Amos

Amos 7:1-3

Amos was shown a vision.  He saw a swarm of locust created by God as a judgment against Israel.  These locusts were coming to feast on the late crop.  The King got the first cut of the crop and remaining was probably the provision and livlihood of the farmer.  It was after the locusts finished eating and Amos saw the devastation that it moved him with compassion and caused him to cry out to God.  Amos saw Israel as small, helpless and unable to survive such an event. 

The Lord relented of this.  This possible future shown to Amos will not be.  This is an act of grace by a compassionate and loving God.  It was from the prayer of Amos that this judgment was turned away.  What if Amos had not prayed? 

Were those of Israel who stood at the gate and heard of this vision from Amos moved?  Did the kindness of God lead them to repentance?  Or did they assume, when God relented, He was okay with their sin and wickedness?

Amos 7:4-6

In the second vision Amos was shown a great conflict by fire.  The word conflict relates this to a legal proceding; we can see this as just act of judgment by fire.  This fire even dried up the 'great deep' of the seas and burned everything on land. 

Amos again saw the result and was moved with compassion.  Israel was powerless and would be unable to survive this fire.  The Lord relented after the prayer of Amos.  This possible future shall not be because Amos prayed after this vision.

Once again, we have to wonder if the people who heard of this vision moved?  Did the kindness of God lead them to repentance?  Or did they reason; since God relented He must be okay with my sin?

Amos 7:7-9

The plumb line is the weighted string that gives you a perfect vertical line as a reference.  The wall built with a plumb line would be perfectly straight.  This wall is likely a picture of Israel; built by God's standard of perfection.  They were created in His perfection but now they were crooked.  He was dropping the plumb line in the middle of them.  God wouldn't relent as He did the first two times. 

The 'high places of Isaac' is odd.  They seemed to have linked Isaac to their false worship in some way.  This is the only place Isaac is associated with the high places like this.  Whatever they were, God says they will be desolate; this word means gone without a trace.  The sanctuaries created for false worship in Israel would likewise be brought down.  A different word is used meaning absent of people, places or things.  The house of Jereboam might be a reference to Jereboam II, the king at the time.  Or it could be the first king of the nothern kingdom, Jereboam, who set up the golden calves for worship in Dan and Bethel.

The Lord revealed to the prophet what he would do.  Amos offered no prayer this time as the Lord said He would not pass by.  What did the people think?  Were they waiting for the prayer of Amos? 

Did the coming judgment move them to repentance since the kindness of God had not?

Amos 7:10-11

Amaziah was a priest at Bethel; he served as a priest in the presence of a golden calf.  He seemed more interested in serving Jereboam and himself than anything.  The word of God was foreign to this priest and he was convicted.  Every man will respond to God's word and conviction; the question is more about the type of response.  Amaziah chose to blame Amos and call it a conspiracy.  He wanted this word and idea removed from their land as if that would also remove the prophecy and judgment.  Amaziah is some priest! 

Amos prayed to God that Israel couldn't survive the judgments.  Amaziah had the understanding that they couldn't survive from the words Amos spoke.  Yet, he didn't cry out to God, he attacked the prophet bearing God's word. 

Is this any different than removing the ten commandments from our court houses?  Or removing all reference to God from our pledge and our money?  Can we change the standards, moralities and judgment of our culture by purging God?  Can we escape the judgment by removing His word from our land?

Amos 7:12-13

I doubt Amaziah was very polite in his suggestion to Amos.  He wanted him to go home; return to Judah.  To 'eat bread and there prophesy' was to make a living being a prophet.  It was speaking God's word for your daily bread.  Bethel wasn't big enough for both Amaziah and Amos.  Amaziah was emboldened and empowered by the king he served.  But so was Amos; he served God most high, the God any priest in Israel should have known.

Amos 7:14-15

Amos was speaking the words he was called to speak in the place he was called to speak them.  God took him from the pasture and from the field.  He wasn't a professional prophet; he didn't get his bread from prophesying as so many did.  He wasn't a 'son of a prophet' meaning he didn't come from the guild that trained young prophets.  He was a farmer and shepherd sent by God to speak to the people of Israel.

Amos 7:16-17

Amaziah said stop prophesying.  God said, all that was prophesied would come to pass whether he listened or not.  Ignorance is not bliss.  His family would be destroyed and his land divided as if it were never his.  This priest would no longer serve in God's land but in a gentile land.  This was probably as offensive to him as his wife being a harlot.  Amos finishes by repeating the words Amaziah considered conspiratorial; they would be led away to captivity. 

Amos was faithful to boldly deliver God's word in a place where he was not welcome and the word was not being received.

©2016 Doug Ford