“Shall Two Walk Together, Except They Have Agreed?” – Amos 3:3

by Chris Simmons

Amos was a prophet during the days of Uzziah, King of Judah, and Jeroboam, King of Israel. One of the interesting points found when reading Amos is that God directed Amos to not only prophesy against Israel and Judah, but also against the wickedness of Gentile cities and nations such as Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab. This helps us to understand that, although these heathen nations were not under the law of Moses, they were still accountable before God.

Amos begins to specifically address the wickedness of Israel in Amos 2:6 and notes one of their sins to be that they simply would not listen to what God had to say. In verses 11-12 we read, “‘And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel?’ saith Jehovah. ‘But ye gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.’” Isaiah spoke of the same hardness of heart in Isaiah 30:9-11, “For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the LORD; who say to the seers, ‘you must not see visions’; and to the prophets, ‘you must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.’” Because of their unwillingness to walk with God and listen to His word, Amos tells them that they will not be able to deliver themselves from the judgment of God that would come upon them in verses 13-16.

Then in chapter 3, God states that though He chose the Israelites and brought them out of the land of Egypt (verse 1), and though God had shown His favor and blessings to no one else (verse 2), God could not longer continue to be with them. To make this point, God asks this question in verse 3, “Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?” (ASV). God could no longer be in fellowship with His chosen people because they were not walking with Him. They were not interested in walking together with God. There was no longer any unity between God and the Israelites.

Unity is only achieved when our lives are consistent with what God has revealed. When unity has been destroyed between God and man, then it has also been destroyed between those who continue to walk with God and those who refuse to listen to the instruction of God. John clearly establishes that unity and fellowship with one another is dependent on being in a right relationship with God (I John 1:3). John further defines fellowship as that which is achieved when we “confess our sins” (1:9), “keep His commandments” (2:3), “love not the world” (2:15), and we “love one another” (4:7). In Ephesians 4:1-7 the apostle Paul pleads with us to strive for unity that is based on submission to God’s will, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

Today however, unity can best be described by many (men not God) using a term from math called the least common denominator. That is, keep boiling things down until you finally find some point you can agree upon. Many apply this idea to suggest that as long as we agree with such basic tenets that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross and was raised from the dead, then we can agree to disagree on everything from the plan of salvation, to the organization and work of the church, to God’s law regarding marriage, divorce and remarriage. It’s what is called “unity in diversity.” But is there such a thing? Do we have the right to agree to disagree? To what extent must we agree? We must agree to extent that Jesus and His Father agreed. In John chapter 17, Jesus not only prayed for the twelve apostles, but “for those also who believe in Me through their word” (verse 20) that “that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee” (verse 21). Dare we suggest that Jesus and His Father only agreed on a few basic tenets? Or do we believe scripture that states they were in full agreement as Jesus came not to do His own will but the will of Him who sent Him (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38). We are commanded to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3) not “contend earnestly for key portions of the faith.” We can learn in I Timothy 4:1-3 that “the faith” even includes such matters as marriage. So then, can we stand united with those who advocate that alien sinners are not subject God’s laws regarding marriage (cf., Matt. 19:9; Mark 6:18), or with those who suggest that baptism makes an adulterous marriage acceptable in God’s sight (cf., I Corinthians 6:9-11), or with those who propose that adultery may be the grounds for divorce even when it occurs after the divorce or putting away (cf., Matthew 19:9)? No we can’t.

How can Christians walk together unless they be agreed? We can’t! Anytime this matter is discussed, we must go to and make application from the key text of I Corinthians 1:10, “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree (“speak the same thing” ASV), and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” The application is that to be united, we must agree and speak the same thing which has to be the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). If we are to speak the same thing, we must start with the same source (I Peter 4:11) and leave nothing out (Jeremiah 26:2). There is no other way for any of us to walk together with God.