"For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek me and live!"

~Amos 5:4

Prophetic Truths

When have you had to share something hard with someone? When did it hurt to hear the truth? Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the prophets are all too familiar with these questions. The prophets share God’s message with the ancient Israelites even when it is hard, and even when people do not want to hear it.

There is a pattern of exile and return in the Hebrew Bible — the ancient Israelites repent after they fall away from God, and then slowly forget who they are in God’s covenant. Then, disaster befalls them, and they remember God again, and they repent, starting the pattern over again. In the center of that cycle is the call of the prophets.

Life was not easy for the prophets. They shared God’s message with a world that did not want to hear it. They spoke up at inconvenient times to shake the ancient Israelites out of spiritual complacency. They would call out hollow worship, unfair crimes, and blatant sin. They spoke up to powerful kings and faced the consequences.

This summer we will discover how Elijah shares his gift with the next generation, how Elisha speaks up in bold ways to powerful people, and how Amos’ vivid images get him kicked out of town. Each one of these prophets speaks truth that is not only unpopular, but inconvenient. Hard to hear, but necessary to say.

Sometimes prophetic messages interrupt us when we least want to hear them. But they are important. They pull us out of our own navel gazing, and they point us to God's longing for justice, wholeness, and life.

Who’s ready to hear them?