How does intercession
work? How is it that our prayers can change what will happen, move God or stop the
enemy? There is a lot of speculation. Some give too much power to the believer
as if God and his angels can't work in this world if we aren't praying. Others
look at prayer as only us reaching out to God but it can't change anything in
this world. I believe both are true, to some degree. This chapter gives a
perfect example.
God shows two forms of
destruction that could be brought on the northern tribes of Israel. Amos prays
to God and God says he will not do them. Amos’ intercession is amazing because
he was a citizen of the southern tribes, Judah, and so it wasn't his country
that would be harmed, yet he prayed for mercy for Israel. God, though he says
he will not send locust of fire from the sea (a volcano would be my guess),
says he will still judge Israel because of their sins. To me, this means we can
get some mercy at times for people but ultimately they will have to answer to
God for their sins.
How does intercession
work? The only way I can picture it is if you put yourself in front of what is
coming, God's grace for you stops or at least pauses it. As we saw in Jeremiah,
there does come a time when God says, even if Moses and Elijah prayed for them
I will not remit. In that case, the person/nation has gone so far you might
picture it as their sins push you out of the way. If this picture doesn't help
ignore it, just know God does listen to our prayers, but at the end of the day,
it will not save the unrepentant.
Amo 7:1-17
(1) Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.
(2) And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
(3) The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.
(4) Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.
(5) Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
(6) The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD.
(7) Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
(8) And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
(9) And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
(10) Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
(11) For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.
(12) Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
(13) But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.
(14) Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
(15) And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
(16) Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
(17) Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
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