Amos the prophet was not what we would consider a “professional holy man.”  He was an ordinary layman, a shepherd, and a fig grower.  When confronted by Amaziah the priest, he declared, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel” (Amos 7:14-15).  Imagine if you were called from your normal work routines to go prophesy against the sins of your religious community!

Amos was a man of great courage, with a sense of moral righteousness and social justice.  “He [could] see clearly that the softness and corruption at the heart of Israel [would] make her fall easy prey to the invader.  The future is so clear to the prophet that he sees the Assyrians advancing to the attack some years before they did in fact set out” (Phillips).   Today, who are the ones warning our nation about being soft and unprepared for what is coming at us?

Amos warned the people: “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria” (6:1).  Amos, simply an ordinary man, was concerned about the material prosperity, along with the decay of moral values and the oppression of the poor brought about by wealth in the hands of the few.   He was giving fair warning of the near future. The prophet uttered those famous words, “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel” (4:12).  Men, have you prepared for what is coming at us?”  

In 3:2-8, God warns the people not to relish their status as His chosen people. Their supposedly intimate relationship with the Lord meant they were to live with a greater sense of responsibility. God was holding them accountable.  “From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone” (Amos 3:2 NLT).  Men, with privilege comes the call to be people of faith. 

Amos pointed to nature and its expected results. “Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey?” (3:4 NET).  “Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?” (3:5 NET).  Then he mentions, “If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear?” (3:6 NET).  The prophet asks, “Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has planned it?” (3:6 NLT).  God is warning us now.  Are we paying attention?    

These were not idle threats.  Consider v. 3:7-8: “Certainly, the Sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.  A lion has roared! Who is not afraid?” A lion that has roared is ready to pounce.  The Lord will act.  The bird is found in the trap through no fault but its own. The people needed to examine their decisions, desires, and ambitions – to see their complicity.  Instead of casting blame, we need to repent. 

Amos 3:2 in the NLT asks, “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” This question awaits an answer. There is an incompleteness to it, leaving the future undetermined: the lion is still roaring; it has not yet devoured its prey (v. 4).  There is still time to escape.  Amos is prophesying in a period of grace, between warning and disaster, making clear the Lord’s message to the people.   I challenge you to ask your closest friends, “Are our decisions, desires and ambitions centered on Christ and building his Kingdom?  How can we live more in line with his will and purposes?” 

Brad Littlejohn recently wrote a revealing article in World magazine entitled, “One lesson of the pandemic? Humility.” “The Covid-19 pandemic has been an invitation for humility,” notes Littlejohn, “the humility to know that we are only part of nature, not its masters, and the humility to remember that whatever choices we make are constrained by the choices of countless others.”

We need to remember that we live in a “world of tragedy.” This idea is hard for our culture to accept since we see ourselves having mastery over the forces of nature. Instead of being humbled by the virus, we have played the blame game, insisting that someone else is responsible. We prefer to believe that what happens in our world must be the product of human causes.

As a nation we went into management mode, assuming that Covid was simply another problem that modern science and government could solve. But we are slowly realizing we are not in charge. We are, submits Littlejohn, “at the mercy of the awesome forces of nature, which God wields in judgment to remind us of how small we humans are.”

The word that comes to mind is “arrogance.” Merriam-Webster gives the following definition: “exaggerate one’s own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner; showing an offensive attitude of superiority; characterized by arrogance.” The Psalmist warns, “The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong” (Ps. 5:5).

God will not allow the arrogance of men to go unanswered: “The arrogance of man will be brought low, and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear” (Isaiah 2:17). Covid could be evidence of this taking place. In Isaiah 13:11 the Lord tells us, “I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.”

We cannot hide our arrogant intentions from the Lord. “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, ‘Who sees us? Who will know?'” (Is. 29:16). The pandemic is opening our eyes to our arrogance. “You felt secure in your wickedness. ‘No one sees me,’ you said. But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray, and you say, ‘I am the only one and there is no other'” (Is. 47:10 NLT).

Men, we are witnessing the humbling of our nation. The pandemic has only exposed the “whitewashing” we have done, by ignoring the cracks in the very foundation of society. “Because they lead my people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall…When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, ‘Where is the whitewash you covered it with?'” (Ezekiel 13:10-12).

In our corporate arrogance we continue to believe the message of peace, while our flimsy walls are covered with whitewash to hide the cracks. Men, this kind of whitewashing cannot go on. Joel warns us, “For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty” (Joel 1:15).

Take heart, however, because we belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” (Heb. 12:28-29).