Amos 7:7-15 (NRSV)
Read Amos 7:7-15 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. Verse 8And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; Verse 9the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword."
Verse 10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. Verse 11For thus Amos has said, 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'" Verse 12And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; Verse 13but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." Verse 14Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, Verse 15and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'
Devotion
Telling the truth can be hard. A friend is drinking way too much. Do you say something to her? Your brother is spending more time online than he is with his kids. Should you mention it? A neighbor screams at her elderly parents loud enough to be heard down the block. Is it your business? Keeping your mouth shut would be easy … but that little voice inside says, If not you, then who?
Amos was a farmer, not a prophet. But the people of Israel weren’t living up to God’s intentions for them. Even though the country was in a time of peace and prosperity, they were neglecting the needs of the poor. So God sent Amos to tell the truth; to speak up for those who could not speak up for themselves.
Amos’ truth-telling didn’t earn him many friends in Israel. In fact, the king and religious leaders tried to kick him out of the country. But he did have a call from God, and I’d like to think that in that call he found the strength and conviction to do the right thing. Sometimes that’s all it takes to name the hard truth.
Prayer
Lord, when I face a difficult situation, give me the courage to speak the truth, and a compassionate and steadfast heart with which to speak it. Amen.