Last week I was reading the the Book of Amos, and came across some familiar passages, but felt a bit of fresh revelation concerning them. Here are the verses, which capture a very interesting back and forth between Amos and the Lord - 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."
There are a couple of things that I found quite interesting in this bit from Amos. First, he clearly is a prophet/seer in our modern lingo, and in these 8 verses he records three separate visions of coming judgments that were coming upon the Kingdom of Judah. As I read these judgments, I thought about how similar visions to these for America would be handled by the prophetic that is operating in the church today. In my mind, the response of many would be to embrace these visions as sure judgments and they would be broadcast to any that would listen, proclaiming judgment upon the land for our evil ways! However, the issue is that we are not under the Old Covenant any more, the Church is under the New Covenant, and God will engage with us through that Covenant, which is set in place by the Blood of Christ Jesus, who took the judgement and punishment for all sins upon himself.
Secondly, my heart was captured by Amos's response and the Lord's reaction. Amos didn't proclaim these words on high, calling down the judgments he saw, rather he cried out to the Lord, instead interceding for the kingdom, asking God to have mercy! The part that really got me thinking was that this actually seemed to be what the Lord was after, Amos's engagement and intercession, it seems like He was looking for someone willing to step into the gap, for His response was to relent! One wonders if maybe the prophetic voices calling for judgment, should instead be calling for intercession and prayer?
On a side note, this brings into question the whole idea around false prophets, for clearly Amos had seen an accurate vision, and understood accurately the purpose of the Lord in it, and still it didn't occur. Some would likely have called him a false prophet, instead of recognizing that he was fulfilling the roll of intercession as well, and was the reason the Lord relented (if we take this story simply at face value).
Lastly the vision that the Lord actually fulfilled was the vision of the plumb-line, and while that is a judgment, it is designed to allow correct alignment rather than destruction. The heart of the Lord, shown in the previous two promises to relent, is seen here as well. He is not after destruction, but rather repentance and right alignment with His Word!
I see here an interesting prophetic challenge, can the call be made for repentance that does not rely on the threat of destruction? Clearly in the New Testament we see some prophets providing warning words, but it seems they are more for guidance, direction and preparation! Take for example the following verses from Acts 11:28-30 NIV:
[28] "One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) [29] The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. [30] This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul."
Normally I would read verses 28 and 29 & 30 as separate things being recorded together, but this morning as I was reading them, I believe that Luke was recording the prophetic word and response of the people to that word. The church, rather than proclaiming destruction and judgment and waiting for God to smite them, actually stepped into the role of intercession, and even took it to the level of practical intercession, giving help in the form of an offering. What a wonderful example for us to follow!
In summary, I am encouraged to view God's engagement with us through the New Covenant, rather than the Old. I am encouraged to look at my heart and thoughts towards those I think are in sin, recognizing that Jesus took upon Himself the punishment and judgment for their sins, just as He did for mine. I am encouraged to view such prophetic warnings as calls for intercession and action, rather than judgment. Oh Lord, help us to embrace Your heart as revealed most perfectly in the life of Jesus Christ, Your Only Son, and the perfect representation of Your being (Heb 1:3).
Amen and Amen!
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