laws. Your obedience to His commands and laws will show itself in love to other people. The three commands at the end of Hebrews 10 are an extension of loving God and people. You will do these because you are growing in relationship with God.

Now, to get back to Hebrews 10:1-2. When I first saw this passage, I received such vast relief. The burden of the guilt of sin I had carried, I realized, was for the first time off my back. Still, I realized I had not repented of all my sins and I had sinned since I became a Christian. I wanted the cleansing from the stain of my sins and the guilt of my sins. Jesus’ is the way to have that. No other way exists to remove the consciousness of sin. Only through Jesus’ death and resurrection can a person gain the removal of the stain and guilt of sins from him- or herself. All the ways people devise to remove the stain of sin reminds them of their guilt. The trying of these other means allows Satan to push that sliver deeper under your fingernail. You experience that guilt continually. Daily come before the Lord repenting of your sins so you will receive forgiveness and cleansing from the stains and guilty conscience of your sins. Hear the words of the writer of Hebrews again.

“Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22 [NASB]

Lord, God Almighty, lead me to recognize Your great love for me and the cost You paid to redeem me from sin. Forgive me of my sins, I pray. Thank You for removing the stain and the guilt of my sin. Thank You for removing the burden of guilt. Help me to love You more and grow closer to You daily. Help me show You how much I love You by my obedience to You. Amen.

Prohibited Prophet and Condemned Priest

Introduction

In the last Bible study, which covered Amos 7:1-9, we learned God showed three visions to Amos about His judgment of Israel. The first vision showed God allowing locusts to consume everything above the ground. It would affect the food supply for the Israelites. Amos intervened for Israel and asked God to pardon them. He recognized their sin and interceded for God’s mercy. The second vision showed God sending a fire that consumed everything above ground and below such as underground water sources and the roots of the plants. Again, Amos interceded for Israel asking for God’s mercy upon Israel because they were too small to withstand such devastation.

The third vision the LORD showed Amos was of a plumb line and a bulging wall. GOD would stand upon the wall-Israel-and let His plumb line fall beside it. The bulge in the wall that showed when the plumb line lay against it revealed the wall was not up to standards, was not “true”. God would destroy the wall down to below the bulge and rebuild it. He and His righteous laws are the standard and Israel did not meet those standards. They rejected the LORD. With this vision, God showed even the leaders of Israel were not straight and Jeroboam’s house would fall by the sword because of it. In this vision, too, the LORD said He would bring judgment on even Israel’s high places, the places of idol worship. With this vision, Amos realized the LORD’s judgment was just, and he did not intercede for the Israelites this time.

With the rest of this chapter, verses ten through seventeen, Amaziah, the high priest of Bethel, reacted to Amos’ prophetic statement of God’s revealed visions to him. In these final eight verses, Amaziah reported to King Jeroboam about Amos. Next, he forbade Amos to prophesy in Israel. Amaziah tried to persuade him to leave Israel. In the end, Amos spoke a prophecy against Amaziah and the priesthood of Israel.

Amaziah’s Report to Jeroboam

After hearing of the third vision God gave to Amos, Amaziah, the chief priest at Bethel, realized God threatened the king and himself. Out of fear, he had to do something to save himself and his means of income. Remember, God did not appoint the priests of Israel and provide for them through His laws. The kings appointed priests and paid them from their treasury. These priests worked for their living instead of serving the LORD. Amaziah owed his allegiance to the king since he appointed him. Earlier prophets’ words in Israel and surrounding nations brought conspiracy against rulers and helped destroy dynasties while starting new dynasties. Because the king of Israel controlled the religion, Amos’ words threatened Amaziah’s income. Amaziah sought to protect the king’s reign. He did two things: 1. Report to the king and 2. Persuade Amos to leave Israel.

Verses ten and eleven contain Amaziah’s report to King Jeroboam. In these verses, Amos said,

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam, king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” [NASB]

Interestingly, Amaziah’s name means “Jehovah is mighty,” yet his life and service refuse to recognize Jehovah. To understand this passage, we must remember Amaziah was the chief priest of the priesthood in Israel, whom the king appoints and pays. This rule of the king over the nation’s religion began with Jeroboam I and the founding the northern kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 12:31-32 and 1 Kings 13:33). Jeroboam II charged Amaziah with obeying his rules of religion and leading the other priests and citizens to obey him as the sovereign ruler of the land. Amaziah’s devotion should be to the king first. From this understanding, we can recognize his reactions to Amos’ visions as being self-serving and kingdom-keeping.

In verse ten, Amos recorded Amaziah sent word to Jeroboam about him. What did Amaziah tell the king? He told him Amos conspired against him in their own borders. The word “conspired” comes from the Hebrew word qashar and means to bind together or be in league together with others. Amaziah told Jeroboam Amos conspired to remove his family’s reign from Israel and install new rulers. He tried alarming the king so he would come and put an end to Amos and his prophesying. Amaziah accused Amos of treason against Israel. He sought to bring alarm and fear in Jeroboam’s heart to excite him into action.

Should that statement of Amos conspiring against Jeroboam not excite the king, Amaziah added more. In verse eleven, he said Amos said Jeroboam would die by the sword and Israel would go into exile. We must recognize what Amaziah told Jeroboam was a lie. In verse nine, Amos said, “Then I [God] will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” In the Bible and other writings when a person spoke of rising against a house with the sword, it meant an army or a person would kill another person and his family. Still, Amos did not say explicitly that Jeroboam would die by the sword as Amaziah reported. When Amaziah told the king that Amos said Israel would go into exile, he reported correctly. He said they would go into exile from their specific plot of land given to them by their tribal leader from the Promised Land Yehovah gave the Israelites. Amaziah exaggerated so it would incite the king to act against Amos who threatened the king, Israel, and himself.

·         Have you ever exaggerated to get someone to sympathize with you and join you in your anger or vengeance? Maybe your boss reprimanded you then you spoke to your coworkers to get them to agree the boss wrongly charged you. From that, people would talk about the boss and disrespect him.

·         Have you ever spoken against someone so you could steal their friends or position in the community or in an organization?

·         Have you ever told someone something bad about your sibling or parents to get people to side with you and agree you were right when you chose not to talk to that person?

Amaziah’s Persuasion of Amos

In verses twelve and thirteen, Amos recorded Amaziah’s attempt to persuade him to stop prophesying against Israel, the king, and him. In verses twelve and thirteen, Amos said,

Then Amaziah said to Amos, 

“Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.” [NASB]

When giving a persuasive speech, the speaker speaks to logic and emotion. In these two verses, Amaziah touched on both. He called Amos a seer. This comes from the Hebrew word chozeh. This word was not the most commonly used word for prophet, but when the message of the chozeh was spiritual, the people recognized this person as a prophet. Typically, chozeh denoted someone who saw or perceived and then advised like a king’s paid counselors or advisors.

In verse twelve, Amaziah alluded to both interpretations of chozeh. Firstly, Amaziah recognized Amos’ message was a spiritual message, one that affected the spiritual part of a person. He wanted Amos to leave so as not to persuade Israelites to follow Yehovah instead of Jeroboam’s instituted gods. As to persuading because of logic and emotion, Amaziah appealed to his logic and said Amos would not receive payment in Israel for his services as a prophet because no one followed His God. He would starve to death in Israel. Amaziah appealed to Amos’ emotion and told him to return to his own country where people accept him and want to hear of their God. He feigned concern for Amos’ income and sustenance. Food/income and acceptance are big inducers for jobs. They were Amaziah’s own concerns in being a priest. In this verse, we recognize a dichotomy and a misunderstanding by Amaziah. Amaziah assumed Amos prophesied for payment. He erred in this understanding because in Israel prophets and priests received payment for their services. This understanding showed the dichotomy of the offices of priests and prophets in the two kingdoms. Amos did not prophesy for Yehovah because of promised payment. He prophesied because the LORD called him to do it.

With verse thirteen, Amaziah gave the real reason he wanted Amos out of Israel. He prohibited Amos from prophesying in Israel. Amaziah tried to prevent him speaking for Yehovah not recognizing the greater purpose for the prophecy-repentance, forgiveness, and mercy. Just like the Israelites caused the Nazirites to drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy in Amos 2:12, Amaziah commanded Amos not to prophesy. Had Amaziah not heard Amos earlier? Did it only then and not earlier in Amos 2:12 affect his understanding of his sin and cause him to forbid Amos to speak? Possibly. Still, Amaziah’s reason for prohibiting Amos to prophesy testifies to his lack of understanding. He told Amos Bethel was a sanctuary for the king so do not prophesy there. To Amaziah, Bethel was the high holy place of Israel and the place where their king worshiped. Amaziah’s reason for prohibiting Amos to prophesy at Bethel was political. It was the king’s sanctuary, sacred because of the king, not because of Yehovah’s residence there.

 Amaziah tried persuasion to get Amos to flee Israel. Whether he cared about Amos’ welfare or not, he wanted Amos out of his country. Amaziah thought Amos’ removal would solve his problems. He did not consider his and his peoples’ sins as the real problem, just Amos’ meddling. His solution to Amos’ prophecy against the high places of Isaac as stated in Amos 7:9 was to forbid his prophesying in Bethel. Amaziah’s futile attempt to stifle the LORD’s called prophet and His own judgment against the religious and political powers of Israel would not occur by banishing Amos.

·         Have you ever dealt with a problem and thought, it would go away if you don’t think about it? Did your problem go away?

·         Did anyone ever confront you about your character and you jump and lash out at him for “attacking” you? Was what the person said accurate? Did you grow from the way you reacted to the person’s positive critique?

·         Have you ever noted a message a teacher wrote on your paper and changed your style or content for a subsequent paper then noticed your grade improved? This shows growth and respect for the experienced teacher or leader.

Amos’ Reply to Amaziah

Amaziah spoke to the king and to Amos in verses ten through thirteen of chapter seven. With verses fourteen through seventeen, Amos replied to Amaziah’s misunderstanding of his “job” and the LORD’s unequivocal judgment of Amaziah. Amos 7:14-17 says,  

Then Amos replied, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet, for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock and the LORD said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’ Now hear the word of the LORD: you are saying, ‘You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you speak against the house of Isaac.’ Therefore, thus says the LORD, ‘Your wife will become a harlot in the city, your sons and daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die upon unclean soil. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.” [NASB]

God’s Calling of Amos

In verses fourteen and fifteen, Amos told Amaziah who he was, what his job was, and by whose will he prophesied. Forthrightly in verse fourteen, Amos said he was not a prophet. The Hebrew word used here in nabiy and means a spokesman or prophet, one who “bubbles up” with declarations from God. It is the most common Hebrew word used to speak of a prophet in the Old Testament. Notice Amos did not use the word chozeh like Amaziah did. He differentiated between a paid advisor and a true prophet of God who bubbles forth with the words of the LORD. Still, Amos said he was not a prophet. Amos meant he was not of the tribe of Levi and thus a priest/prophet in that way, nor was he a prophet called by God to prophesy exclusively during his life like Isaiah or Elijah. Amos explained this further for Amaziah. He said he was not the son of a prophet and did not go to a prophet school to learn how to be a prophet. Amos received no payment to be a prophet like the students in the school of prophets written about in 1 Samuel 19:18-24, 2 Kings 2, and 2 Kings 4:38-34. His title at that point came not from an inherited position from his own father. Instead, Amos explained his job in Judah before God called him to go to Israel and speak for Him. He was a herdsman of sheep, goats, and small cattle, and a grower and tender of sycamore figs. Amos’ job was not as a paid prophet upon which he lived, but instead as a manual laborer.

Through verse fifteen, Amos explained how he came to speak as a prophet for God to Israel. Even though he was a manual laborer, God chose him. Amos recognized his calling came from Yehovah, the existing One-I AM. He said GOD took him from tending the flock and fig trees. The word “took” comes from the same Hebrew word, laqach, that Bible writers used when GOD took Elijah and Enoch to heaven in Genesis 5:24 and 2 Kings 2:11. Amos did nothing purposely to get God’s attention and get the job as prophet. GOD saw him and took him; He chose him. Amos came from a similar background as David, a shepherd, and became the man GOD called to speak to and lead His people (2 Samuel 7:8). David recognized his calling by GOD, too, in Psalm 78:71. Amos’ authority as a prophet came from God, not from a school. He had a divine call, and this verse is the only place Amos references his call. He told Amaziah, “The LORD said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’” The word “said” comes from the Hebrew word ‘amar and means commanded. The LORD commanded Amos to go prophesy to His people Israel. Amos could do nothing but go. GOD’s calling was like a fire burning in his bones, as Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 20:9. The LORD’s calling on Amos’ life compelled him to go. GOD commanded him to go.

One final word. Notice GOD did not tell Amos to go to Israel. He said to go to My people Israel. God still loved Israel and called them His own. He would do much to save them and keep them as His own. The Lord today does the same for us. He keeps calling to His children who have strayed. As a last recourse, the Lord allows hardships to occur in hopes the person will turn back to Him, repent, and seek to follow Him again. God sent many prophets to call Israel to turn back to Him. He loved His people and wanted them to return to a right relationship with Him. God, as loving and righteous, would allow the enemies of Israel to come against and conquer them to punish them and get their attention so they would turn to Him seeking help, confessing their sins, and renewing their relationship with Him.

Amos and the Prophecy Against Amaziah

In verses sixteen and seventeen, Amos spoke to Amaziah. The LORD did not direct this statement of judgment against others, but directly at the high priest of Israel. With verse sixteen, Amos gave the reason for the judgment. Verse seventeen relates GOD’s judgment against Amaziah.

Just as Amos began the other prophecies he spoke in the first six chapters of this book, he began this prophecy against Amaziah. He wanted the high priest of golden calves to realize this prophecy came from Yehovah, the I AM of whom he learned and would recognize. The prophecy stated this way should have made the priest tremble because he would have known about Yehovah and His history with the people of Israel. Besides this, with Amos’ statements above, he should have known Amos was truly a called prophet of the LORD, not an educated, self-chosen prophet for money.

Of what then did GOD charge Amaziah? God said Amaziah told Amos and His other prophets not to prophesy or speak against the house of Isaac. In Amos 2:12, GOD charged the Israelites with commanding His prophets they could not prophesy in Israel. They forbade them to speak GOD’s words-His charges and judgments. Besides this, GOD charged Amaziah with saying Amos “shall not speak against the house of Isaac.” This judgment of God specifically affected Amaziah. The word “speak” comes from the Hebrew word nataph and means to drip or flow. Often Bible writers used it to speak of preaching or prophesying. By using this word, God said Amaziah told Amos he shall not drip/drop words like a refreshing rain or like a bomb against the people, which they would not want to hear. Amaziah censored Amos. He kept his people from hearing the truth and ruffling their feathers so they would not question the worship of idols in Israel, which he led.

For this serious sin of prohibiting God’s called prophet to speak to the Israelites, GOD judged Amaziah harshly. He said through Amos in verse seventeen that Amaziah’s family would experience His judgment of him. Amos relayed God’s words and said, “Your wife will become a harlot in the city.” This spoke of the time of their future capture. It could have meant Amaziah’s family would become so destitute during and after the siege of Israel that to have money to feed her family, his wife would prostitute herself. The other meaning is that Israel’s captors would make Amaziah watch his wife’s dishonor as they forced her to be their sexual toy. He would be unable to prevent her dishonor. Either occurrence showed the depths to which Amaziah, the chief priest of Israel, would fall because of GOD’s judgment of his sins. His family would be poor and dishonored. This judgment is like what Hosea said in Hosea 4:13-14.

Amos continued to relay GOD’s judgment about the devastation upon Amaziah’s family in verse seventeen. He said, “Your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.” His children would die violently by the hands of their enemies. The people Amaziah loved most would die a horrific death. His future would not exist because the enemy killed his children. Amaziah’s line would end. For what use then was he teaching false religion and earning money if he would not have descendants? God’s judgment affected his wife and his children in terrible ways.

Next GOD spoke judgment regarding Amaziah’s land. He said, “Your land will be parceled up by a measuring line.” The word used for land here is the Hebrew word adamah. It means a specific plot of land, not a nation or territory, or earth in general. The verb “parceled up” means to divide, plunder, or assign by a conqueror. The enemies would take the land Amaziah’s family received from their tribe leader when the Israelites entered the Promised Land. God’s judgment would take their inheritance of His promise with Abraham away from his family line. This spoke to GOD removing His promise and His hand of protection from them. The Israelites took for granted God’s covenant with them. They considered He would protect them without faithfully keeping their covenant with Him as their ancestors promised in Deuteronomy 28. God’s judgments now horrendously affected Amaziah’s wife, children, and land. His present, and future blessings became curses because of his sins against GOD.

Finally, if these three judgments against Amaziah did not cause him to repent and return to GOD, the last one should have. GOD told him, “You yourself will die upon unclean soil.” The word “unclean” means religious or ritual uncleanness. A priest would make sure to always be “clean.” He would perform each of the rituals to become clean so he could go before his god. With this part of his judgment, Amaziah would live in an unclean, heathen nation. He could not get ritually cleaned. His ministry would remain tainted in his exile. In 2 Kings 17:6, the writer noted Assyria captured Samaria and took the leaders of Samaria into captivity. Ezekiel 4:13 notes the sons of Israel would eat their bread unclean among the nations where God banished them. God’s judgment of Amaziah affected his family, his honor, his inheritance, his descendants, and his income. God would take away each of His blessings to Amaziah. The removal of His blessings and His presence would cause curses in Amaziah’s life.

The words of Amos were not just the words of a man. They were GOD’s words and should have caused Amaziah to turn toward GOD repenting. Amaziah did not examine himself and his nation regarding covenant blessings, faithfulness, and responsibility. He, like the rich people of Israel, felt secure behind the walls of Samaria and behind the rituals of his king-instituted religion. Amaziah remained blinded by these human achievements-fortresses and religiosity.

·         On what do you count to show your rightness when defending yourself against charges from people? Would these acts of rightness stand up to God’s standards or would God consider you unrighteous?

·         When someone brings an error of yours to your attention, do you go on the defensive or justify yourself? Have you considered the possibility the person is trying to help you grow beyond yourself?

·         On what part of your life has God been speaking to you to change? Have you listened to Him, sought His will, and grown? Have you justified yourself and kept walking in your own way? If the latter, you are like Amaziah and many people.

·         We each sin and try to justify our thoughts, words, and actions. God is the standard. Can our thoughts, words, and actions meet His standards? Not in our own they can’t. We cannot justify ourselves before God.

Consider this passage from Romans 5:1-3. 

Recap

Amos spent much time prophesying to the people of Israel and explaining about their sins of which God charged and judged them. With Amos 7, God gave him three visions of His judgment on His people Israel. He withheld His judgment by locust and fire because of Amos interceding for Israel. The final vision of the plumb line would occur. Amos saw the depth of the Israelites' sins and did not intercede for them after the third vision.

After the third vision and its message that God, through Israel’s enemies, would destroy their sanctuaries and rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword, Amaziah the high priest sent a report to King Jeroboam II telling him about Amos and that he conspired against the king. Next Amaziah tried to persuade Amos to leave Israel feigning concern for his income and his ability to buy bread. He compelled Amos not to prophesy in Bethel. Amaziah stated Amos was a prophet for hire and did not recognize GOD called him to the position for that time.

Amos refuted Amaziah explaining his calling by GOD to go to Israel and speak His prophecies of judgment against them. He told him his job was as a tender of flock and fig trees. Amos said he did not inherit the position of prophet, nor did he attend a prophet’s school. He then prophesied the total destruction and dishonor of Amaziah, his family, and his land. Because of his misdirection, the man to whom a nation looked for spiritual direction would receive a critical, dramatic judgment from the LORD.

Conclusion and Relevance

God calls to each of us to be in a relationship with Him. He speaks to every person to follow Him and grow more like Christ each day. God pricks each person’s conscience when he or she faces temptations to sin against Him and other people. He sends people into our lives to teach or preach His Word so we grow and become strong enough to overcome any temptation we meet. These people come into our lives as God’s voice to teach us so we feel pricks from God to our consciences, feel God’s sadness at our disobedience, and turn back to Him repenting. At times, we are the people growing, being tempted, overcoming temptation, or sinning. Occasionally, we are the people God uses to speak His Word so others may grow and conquer temptation, or repent from sin and return to the Lord.

For his time, Amos was that man of God to Israel.

For our time, we know of people like Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, and Charles Swindoll.

For our time, God may also use any of us to speak to people-to teach and testify about Him.

For all time –

Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

is the teacher and Savior from God.

He not only came to teach, but to be the final sacrifice needed for our sins to redeem us from slavery to sin and defeat the penalty of death our sinning causes us to deserve. Because of God’s love for us, His mercy and lovingkindness, He provided a way for each of us to be in His presence, to experience eternal hope and joy, and to live eternally with Him. Jesus justifies us to God through His death on the cross.

A passage in the Gospel of John speaks about this. John 3:16-18 

For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the word, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [NASB]

Jesus was not just a teacher to tell us about God; He showed God to us here on earth through His life, love, death, and resurrection. Jesus died so we can have eternal life.

His life was a testimony to us about how to live and overcome temptation.

His death and resurrection were an act of God’s love and mercy to us to save us.

We each must decide if we will believe in Jesus Christ and accept His love and forgiveness.

Will you heed the words of Amos, the testimony of Jesus’ life, and receive the love, forgiveness, and eternal life Jesus’ death and resurrection give from God?

It’s your choice.