The Lion Hath Roared
In the manual: Come, Follow Me lesson 48, “Seek the Lord, and Ye Shall Live,” on Gospel Library
Start
Amos was a shepherd from the little town of Tekoa when the Lord called him to be a prophet (Amos 1:1).
Read Together
The Lord sent Amos, a man of Judah, to warn the northern kingdom of Israel (Amos 7:15). Israel was rich and comfortable, and many of the rich were cheating the poor (Amos 8:4–6).
7Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. 8The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
14Then 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: 15And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
What It Teaches
Amos asks a string of questions in Amos 3:3–6. Does a lion roar when it has caught nothing? Does a trap snap shut with nothing in it? Every one of those things happens for a reason. Then he gives the reason a prophet speaks. “The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?” (verse 8). The Lord speaks to his prophets first. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (verse 7).
Amaziah, the priest at Beth-el, told Amos to go home and stop prophesying at the king’s chapel (Amos 7:10–13). Amos answered that he had never trained to be a prophet. He was a herdsman who gathered sycomore figs, and the Lord took him “as I followed the flock” (Amos 7:14–15). The Lord chooses his prophets, often from ordinary work.
Elder Ulisses Soares taught why the Lord keeps sending prophets. “It is comforting to know that we are not alone in the world, despite the challenges we face in life. Having prophets is a sign of God’s love for His children.”
Elder Ulisses Soares, “Prophets Speak by the Power of the Holy Spirit,” General conference, April 2018
Talk About It
Amos says the Lord reveals his secret to his prophets. What has the living prophet taught recently that our family could act on this week?
Take to Church
Amos was a shepherd until the Lord called him. The Lord still reveals his will to prophets, because he loves us and wants us warned and taught.