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REFLECTION
The theme for our reflection is “A herdsman and a farmer” A herdsman is the owner or keeper of a herd of domesticated animals. A farmer is a person who owns and manages a farm. Amos was a herdsman and a farmer appointed by God to be a prophet. We shall reflect on the fact that God can call and use anyone for His glory and the edification of His people.

Beloved in the Lord, Amaziah was the priest at Bethel at the time when Israel had become rebellious and idolatrous. Amaziah also misled Jeroboam, the King of Israel by encouraging him to disobey God. Amid such disobedience and rebellion, God called Amos to warn King Jeroboam concerning His impending judgment on him and the nation. In response “… Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. ¹¹ For this is what Amos is saying: “‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’” ¹² Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. ¹³ Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom (Amos 7:10-13) In other words, Amaziah rose against Amos for prophesying against the King and Israel. Indeed, Amaziah found nothing wrong with King Jeroboam’s disobedience to God. He wanted to find favour in the eyes of the King therefore he supported him and made him remain adamant to the voice of God. Are Christian leaders directing the heart of leaders to God? Do we speak truth to power or because of financial convenience, preachers and church leaders have become bootlickers to politicians and leaders of the nation? Amos will rather prefer to speak the voice of God rather than exchange it for wealth and favour. Peter and the other disciples have taught us in Act 5:39 that “….We must obey God rather than human beings!

Amos initially reminded Amaziah that he may have been a mere herdsman and a farmer but God chose him to prophesy to Israel. “Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. ¹⁵ But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ (Amos 7:14-15). Dear friend, God can use anyone for His glory and the edification of His people. It is for his reason that Paul reminds us, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not —to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). Some of us miss the message of God because, instead of paying attention to the message, we undermine the messenger. In other words, the academic and social status of the messenger determines our attitude towards him or her. There are some Christians who come to church depending on who is preaching. In our minds, we have categorised the preachers and ranked them according to their academic and social status. In the case of Amaziah, why should he listen to the prophecy of a common herdsman and farmer? In other words, a nonentity like Amos must be stopped from disturbing the King and the peace of the community. My dear friend, what is your attitude towards the messengers of God or the preachers in your congregation? A person may not be an ordained minister of the Gospel but he or she can still be used by the Holy Spirit to deliver a message of repentance and restoration to our hearts. One does need all the degrees in theology to proclaim the Word of God to a disobedient generation. Whoever God chooses to deliver His message must be accorded honour. The person may be a child, a youth, an aged person or a commoner. We must learn to come before God with a humble disposition for the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts.

Beloved in the Lord, because Amaziah the priest stood against the Word of God proclaimed by Amos, judgment was pronounced upon him and Israel. ” Amos said to Amaziah ” “Therefore this is what the LORD says: “‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land. ’” (Amos 7:17) We may come against the messenger but not the master or sender of the messenger. We must be careful when speaking ill against God’s servant for it is God we fight and not the preacher or messenger. We are warned, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm” (1 Chronicles 16:22). It is not the duty of the servant of the Lord to revenge or fight those who oppose him or her. We are assured by Paul that “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19). Let us receive the Word of God that comes from His messengers with humility, repentance and obedience so that we may not incur His wrath.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme ” The herdsman and the farmer” We have discovered that God can call and use anyone for His glory and the edification of His people, therefore, we must approach and receive the message and the messenger with a humble disposition and a repentant heart so that we do not incur the wrath or judgement of God.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit, grant us the spirit of humility and obedience anytime the Word of God comes to us. Like Amos, strengthen us to speak the Word of God to power regardless of intimidation and persecution. May the will of the Lord be done in our lives now and always. Amen.