Amo 3:8 | KingComments | STEP | Amos does not apply the examples of cause and effect only to his hearers. He himself also does something with them. His speaking is the consequence of the speaking of the LORD. He has to speak because as a prophet he is in a direct connection with Him. What Amos has said and will say, seems to the hearers not at all a word of God. The people can say in rejection: ‘How can this man speak like this, where does he get the guts from?’ And Amos says: ‘I cannot do otherwise, because the LORD has spoken.’ No lion roars without prey, no bird is caught without bait, and no prophet speaks without hearing a word from the LORD. And when the LORD speaks, he cannot remain silent. Amos proves with the examples quoted that he must speak, because the LORD has spoken to him. He who criticizes Amos, criticizes the LORD. The LORD has made His warning voice heard with great power in all kinds of events. Many have remained deaf to it. The prophets are God’s voice to the conscience of the people. They want to point again to God’s warnings, so that the people will come to repentance. Whoever is aware of what God is going to do, cannot but speak about it ( ; ; ). If we are convinced of the truth of God’s Word and the seriousness of the judgment it announces about those who disobey God, it will encourage us to testify of the Lord Jesus: “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men” ( ). We are not allowed to pass on anything but what God has told us. A willful explanation of what He has said is not permitted. If He has not spoken, every statement of any man, no matter how learned, is worth as little as that of another. Its value is nil, not to speak of a harmful effect. Only the Word of God keeps its value forever and proves its validity in all times and situations. Whoever has realized this, wants to pass on this Word to others.

‏ Amos 3:8

There Must Be a Reaction

Amos does not apply the examples of cause and effect only to his hearers. He himself also does something with them. His speaking is the consequence of the speaking of the LORD. He has to speak because as a prophet he is in a direct connection with Him. What Amos has said and will say, seems to the hearers not at all a word of God. The people can say in rejection: ‘How can this man speak like this, where does he get the guts from?’ And Amos says: ‘I cannot do otherwise, because the LORD has spoken.’

No lion roars without prey, no bird is caught without bait, and no prophet speaks without hearing a word from the LORD. And when the LORD speaks, he cannot remain silent. Amos proves with the examples quoted that he must speak, because the LORD has spoken to him. He who criticizes Amos, criticizes the LORD.

The LORD has made His warning voice heard with great power in all kinds of events. Many have remained deaf to it. The prophets are God’s voice to the conscience of the people. They want to point again to God’s warnings, so that the people will come to repentance. Whoever is aware of what God is going to do, cannot but speak about it (Acts 4:20; Jer 20:9; 1Cor 9:16). If we are convinced of the truth of God’s Word and the seriousness of the judgment it announces about those who disobey God, it will encourage us to testify of the Lord Jesus: “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men” (2Cor 5:11a).

We are not allowed to pass on anything but what God has told us. A willful explanation of what He has said is not permitted. If He has not spoken, every statement of any man, no matter how learned, is worth as little as that of another. Its value is nil, not to speak of a harmful effect. Only the Word of God keeps its value forever and proves its validity in all times and situations. Whoever has realized this, wants to pass on this Word to others.