Life is full of messy situations. They can happen in families, in marriages, in sibling rivalries, in workplaces, and even in churches. What does the Bible say about messy situations?
Amos 7:10-17 gives a good example of a messy situation. It was a clash between the prophet Amos and Amaziah, the chief priest at Bethel. (Bethel was the sanctuary worship site that had been established by Jacob after he saw his famous ladder in Genesis 28:10-22). This narrative is found amidst four separate visions that God gave to Amos:
First, he engaged in triangling. Triangling happens when a third party is brought into the conflict before the other person has been addressed directly. Jesus counseled His disciples to go directly to the person before you go to other people (in Matthew 18:15). It appears that Amaziah didn’t do this. He first sent his complaint straight off to the king (in Amos 7:10-11). Part of the problem is that this leads to a distorted presentation of things. Second-hand versions are notoriously unreliable. In this case, Amaziah painted a picture of Amos as a conspirator against the king. He exaggerated his prophecies of exile as if they were made out as death threats against the king, which wasn’t true. (Compare Amos 7:10-11 with 7:8-9.) Amos had prophesied a national exile, and that happened in 722 BC when the Assyrians conquered and destroyed Samaria. He made reference to the king as the leader of the nation, but it was not a personal threat. Of course that didn’t matter to the priest when he sent out a false version of the story. Lies can go out quickly, and they can be hard to control. A second problem was in the manner of confrontation. There is a place for biblical confrontation, particularly if the first attempts at conversation have not succeeded (cf. Matthew 18:16-18). But it can also be done poorly. Amaziah’s confrontation (in Amos 7:12-13) was laced with both an insult and with geographic prejudices. His reference to the southern kingdom would be like someone from the American South saying, “Yankee, go home!” And his reference to eating bread (which implies earning a living) was something that maligned Amos’ motives; it suggested that he was only interested in earning a salary. Fortunately, Amos’ response shows us how we can stick true to the word of God in a messy situation. It’s an ancient account, but there’s much to learn from it for today. I’m thinking of three things… 1 – Identity: When other people have been talking about you, it’s important to have good, well-developed self-concept. Other people aren’t the ones who have the right to define you. That goes back to who you are and what God has called you to be. So Amos started out by making his history clear (in 7:14). He wasn’t part of the old prophetic cohorts who did political assassinations. And he wasn’t simply out to draw a salary; he had other ways of doing that (specifying his background as a herdsman and working with fruit trees). It wasn’t up to Amaziah to define what kind of prophet Amos would be. Other people may try to mischaracterize you, but don’t overreact to that. God knows who you are. 2 – Direction: It’s important not to let your detractors throw you off course. If you understand your life direction and calling, stick to it. Amaziah told Amos to go away, and to leave his ministry in Bethel behind (in 7:12). But Amos remembered how God told him to leave his flocks behind and to go and prophesy. Amos was going to obey God, not men (7:15, cf. Acts 5:29). 3 – Truth: There will always be attempts to silence prophetic voices, but ultimately they can’t succeed in suppressing the truth. Truth is always more powerful than falsehood – which is something that’s important to remember in an age when lies and liars are celebrated. And this links up with the prophecy to Amaziah in Amos 7:16-17. Amos gave a direct word to the priest. It was harsh: it anticipated suffering, death, and unspeakable desecration. But it was vastly necessary. And it was true to the conditions of the exile that came in 722 BC. Life is full of messy situations, but remember this: God’s Son came into the world to endure the worst of the mess for our sakes. The religious and governing authorities came after Him and killed Him. But they still couldn’t stop Him. In His resurrection we find that truth is more powerful than all the lies. As Jesus said, the truth sets you free (John 8:32). God bless you, Pastor Andrew McHenry
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Andrew McHenryI am a husband, a Congregational pastor, and a native Kansan currently living in Thermalito, California. In the past I have also been a prison chaplain and a youth pastor. Interests include reading, railroads, prog rock, KU, and the KC Royals. Archives
March 2024
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