Sometimes We Need to Be Pinched
Good morning, everyone!
Recently my team and I had the opportunity to travel through Israel. While we were there the Bible came to life before our very eyes. The LORD also blessed us with a unique guide who had a deep understanding of history, culture, languages, and the Word of God. One of my favorite moments was when he shared an interesting twist on Amos 7:14. I’m excited to share what we learned!
The prophet writes:
Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit. (KJV)
Before I show you the wide variety of ways this verse is translated, let’s back up a little and give you a glimpse of Amos’ background and current situation. First, he claims that he is neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet. He has two primary occupations. He is a shepherd and caretaker of fig trees. God, for some unknown reason has chosen him to go to the king of Israel in the north and deliver the threat that Jeroboam’s kingdom is about to be destroyed—and Jeroboam with it. The priest, Amaziah, didn’t like the message so much, and so he chides Amos and tells him to get out of town and go back home to bother his own people.
Amos isn’t one to take a threat, and basically says to the priest Amaziah, “Look, I didn’t ask for this job, but this is what God told me to do and I’m doing it. So, like it or not, here’s the message—and unless you listen, you are all going to perish! And once I’ve done all that I’ve been commanded to do, I’m going back to my flock and figs!”
You can feel the rising tension! Everything is pretty straightforward here, but what caught my attention is Amos’ occupation. Certainly, there were many shepherds in the Bible…but a gatherer of sycamore fruit? That’s surely a unique occupation, to say the least. To fully understand the significance of his career choice, we’ll have to take a look at the different translations of Amos 7:14.
The ESV translates this verse as:
Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs.”
The CEV version translates it as:
I answered: I'm not a prophet! And I wasn't trained to be a prophet. I am a shepherd, and I take care of fig trees.
The different Bible translations paint a few different pictures for the readers. Amos is described as a gatherer of sycamore fruit, dresser of sycamore figs, or one who cares for fig trees. The word “gather,” “dresser,” and “care” comes from the Hebrew word בָּלַס bâlas (baw-las’). The word literally means to pinch sycamore figs; a process necessary to ripen them, which then allows the herdsmen to gather them for market. In fact, if the fruit did not go through this process of injury, then their sweetness was restricted. Who would have thought that the act of injuring the fruit would actually cause it to ripen? Hmm, do you see an analogy coming?
God has created a timely illustration both for the king of Israel and for us today. Tragically, the king was not willing to receive the truth of God’s Word and warning. The question is, are we? When we embrace divine wounding, then and only then will the fruit ripen to the sweetest taste. When God allows the fruit to be wounded, or in this case, pinched, it not only ripens to the sweetest taste but becomes more useable and profitable to all.
The pinching or wounding of the fruit is a biblical principle throughout the Scriptures. Paul writes in Romans that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces tested character. Praise God for his wounding—though in my flesh I would rather skip that process! Yet if the figs were left untouched, they would eventually rot and then drop. That is a good illustration to keep in mind. Our lives will either become sweet, tasty fruit for others to enjoy, or tasteless figs that hung on the tree for no-one to delight in. That is why the Lord wounds! I love the way Job 23:10 phrases it,
When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
The Lord never wounds without purpose. In Job 5:17-18 we read:
Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the correction of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.
The Lord brings healing in his hands. He never leaves you hanging (pun intended)! Job continues in verse 19 saying:
He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
Often, God has to injure us over and over again to make us useable. That is why he says, “six troubles.” God will continue to chasten and correct us until we reach a more perfect degree of fruitfulness. May we hold onto this truth and “be still” during His divine wounding so that we may bear fruit more quickly and more abundantly.
Blessings,
Dr. Mark Hamby
Recommended Reading and Listening:
Rising to the Top (Ages 9-14)
Little Lamb (Ages 9-14)
Runaway Darling (Ages 6-11)
The Wonderful Door (Ages 9+)
Wanderer in Africa Audio Drama or book (Ages 9-14)
