The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?
Amos is prophesying against Israel, and going through a litany of examples of absurdity – does a bird fall into a snare when no trap has been set? Does a lion roar when it has no prey? It reads to me like an old time sarcastic, “duh”. But then he the litany concludes with these statements that are true, rather than untrue. If the lion roars, who wouldn’t be afraid? Um, me. Side note, I was sleeping in platform tent in Kenya and overnight heard lions roaring. It woke me up, and raised the hair on the back of my neck. Every time it happened. Who wouldn’t be afraid indeed!
The next statement you’d assume is an equally obvious truth. The Lord has spoken, who can avoid speaking that word from God? Except in this case, I think many can avoid it, perhaps most.
Looking at the history of the prophets we’ve encountered so far, none of them have fared too well. Or they’re miserable during they’re prophesying. To be clear, prophesying isn’t fortune telling. Rather it’s speaking of God’s kingdom come, particularly in a place that looks nothing like God’s kingdom. It’s pointing out what could be, rather than what is.
Some would argue that the first deacon was Stephen, a prophet who was actually stoned to death for his pointing out the errors of the time. Um, not a great model. Or then there’s John the Baptizer, whose head ended up on a platter. Um, not a great model. And of course, there’s Jesus. Modern day, we have MLK, Gandhi, Romero – all sorts of prophets who tried to bring God’s kingdom here, and were met with unpleasant outcomes.
Is that what God wants from us? To be mocked, dismissed, or worse? I suspect that for some, the answer is yes, and they know that truth from God. There are some who are willing to speak what they hear from God, or maybe they can do nothing less, and are willing to suffer the consequences, regardless.
Then there’s the rest of us. I’m not sure I’m ready to die to speak God’s truth in my world. But I have been willing to take some risks that didn’t feel like risks at the time, because I believed it was what I was supposed to do. I know people who’ve served as missionaries in dangerous places, people who’ve served in inner-city dangerous settings, who’ve hugged the modern-day lepers. I would suspect that these people don’t feel heroic, or like they took chances beyond what was reasonable. I suspect they did what they did because they knew they should.
So maybe being a pebble-in-the-shoe prophet isn’t about going beyond what you’re comfortable with, but rather listening for God, prayer, and responding with what you know in your soul you are supposed to be doing or saying. God removes that sense of fear, so the prophets are doing exactly what they know they’re supposed to be doing, regardless.
This morning, I’m thinking about listening for the word of God, and responding as God asks. Who can but prophesy?
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