Are We An Amos or Jonah?

This morning I am delving back into the old testament prophet Amos.  Here are the verses I am focused on this morning - Amos 7:1-8 NIV:

[1] "This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king's share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. [2] When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small! ” [3] So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said.

[4] This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. [5] Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small! ” [6] So the Lord relented. “This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.

[7] This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. [8] And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos? ” “A plumb line, ” I replied. Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer."

I always thought these verses were an interesting and excellent guide to how to intercede for the church, and the world.  Although Amos was called to prophesy to the people of Israel, called to confront the things that were outside of God's will and purpose, his heart was always for Israel.  In these passages God shows him the judgements that He is intending to bring, and in each case Amos cries out for mercy, rather than judgment.  He doesn't necessarily disagree with the Lord's view, but understands how the people will be affected, and thus cries out for mercy.

One of the things that saddens me is that there are many prophetic voices in our church today crying out for judgement.  They may be warning the people correctly, but rather than crying out for mercy, they are crying for judgment.  They are voices like Jonah, who wanted to see judgment fall on Ninevah.  He was angry when the Lord relented of the punishment He had warned He would send.  Here are the verses - Jonah 3:10 - 4:4 NIV:

[10] "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened."

Chapter 4 [1] "But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. [2] He prayed to the Lord, “Isn't this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. [3] Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

[4] But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Jonah tells the Lord that he is angry that He had relented and had mercy.  He was wanting to see judgment fall on all those people and was disappointed when God extended mercy.  Many of the voices in the church, crying out against the injustices they see, seem to have this same attitude.  There is almost a joyful anticipation of the coming judgment of God.  There appears to be a desire to be proved right, showing the world that God will judge certain behaviours, certain sins.  There is apparently limited love or concern for those that would be affected by God's judgments.

Here is what the Lord said to Jonah - "And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left---and also many animals?” Jonah 4:11 NIV.

God desires salvation and relationship with all of us, good and bad, sinner and saint.  He longs for all to come to know Him, for all to be saved (1 Tim 2:3-4).  He does not take joy in judgment, but is rather "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love." (Jonah 4:2). He loves His church, but He also loves every man, woman and child who has not yet been introduced to Him.  Jesus perfectly demonstrated the Father's heart when He came to earth.  He ministered to the sinners, befriending them, interacting with them, calling them into relationship, introducing them to the loving Father (Matt 9:12-13 is a great example).  He had very little time and harsh words for those who considered themselves righteous, and judged the "sinners".

Let us examine our hearts and see if we are an Amos or a Jonah?  Let us pray for mercy not judgment.  Let us be seeking for the Lord to have mercy, compassion, and forgiveness for us all.  Let us intercede for the lost, and pray that the Lord would give us His heart for them.  Let us be a light of God's love to those around us, especially the "sinners".  Let us accept the plumb-line of the Lord in our own lives, looking first to plank in our own eyes before speaking about the speck in someone else's eye ( Matt 7:3-5).