Minor Prophets XLV: Engineering or Evangelism, Mechanical or Ministry

Amos 7:10-15 sheds some light on personal aspects of Amos' ministry. We can see from Amaziah, the priest of Bethel’s response that Amos was frowned upon and not well liked by the man. He is challenged by Amaziah. Bethel being one of the original sites for false worship set up by Jeroboam I tells us that this king’s sanctuary would’ve also been the a temple for the North. Having heard Amos’ harsh words it would’ve been implied that Amos was speaking out against the sanctuary and the monarchy of the North, he was accused of fermenting a conspiracy or causing a rebellion in or against the northern kingdom and against the king himself.


Amaziah tells the king that the land cannot bear the onslaught of all these negative messages. Amaziah then goes on to rail against Amos himself refusing to acknowledge that Amos is speaking as God’s prophet instead views him as a political insurgent, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”


From all this we can tell a few personal things about Amos. He did not self-generate his ministry. Perhaps he was not really thrilled about it, but he obeyed as he was instructed by the Lord. Sometimes the things God wants us to do are not the things we would chose  or the things we would want to do of our own accord. He did not come from a line of prophets. Amos’ prophetic ministry was initiated by God (obviously). Amos had not chosen this nor trained for it, he was a shepherd and grower of sycamore-fig trees. He was pulled away from his life and told to “prophesy to My [God’s] people in Israel”. I get the impression that if Amos had the choice he wouldn’t have done this…but no one refuses God (Sunukjian1446).


I my case it was walking away from a 23 year career in engineering as opposed to evangelism. To go from being mechanically inclined to being ministry inclined. To take all the tools I had acquired over two decades, return back to school at midlife and utilize these old tools and new education to pursue something I could not even see. Personally, it only made sense to obey God but making the actual decision to actually abandon what I knew, and to ignore comfort and ask others to do the same to chase a divine calling was a leap of faith that neither I nor my wife thought we had in us...


You can clearly see which path I chose. I would sooner be in front of a firing squad if that was the will of the One. My wife and I have no regrets. Walk on!!


Sunukjian, Donald B.. "The Results of Judgment ." The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition Of The Scriptures. Ed John Walvoord & Roy Zuck. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1985. 1446. Print.