Amos 7 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Amos 7

Warning Visions

7:1 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. 2 When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,

  “O Lord GOD, please forgive!
    How can Jacob stand?
    He is so small!”
3   The LORD relented concerning this:
    “It shall not be,” said the LORD.

4 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, the Lord GOD was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5 Then I said,

  “O Lord GOD, please cease!
    How can Jacob stand?
    He is so small!”
6   The LORD relented concerning this:
    “This also shall not be,” said the Lord GOD.

7 This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

  “Behold, I am setting a plumb line
    in the midst of my people Israel;
    I will never again pass by them;
9   the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
    and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
    and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Amos Accused

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said,

  “‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
    and Israel must go into exile
    away from his land.’”

12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was¹ no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now therefore hear the word of the LORD.

“You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’

17 Therefore thus says the LORD:

  “‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,
    and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
    and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line;
  you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
    and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

Footnotes

[1] 7:14 Or am; twice in this verse

Commentary

Amos has five visions;

Locusts; fire; plumbline;
Basket of summer fruit, with three applications;
The Lord Himself.

v1-6: The first two visions carry the same message; the locusts and the fire to devour the land. But both times, Amos prays, and destruction is averted.

Amos prays; conscious of his people's sins; and full of concern for his people;

pleaded only Jacob's weakness;
did not claim goodness of himself or his people;
trusted in the mercy of God.

Here is a wealthy and complacent people, fat and plump, ready for destruction, and deserving nothing less. These 'near misses' could, of course, be a warning to the people.

v7-9: The vision of the plumbline; "What do you see, Amos?" (Jer 1.11,13); once the prophet has seen correctly, he can declare the word of God accurately.

The wall, picturing Israel, was built by the Lord; this truth remains, for the Lord's people are those facing judgment.

The wall was built with the plumbline as the standard; God, His word, His character. By nature, Israel is no different from any other nation; the difference is the Lord Himself.

The plumbline is set among the people, or in the midst of the people (RAV). Hence the first target is those who claim to know God, 1 Pet 4.17.

"I will spare them no longer," says the Lord, giving them a final opportunity to repent (8.2). 50 years after Jeroboam's death, the nation was defeated.

The house of Jeroboam was destroyed even sooner than Israel; 2 Kings 15.8-12, a mere 6 months after Jeroboam's death.

v10: Amaziah is the priest of Bethel, the place of idolatry. His message to the king is to accuse Amos of conspiracy against the king. His claim is that Amos' words are destructive to "the land."

v11: Amaziah accurately reports Amos' words.

v12-13: The attempt to silence Amos. The king's palace is also at Bethel, with the temple of idolatry; this is the equivalent of Jerusalem in Judah, the most important, most influential city, the centre of government and religion, "the very heart of Israel."

Amaziah tells Amos to leave Israel, and return to Judah.

v14-16: Amos' bold response; he cannot be silenced.

Amos recalls his call by God; he has no famous prophet in his family, no great example to follow; but only the call of God. But Amaziah's threat runs counter to God's command, and so Amos has no choice but to obey God's word.

v17: Amos reiterates his message, and explains the implications for Amaziah. The priest effectively supports sinful practices, including idolatry, and will suffer along with the rest of the people.