Amos-Can two walk together if they be not agreed?

When I say Amos chapter 3, chances are you think of verse 7 "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." It is a powerful verse with a promise, one that the Lord will give us a way to know his mind and will though appointed servants. Sadly, this is often the only verse we read in the chapter. While a powerful verse on its own, I feel its power grows in context. Amos is an interesting prophet. He makes a point of identifying that he is not a prophet or son of a prophet, meaning he didn't belong to the school of the prophets and neither did his father (Amos 7:14)but rather that the Lord directly called him and tasked him with preaching in the northern kingdom of Israel (vs 15). Israel is at odds with Judah at this point, making alliances with their enemies and threatening them. Its in this light that I want to look back at chapter three. To catch verse seven in context, we need to start at the beginning. In verses one and two Amos sets the stage, reminding Israel that the Lord led them from Egypt, that of all nations, they alone have known the one true God. Despite this, they continue in their iniquities. The verse that follows is one of my favorites. "Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" An interesting question. If two people are trying to walk together to reach a common destination, they must be in agreement over many things. They need to agree when to leave, when to stop to rest, how quickly they should travel, and what route they should take. If they are not in agreement on all of these things, they can't walk together, at some point, they will be separated. The Lord then shares a set of events in verses 4 through six, pointing out that the are sequential, the lion roars because he has found prey, the trumpets of the army sound and the people in the city are afraid. Then, only then, does he tell them that he will do nothing without first telling the prophets, and in verse 8 he prefaces his warning, telling them that he is speaking and they should listen. This is followed by the warning in verses 9 through 16, a warning that if Israel does not repent and change that they will be destroyed. He is telling them, look, if you want to walk with me, listen to my prophet, I have sent him to you and he is here prophesying, if you don't listen to him you can't walk with me. If you don't walk with me, I can't protect you from your enemies. In the end Israel opts not to walk with the Lord. They threaten Judah and Jeruselam, who turn to Assyria for aid. The Assyrians come, defeating Israel and putting a puppet government in place. 12 years later even this is taken from them and the people are carried off into Assyria as captives (an interesting number of years since 12 represents heavenly government in Hebrew numerology). For me the message is clear. The Lord extends his invitation to walk with him to all, but to walk with him we must be agreed. Following the prophet we can be assured we walk with the Lord, and just as he led Israel out of bondage in Egypt, he can likewise keep us from the bondage of Assyria if we stay true to his teachings through his appointed prophet.

Second Sword

Second Sword The best part about reading the scriptures is someone keeps adding bits each time I read them. Sometimes I feel impressed to think about something in a new way, sometimes I notice something I hadn’t seen before, and sometimes I read between the lines, finding things that are of personal interest. On occasion all three happen at the same time. This was the case with the second sword. When the Pharisees came for Jesus they brought with them a mob armed with swords and staves. One apostle, Judas, betrayed the Savior with a kiss, and one apostle, Peter, drew a sword to defend him. As a young man I wanted to be like Peter, willing to stand up before overwhelming odds to protect the Savior. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I took notice of some verses in Luke 22 that give additional context as to what happened. In Luke 22:35-38, during the last supper and just prior to the garden, we have the following; “35 And he (Jesus) said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. 36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 37 For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. 38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.” So, here the apostles indicate they have two swords among them, that was news to me, all I had ever heard about was the one sword. So I carefully read all four accounts of the Saviors betrayal. All four gospels indicate that Judas came from the Pharisees/High Priests/Elders with a mob armed with torches/swords/staves. Three of the accounts indicate that Judas had previously arranged a sign to betray Jesus with a kiss, while John indicates that the Savior stands forth, inquiring what they want and identifying himself as the one they seek, twice, while asserting his divinity before telling them to get on with it. Regardless, at some point they come to arrest him. In Luke, as the men approach, his apostles ask the Savior “Lord, shall we smite with the sword?” (Luke 22:49). All four gospels then indicate that one of the apostles, identified as Peter in the gospel of John, draws a sword and smites off the right ear of Malchus (John), a servant of the high priest. Jesus tells Peter to put up his sword, warning that “all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 52-53). The 12 legions of angels are an interesting comparison to the 12 apostles he has with him. In John Jesus also tells Peter to put his sword in its sheath, adding “the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”. Finally, in Luke he counsels Peter to, “Suffer ye thus far” before reaching out and healing Malchus. Then, in all four Gospels, the Savior is taken away. I have to wonder, what happened to the second sword? Who was carrying the sword? Was it carried by one of the Sons of Thunder, James and John? Did it belong to Matthew the tax collector? Why wasn’t it used? I can think of a couple of possibilities. Perhaps the apostle who carried it was fearful of the armed mob that had come to take Jesus and did not dare to fight. Perhaps they understood that the Savior, as He later pointed out, did not need a sword raised in His defense. The dramatic side of me imagines that Peter had both swords, dual wielding, blades flashing, scattering the enemies of the Savior before him in an epic battle worthy of any kung fu movie, holding off hordes of warriors until finally, after ten minutes of disarming foes, cutting the heads off spears, and knocking ten, twenty men back with each blow, finally somebody gets hurt. Somebody loses an ear, and the Savior says, “OK Peter, put up your blades, you have done enough, let me take it from here” and heals the wounded servant. What would I have done, if I were there and carrying the second sword? Would I have risen up, joining Peter in the fray? Would I have hidden my blade hoping that none of the mob noticed I was armed, and hoping that none of the apostles would ask me why I didn’t use it? Or would I have had the foresight to first reach for the sword and then stop, trusting to follow my Saviors lead? I don’t have that second sword, but I have A second sword; the sword of the Spirit. The question remains, how often, and for what, do I draw the blade on behalf of my Savior.