Series: Shepherds Roar
Message: A Shepherd's Vision
Preacher: J. Murdock
Reflection: Nathan Brown
Live Wonder: Zan Long
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Beyond: Art Preuss
Live Purpose: Don Pate
Editor: Becky De Oliveira

Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.

Read: Amos 1-2 in The Message (MSG). Note 1–3 insights or questions.

Reflect: “In speaking, the prophet reveals God. This is the marvel of a prophet’s work: in his words, the invisible God becomes audible. He does not prove or argue. The thought he has to convey is more than language can contain” (Abraham Joshua Heschel). Divine power bursts in the words. The authority of the prophet is in the Presence his words reveal.

Heschel goes on to write:

“There are no proofs for the existence of the God of Abraham. There are only witnesses. The greatness of the prophet lies not only in the ideas he expressed, but also in the moments he experienced. The prophet is a witness, and his words a testimony—to His power and judgment, to His justice and mercy.” (The Prophets, p. 27, italics original)

Whenever we encounter or take seriously the Bible prophets, we need to pause to reflect on the role of the prophet as described in the Bible. It is an intriguing mix of God’s calling and passion, working with a human agent, context, language and culture. We know God only by His self-revelation and, throughout history, prophets have been one of the ways that He has revealed Himself to humanity.

Sometimes by God’s choosing, sometimes perhaps because of a particular openness or devotion to God, prophets seem to have a particular sensitivity to the voice and heart of God, and a revealed sense of God’s concerns for the people around them. They speak as witnesses to what God has done for them into the surrounding context and culture about what God is like, what God calls people to do or be, and how the intentions of God might be more fully lived out.

And while the prophets can seem extreme, often harsh and impossibly passionate, they provide an example of what it means to be and act in the world differently because of our own encounter with God. Although not always in the same manner, we are called to see differently, to feel differently, and to speak differently—all based on our witness of the reality of God in our lives and that we observe in the world. As people of God, we should always be alert to ways in which we might be able to make the invisible God audible and otherwise real to those around us.

Recalibrate: In popular culture, prophets are often portrayed as borderline personalities. How would you explain a prophet to someone who has little understanding of faith?

Respond: Pray these words: “God, as daunting as this might be, give us a portion of the passion, insight, and activism of the prophets—perhaps in small ways, perhaps in big ways—as we seek to live as your people in our world and in our communities today.”

Research: Read Chapter 1, “What Manner of Man is the Prophet?” in The Prophets by Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Remember: “The Lord will roar like a lion from Jerusalem. His loud voice will sound like a growl from Jerusalem” (Amos 1:2, ICB).

Nathan Brown is a writer and book editor at Signs Publishing Company, near Melbourne, Australia. Nathan is author/editor of 16 books, including two this year—Of Falafels and Following Jesus and For the Least of These.

Play a game of I Can See and I Can Hear. Point to your eyes and say “I can see you. I can see the window. I can see the tree.” (You get the idea.) Do the same for “I can hear.” “I can hear the car. I can hear the dog.” Encourage your little one to do the same. We have eyes to see and ears to hear God speaking to us every day. I can see the sun coming up; look, God is saying “Good morning! Here is a new day.”

Put something in front of your nose that covers your eyes as well, like a book. Go for a slow walk. This is how a sheep sees. A sheep’s eyes can see behind them better than we can. This doesn’t help them if they are walking towards a cliff. This is why sheep have shepherds. Amos left his home and became a prophet to warn the people of Israel what was ahead for them if they didn’t care about the people around them. A prophet is like a shepherd. Their flock is made up of people instead of sheep. A prophet warns the people what is ahead of them. Can you think of someone who is like a shepherd for you?

During this time, there were two kings that ruled each kingdom. Amos lived at a time where both kingdoms had kings “that did evil before the eyes of the Lord.” It was in the days of Uzziah king of Judah (the southern kingdom), when the affairs of that kingdom went very well, and of Jeroboam the second king of Israel, when the affairs of that kingdom went pretty well also. However, they must both be told both of the sins they were guilty of and of the judgments that were coming upon them for those sins, in order that they might not flatter themselves either into an opinion of their innocence or a confidence of their perpetual security.

Let’s get real: Just because things around you are going pretty well on the outside does not mean they are well in the inside. Take this opportunity to see if there is anything getting in the way of your relationship with God.

The crazy, evil genius named Herod the Great couldn’t kill Him. God gave the little family refuge in Egypt and then they returned to Galilee when Jesus was small. Did you know that was the only time in His life when Jesus left “east Tennessee?” I live in east Tennessee and our third of the state is just about the size of all of Israel. Really! When Jesus returned from Egypt He never left that little corner of the empire. The Caesar had never heard of Bethlehem or Nazareth or Capernaum but from that humble beginning Jesus never left the region and yet He turned the whole empire upside down in one generation!

Zan Long is GRC director for faith development for ages 0-17. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and serves at her local church in nearby Kellyville.
Art Preuss pastors in Massachusetts at the Springfield, Florence, and Warren Adventist churches and serves in the U. S. Air Force Reserve as a chaplain.
Don Pate is “retired” in Tennessee after decades of teaching and pastoring but is still active in speaking and creating for the Kingdom.