In Spite Of Spin - Amos And Amaziah

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos is hatching a plot against you right here on your very doorstep! What he is saying is intolerable. He is saying, ‘Jeroboam will soon be killed, and the people of Israel will be sent away into exile.’”

Amos 7:10-11

In the days before electronic recording devices could capture every little syllable, politicians didn’t have to watch their words with the painstaking care required today. Today, they know their opponents are likely to spin anything they say into something different from what they meant.

That was the tactic a corrupt priest named Amaziah used against the prophet Amos. In an attempt to quiet Amos and his message, Amaziah accused him of treason against Israel and King Jeroboam. The priest saw a chance to shut Amos up when the prophet denounced Jeroboam and pronounced God’s judgment on his ancestors.

Amaziah put his own spin on Amos’s words, telling the king that the prophet had said he would die by the sword and that Amos had conspired to carry out his own words of judgment.

Amos’s prophecies came true, but not in the way that Amaziah had presented them to the king. Jeroboam died a natural death, but his son and successor, Zechariah, died at the hands of Shallum after just six months on the throne (see 2 Kings 15:8-10).

Amos’s life and ministry demonstrate the sad truth that some will always attempt to spin the words and actions of godly people. It also demonstrates the blessings of carefully and faithfully speaking God’s truth even when others don’t want to hear it.

Amos knew he was preaching an unpopular message and that Amaziah would go to incredible lengths to stop him. Amos remained faithful to God and to the message God had called him to speak.

God rewards you when you serve him faithfully in your words and actions. When you face your own Amaziahs, God will bless you when you remain faithful to him and to what he has called you to do and say.