Tremble At His Word

After the prophet Amos prophesied against Israel and it’s king, the high priest Amaziah sent word to the king of these things: “Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land" (Amos 7:10,11). And of course the king and the high priest were much displeased by the words of Amos, and the high priest brought back word to Amos from himself and the king: "Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court” (Amos 7:12,13). But they had one very serious problem in giving that answer: The words of Amos were not his own; they came from God. So the words that they answered Amos, they were actually saying to God. Now consider the answer that Amos gave back to Amaziah, which answer also came from God: “Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land" (Amos 7:16,17).

So what is the lesson to be learned here? Be very careful who you say what to! Words are not forgotten before God, and neither are they not visited. This was not an aberration, and God has not changed. He remains the same, and so do his judgments against brash and foolish words spoken against words that are from him. "A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul” (Prov. 18:7). Under no other circumstances are these words more true, than when someone says something to lightly esteem or revile words that come by the Spirit of God. I received a comment from a musician about one of our youtube videos, on which my son did a Gospel cover on “Somewhere Over The Rainbow," which he wrote himself. Before the song, a few words were spoken on the reality of God’s comforting power and grace for any who are hurt or cast down by adversity, hardship, or loss. I remember the compassion and gentleness of the holy Ghost that I felt in the simple things that were spoken there. The things that were said were as general in regard to the love of God, and his care for all who are hurting, as they could have been. There simply is no one that these words of truth would not apply to, unless there is someone who gets through this life without suffering any hurt; or of course someone who refuses to believe and be a benefactor of God’s healing love and power. Anyway, here is what the individual said in her comment: "Stop talking, otherwise great cover!” That sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Well sure, but there is one problem, and that is the “Stop talking” part. “Stop talking?” Really? So what’s the problem with that? She wasn’t just saying to stop talking, but rather she was saying “Shut Up!” to the holy Spirit of God that inspired the words that were spoken.

I felt the arrogance and disesteem for the holy Ghost in those few words, and I can tell you that it was not a wise choice of spirit or words on her part. So what happens from something like that? Well hopefully repentance, but what may be more likely is that when this young woman’s hour of hurt and loss comes to her, she will not be able to find faith in her heart to call on the only one who can heal, comfort, and uphold; as was spoken of in the words before the song. I replied to her comment with, “Start hearing, otherwise decent comment.” When Ananias and Saphira lied to Peter about the money they received from the sale of a house, Peter told Ananias, “Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things" (Acts 5:4,5). And the same words and fate met his wife a few hours later (Acts 5:9). Friend, it doesn’t have to be a prophet or an apostle that is spoken against or lied to; it only has to be someone who has spoken by the same Spirit of God that these men spoke by. So in the end the lesson is that we need to seek God diligently to know the voice of his Spirit, and "tremble at his word" (Isa. 66:2). "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the [congregations]" (Rev. 3:22). Amen.