Amos 7
Amos 7 develops around three visions that the prophet Amos received from God, and a single face-to-face encounter. Each vision shows the judgment that will fall on Israel, revealing how Amos’s intercessory prayers influence God’s actions. In the latter part of the chapter, there is an account in which Amos confronts Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, vividly illustrating the role of a prophet and the social tensions of the time.
1verseThus the Lord GOD showed me: behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s harvest.
2verseWhen they finished eating the grass of the land, then I said, “Lord GOD, forgive, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small.”
3verseThe LORD relented concerning this. “It shall not be,” says the LORD.
4verseThus the Lord GOD showed me: behold, the Lord GOD called for judgment by fire; and it dried up the great deep, and would have devoured the land.
5verseThen I said, “Lord GOD, stop, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small.”
6verseThe LORD relented concerning this. “This also shall not be,” says the Lord GOD.
7verseThus he showed me: behold, the Lord stood beside a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.
8verseThe LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I will set a plumb line in the middle of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more.
9verseThe high places of Isaac will be desolate, the sanctuaries of Israel will be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
10verseThen Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the middle of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.
11verseFor Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.’”
12verseAmaziah also said to Amos, “You seer, go, flee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there,
13versebut don’t prophesy again any more at Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a royal house!”
14verseThen Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman, and a farmer of sycamore figs;
15verseand the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
16verseNow therefore listen to the LORD’s word: ‘You say, Don’t prophesy against Israel, and don’t preach against the house of Isaac.’
17verseTherefore the LORD says: ‘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 by line; and you yourself shall die in a land that is unclean, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.’”
Three Visions (7:1–9)
In the first vision (vv. 1–3), a swarm of locusts depicts the danger that Israel will be laid waste. When Amos earnestly pleads, God removes the calamity. In the second vision (vv. 4–6), judgment caused by fire appears, but it is also removed in response to Amos’s request. The third vision (vv. 7–9), the vision of the plumb line, declares that God will no longer hold back judgment and will judge Israel’s sins. From here, it becomes clear that God’s will has been firmly decided.
Confrontation Between Prophet and Priest (7:10–17)
Beginning in verse 10, a scene unfolds in which Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, accuses Amos’s prophecy to Jeroboam II, the king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Amaziah tries to drive Amos out by asserting his religious authority, but Amos reveals that he is a prophet called by God, not a man. In addition, declarations of judgment against Amaziah’s disobedience follow, showing what outcomes a response to God’s message brings.
Points for Reflection
- Through the message of judgment in the visions and Amos’s intercessory prayer, we can reflect on how God’s justice and mercy work together, and on the need to develop an attitude of trying to understand God’s heart even in our own lives.
- Through the confrontation between Amos and Amaziah, we can also reflect on what the difference is between true faith and religious formalism, and on the attitude that a person of faith should have.
Apply It to Me
- To understand God’s will and obey it, what are the priorities in my life? I check whether I am striking a balance between the fixed notions or forms I have and genuine faith.
- I also think concretely about how I can apply to my life the way I reach out to God in prayer even in difficult circumstances, and the humility to listen for God’s voice.
