<TITLE>10. Par -</TITLE>L-13-2 He was a smart man all right. Israel was in a backslidden condition; her preachers, her priests, and also her government had all left the Word of the Lord. Now, they didn't believe that. They believed that they were with the Word of the Lord, but "there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death." Why was they wrong? Or what could a man believe that--that--that they were wrong, a whole priesthood of men, thousands of preachers, and priests, and kings, and governors, all who professed to be worshippers of God, and yet all of them were wrong.
Then they didn't need a king for prosperity. What they needed was a prophet, because the Word of the Lord, or the interpretation of the Word of the Lord comes to a true prophet. Sometimes you can see what his way is then. It's a pretty rugged way when all the priests, and all the preachers, and--and--and all the Diviners, and--and the government itself against him; but yet, the Word of the Lord comes to the prophet, and that alone. He has the right Word, although he had the same Bible they had. But the Word was to him; God was vindicating that he had the Word.

L-13-4 They had the greatest buildings, and the religious systems, and so forth, that they ever had, altars built everywhere, and--and all kinds of--of things; but still they were a million miles from the Word of God. I think, myself, the picture would fit very good today as I read this Book of Amos. You must read it when you go home. All the government, priests, all of them had left the Word of God.
I would just like to read another portion of Scripture here, I got, to show where they had done it. Now, let's read the 2nd chapter and the 4th verse just a minute.
Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD,... (That's the Word, despised It and yet they thought they had It.)... and have not kept my commandments, and their lies caused them to error,... (Now, they had the Word, Bible, but the lies that they had joined with It had caused them to error.)... after... which their fathers have walked:
See the reason? Now, they had had error, because that they had put their own translations or interpretations to the Word. And I thought it was fitting to today, that so many wants to put their own idea to the Word, and we get in a mess. What a rebuke from God this prophet had.

L-14-2 Now, Amos was God's prophet, a true prophet. Any man that ever reads about Amos knows the boldness of that fearless man of God. He's considered one of the minor prophets, 'cause he didn't stay very long; but he certainly laid the axe to the root of the tree. He was one of the most fearless of the prophets, and he come with the anointing. He come with THUS SAITH THE LORD. He knowed what he was talking about, because the anointing of God was upon him to bring the right interpretation to God's Word to them.


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