For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction: this is one of the most basic lessons in physics. In the same way, everything has a cause–there is no reaction without action. With only one exception, everything (an event, occurrence, or movement) that has ever happened in the history of the universe has had a cause. Even the ″causeless″ event of creation had its true cause in the will and power of God.

This basic lesson is Amos' next argument (Amos 3:3-8). It's a sharp and strange turn from the preceding verses that announce that God has the right and responsibility to judge Israel's sins because of her relationship to Him. Why?

It is because Amos' message had taken a clear turn. He had begun by talking about God's evaluation and judgment of surrounding nations, but now he is talking about the sin and judgment of Israel. The former was easy to accept; the latter, less so. The reception of Amos' message would likely have soured, and the crowds listening to Amos would probably have turned from cheering to booing. They may even have begun to question his legitimacy as a prophet. Hence, he has to give them a lesson on cause and effect in verses 3-8.

In a series of questions, all of which show undeniable causes and each prompting the audience to answer ″no″ (the effect cannot happen without the cause), Amos defends his prophetic ministry to Israel. Using examples that are readily understandable to his audience–nature, hunting, and warfare–Amos leads them inexorably to his conclusion: ″The Sovereign Lord has spoken–who can but prophesy?″ (v. 8). His point, following the cause-and-effect reasoning of the previous verses (vv. 3-6), is that the effect (his prophecy) springs directly from its cause (God has spoken).

Amos makes it clear that he is not carrying out his mission for pleasure or profit. The Lord had revealed to him what was going to happen to Israel (1:1). As a responsible spokesperson for the Lord, he is compelled to deliver the message to His people.

In the New Testament, Peter also reinforces this prophetic necessity and responsibility when he declares that prophets spoke ″as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit″ (2 Peter 1:21). The prophets spoke because they were compelled by the Spirit; when God reveals himself, someone must speak.

What does this mean for us who read the Bible today? Scripture is God's self-revelation. It chronicles His works in the past, draws our attention to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and speaks of God's kingdom coming to earth in its fullness. It is inspired by God and ″breathed out″ by the Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16); in a real sense, it is God speaking. Do we who hear Scripture today have a prophetic responsibility?