Amos 7:15
But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Even though Israel had deeply strayed from God, He still claimed them as "my people," showing His persistent claim and deep desire for their return through Amos. The phrase "the LORD took me" highlights that Amos's prophetic call wasn't self-initiated but a divine intervention, setting him apart from his humble shepherd life for a sacred, albeit difficult, mission.
Amos is directly responding to Amaziah, a priest who ordered him to stop prophesying in Israel and return home. Amos defends his prophetic call by explaining that he wasn't a professional prophet seeking status, but was taken by God from his simple life as a shepherd and directly commissioned to speak to the people of Israel. He then goes on to declare God's judgment against Amaziah and the nation.
Amos was just a shepherd, minding his own business. Suddenly, God pulls him out of his ordinary life. What does this tell us about how God chooses His messengers?
God’s call isn't limited to the traditionally educated or powerful. Amos, a humble shepherd from the rugged hills of Judah, wasn't seeking prophetic status. The text emphasizes that 'the LORD took me from following the flock.' This wasn't a promotion or a self-made career move; it was a divine intervention.
Think of David, called from shepherding sheep to shepherding a nation. God often plucks individuals from their everyday routines – their farms, their businesses, their studies – not because they're looking for a divine assignment, but because God has a purpose for them. This highlights that God's primary concern is not our resume, but our willingness to be used.
God calls Amos to prophesy to 'my people Israel.' But Israel isn't exactly acting like God's people. Why the tender term for such a rebellious nation?
The phrase 'my people Israel' is packed with divine meaning, even in this context of judgment. Despite Israel's deep apostasy, idolatry, and injustice, God still claims them. This isn't a term of endearment ignoring their sin, but a reminder of their covenant relationship.
God sends Amos not to a foreign nation, but to His chosen people, whom He still calls 'my people.' This signifies that His love and commitment, though strained by their disobedience, remain. His prophetic message, therefore, is a desperate attempt to bring them back into right relationship with Him. It's a father calling out to wayward children, not out of spite, but out of a deep desire for their restoration.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God in the Old Testament, representing His self-existence, faithfulness, and His active role in the lives of His people.
Amos's calling wasn't a career choice; it was God plucking him from a humble life as a shepherd to speak truth to a nation on the brink, highlighting that God often uses the unlikely to confront complacency and injustice.
c. 760 BC— this verse
Reign of Jeroboam II
Amos begins prophesying during a period of peace and prosperity for the Northern Kingdom of Israel, but also one of significant social injustice and spiritual apostasy.
c. 760 BC
Amos's Call to Prophesy
The prophet Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa in Judah, receives a direct call from God while tending his flock to go and deliver God's message to Israel.
c. 760 BC
Amos Confronts Amaziah
Amos boldly delivers his prophecies in Bethel, confronting the corrupt religious establishment. Amaziah, the priest, tries to silence him and orders him to return to Judah.
c. 755 BC
Assyrian Domination Looms
Though Israel experiences outward prosperity, the powerful Neo-Assyrian Empire is a growing threat in the region, foreshadowing future judgment and destruction.
Just as the Lord chose David from his flock to become king, Amos highlights that his prophetic calling came directly from God, interrupting his familiar life as a shepherd.
1 Kings 19:19Elisha was called by God while plowing his fields, showing a parallel to Amos being taken from his flock; both were ordinary men thrust into extraordinary prophetic roles by divine intervention.
Matthew 4:18-20Jesus called fishermen to leave their nets and follow Him, illustrating that God often uses humble beginnings and everyday occupations as the starting point for a profound spiritual mission.
Jeremiah 1:5Before Jeremiah was formed in the womb, God declared him a prophet to the nations, underscoring that God's selection and commissioning of prophets, like Amos, precedes their earthly experience and is entirely His initiative.
ellicottAmos 7:15: "And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel."
(15) Followed the flock.— There is no hint of any lack of education or refinement (see Introduction) through the exclusion of any special aid derived from the training of earlier prophets. In this case God’s inward call had been more than sufficient.
gillAmos 7:15: "And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel."
And the Lord took me as I followed the flock,.... Or "from behind" it (u); a description of a shepherd, such an one Amos was, and in this employ when the Lord called him, and took him to be a prophet; he did not seek after it, nor did he take this honour to himself; by which it appears that his mission was divine, and that he did not enter on this work with lucrative views:…
Even though Israel had deeply strayed from God, He still claimed them as "my people," showing His persistent claim and deep desire for their return through Amos. The phrase "the LORD took me" highlights that Amos's prophetic call wasn't self-initiated but a divine intervention, setting him apart from his humble shepherd life for a sacred, albeit difficult, mission.
Amos is directly responding to Amaziah, a priest who ordered him to stop prophesying in Israel and return home. Amos defends his prophetic call by explaining that he wasn't a professional prophet seeking status, but was taken by God from his simple life as a shepherd and directly commissioned to speak to the people of Israel. He then goes on to declare God's judgment against Amaziah and the nation.
Amos is directly responding to Amaziah, a priest who ordered him to stop prophesying in Israel and return home. Amos defends his prophetic call by explaining that he wasn't a professional prophet seeking status, but was taken by God from his simple life as a shepherd and directly commissioned to speak to the people of Israel. He then goes on to declare God's judgment against Amaziah and the nation.
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c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Assyrians, its capital Samaria falls, and the ten tribes are exiled, fulfilling the prophecies of judgment delivered by Amos and others.
"But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’" — Even though Israel had deeply strayed from God, He still claimed them as "my people," showing His persistent claim and deep desire for their return through Amos. The phrase "the LORD took me" highli…
