Amos - Chapter 7

Amos 7.1 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. Amos 7.2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. Amos 7.3 The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD. Amos 7.4 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part. Amos 7.5 Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. Amos 7.6 The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD. Amos 7.7 Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the LORD stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. Amos 7.8 And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the LORD, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more: Amos 7.9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword. Amos 7.10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. Amos 7.11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. Amos 7.12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: Amos 7.13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court. Amos 7.14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: Amos 7.15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Amos 7.16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Amos 7.17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.

Amos : Chapter 7

Reflections on Amos Chapter 7 Amos chapter 7 presents us with powerful visions of judgment and resistance to the prophet. This powerful text invites us to reflect on how God responds to the intercession of His servants. Amos, as a prophetic voice, intercedes for his people through three visions of destruction, illustrating the tension between divine judgment and mercy. This chapter also includes the confrontation between Amos and Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, highlighting the cost of faithfulness to God's message.

Themes of Prophecy and Faithfulness

We invite you to explore five biblical passages that shed light on the themes of prophecy and faithfulness present in this dramatic chapter.

Exodus 10:4-5

"If you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will send locusts over your land. They will cover the surface of the earth so that the ground cannot be seen. They will devour whatever is left, whatever escaped the hail, and they will eat every tree growing in their fields." » This passage from Exodus about the locust plague resonates with Amos's vision of the locusts in Amos 7:1-3.

Jeremiah 1:11-12

“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ ‘I see an almond branch,’ I replied. The Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I see to it that my word comes true.’” » This passage from Jeremiah, like Amos 7, involves symbolic visions given by God to the prophet.

Zechariah 1:18-19

"Then I lifted my eyes and saw four horns. I asked the angel who spoke to me, 'What are these?' He replied, 'These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.'" » Like Amos 7, this passage from Zechariah presents symbolic visions revealed by God to the prophet.

2 Kings 14:23-24

“In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Joash became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. » This passage provides the historical context for Amos's ministry, mentioning King Jeroboam II, where he is also cited in Amos 7:10-11.

1 Kings 12:32

"He established a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. He did this in Bethel, sacrificing the calves he had made. He also appointed priests in Bethel for the altars he had built on the mountains. » This passage describes the institution of idol worship at Bethel, which is the target of Amos's prophecy in Amos 7:13.

As we meditate on these passages, we are invited to consider our own faithfulness to God's way and how we respond to His call, like Amos, in a world often at odds with His truth.