I UNDERSTAND... 92 BEING FAITHFUL TO GOD The people living in the land of Canaan before the arrival of the Israelites prayed to the god Baal, a name that means “lord.” He was the god of the storm. The Canaanites believed it was he who made the rain fall on the crops. Every village had its own statue of Baal, and the priests offered him sacrifices. The Israelites were tempted to imitate them and to offer sacrifices to Baal, to commit idolatry. God sent the prophets, to remind his people that they must be faithful to their covenant with him and to receive from God alone whatever they needed. A PROPHET, THE MESSENGER OF GOD A prophet is a person whom God asks to speak in his name. One could not decide on one’s own to become a prophet; it was God who chose someone and called him. A calling from God was often a great surprise for that person, and he would often be afraid he would not succeed. One could not truly love God and be selfish, unjust, or violent toward others. Prophets helped the people to see what was wrong with their lives and how to change their hearts to respond to the love of God. AMOS, A PROPHET OF DOOM? In English, we call someone who predicts terrible events a “prophet of doom.” The prophet Amos spoke harsh words against the wealthy of his land. He reproached them for being merciless to the poor. He told them that one day there would be war and that the people of Israel would be forced to leave their land. THE PROPHETS DID YOU KNOW? Nebuchadnezzar is the name of the king of Babylon who destroyed Jerusalem, but it is also the name of a very large bottle of wine. Other kings from the Bible whose names are used for large bottle sizes are Jeroboam, Rehoboam, Methusela, Salmanzar, Balthazar, Melchior, Solomon, and Melchizedek. Have fun learning about these people, while finding out how much these bottles can contain!
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