Amos and “The Prophets"

Here are some familiar words from Amos:

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

These words are commonly used in conversations and sermons about the importance of latter-day prophets, and they seem to speak for themselves. If God isn’t going to do anything without first telling prophets—those ordained to deliver His word to the people—and if God continues to do things today, then it follows that He must still need prophets. It’s a simple logical argument, and seems to have less need for context than many Old Testament verses.

But the context here is interesting. You see, we tend to use these words to biblically source our belief in the ongoing role of Prophets (with a capital P). We cite this verse in relation to the duly ordained presidents of the church: men who are called according to a divinely instituted hierarchical structure that always lets us know who the Lord has placed in the position of chief leader.

Certainly, the Old Testament has Prophets of this nature. Think about Eli for one, and Samuel. Two men whose positions of authority derived from their place in the religious hierarchy of their day. Or think about Isaac and Jacob, who are Prophets because of their patriarchal roles and their status as descendants and successors to the line of Adam and its attendant authority. 

But that’s not who Amos is. Amos is just a simple “herdman,” (Amos 7:14-15) who, from all I can tell, became a prophet simply by observing the doings of his day and responding to the voice of the Lord. It wasn’t particularly his business except in the way that large doings are the business of all who are affected by them. He was what you might call a “prophet of circumstance.” 

There are other such prophets in the Old Testament too. Consider Daniel, for instance, who was placed in his position of prominence by a secular power, and granted his prophetic gifts through his obedience to God, and not through any formal religious structure. Yet his prophecies are among the most far-reaching of any in the book. 

We could name others as well, but perhaps I’ve made my point. It’s interesting to me that these words spoken by Amos, so often used in support or justification of our system of duly appointed Prophets, were spoken by a prophet who comes from outside that kind of system. It makes me think they mean something much broader than we usually use them for. 

I’m not saying they don’t apply to formal, capital-P Prophets. Of course when there is one on the earth, the Lord reveals some of His secrets to them too, especially when He needs to do something on a large scale.

But I’m thinking of Paul’s desire that all the saints should prophesy1, and of the many things God does in our lives that don’t pass through official channels because they don’t need to. I think Amos’ words are fulfilled any time someone receives knowledge by the spirit of prophecy, and in so doing learns the “secret” of the Lord. What is a prophet, after all, but one who speaks and acts by that spirit? 

I think we too often underestimate our potential, dare I say calling, to become lowercase-p prophets: those who live and act within their spheres of influence and authority2 by direct, personal revelation from God. Those whose words are no less true and acts no less important to God’s kingdom than were the words and acts of Amos, or any of the P(p)rophets.

I think Amos’ teaching frees us to seek this kind of prophecy in our lives. It liberates us from the temptation to fall into hero worship of our leaders that comes from seeing them as the key to our access to the divine. After all, we all can also be among the prophets—fellow travelers and equals with them. It is the spirit of the Lord, accessible to us all, to which we must be obedient. 

It may help that this is exactly the kind of approach to life our current Prophet, rather famously, has told us we will need in the days to come. 

1. This is all throughout 1 Corinthians 14, where we are even told to “covet” to prophesy, and that we “all may prophesy.” Even that Paul would rather see us prophesy than speak with tongues. Verses 29-33 may be particularly instructive, in which we learn that the “prophecies” of the individual saints should be evaluated and judged by how closely they adhere to the spirit of what has been spoken by the “prophets,” which I take to mean the officially recognized prophets, such as Amos, or others in the scriptural canon.

2. It’s interesting that Amos’ words aren’t confined to local matters, despite his lack of institutional authority. He speaks to all of Israel. As I say in the main body of the post, the doings of kings, presidents, Prophets, and rulers are of concern to all who are affected by them.