August 15, 2025 - Amos 6-9

There’s this series of five visions in Amos 7-9:  The locusts eating crops, Judgment by fire, The wall and plumb line, The basket of summer fruit, and The Lord standing by the altar.  Wednesday evening at Baxter, we talked about studying the Bible and I mentioned that God has spoken to us.  Where?  How?  In the Bible!  Just this morning, I read a 1968 article by William F. Buckley, Jr. – “The Beatles and the Guru” – in which he noted how many in the West are duped by exotic sounding religions when what they really need to do is just read the Bible.  Amos, like the other prophets, seems constantly to be talking with God.  The Lord instructs him and gives him words to speak.  But the prophet is not silent.  He talks with God.  In fact, with the first two visions, he actually pleads with God to relent.  The Lord listened to Amos and did relent.

It's pretty amazing to watch Amos and other prophets do this back and forth with the God who sent them.  The prophets are careful, and they know their places before God.  But they are also bold.  They ask questions.  They sometimes even seem to accuse God.  They plead with him.   There's an intimacy here:  “This is what the Lord showed me" (7:1, 7:4, etc.).”  “O Lord God, please forgive/cease!” (7:2,4)  The Lord questions:  “Amos, what do you see?” (7:8)  And Amos answers.  Back and forth.  In Amos’ answer to the evil priest Amaziah:  “But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me . . .” (7:15).  A good model for us in talking with God and in prayer as we watch the prophet(s) go back and forth with the Lord.

God has spoken by Christ Jesus,

       Christ, the everlasting Son,

brightness of the Father's glory,

       with the Father ever one;

spoken by the Word incarnate,

       God of God, ere time was born;

Light of light, to earth descending,

       Christ, as God in human form.   -- G. W. Briggs (1952)

*I don’t like to clutter things up with a lot of graphics, links, etc.  But, if you’re interested (I hope you are), here’s the link to William Buckley’s article:  https://www.nationalreview.com/1968/02/ guru-bound/