Bible Commentaries

7:1-9:10 VISIONS OF JUDGMENT

God's patience before judgment (7:1-9)

Farmers paid their taxes by giving the king the first reaping of their harvest. After this a second crop grew up, which provided the main harvest for the people. It was this second crop that Amos, in his vision, saw threatened with destruction from a plague of locusts. If God judged Israel in this way, it might never recover. When Amos pleaded on Israel's behalf for God's mercy, God answered his prayer (7:1-3). God later answered a similar prayer after he had threatened to burn up the land with drought (4-6).

However, when Amos saw the people as a whole persist in their sin, he knew that judgment could no longer be avoided. As a builder tests a wall with a plumb-line to see if it is straight, so God tests Israel according to his perfect standard to see if it is morally upright. He finds that it is crooked beyond repair and must be demolished. Corrupt religion and corrupt administration have been the cause of the country's failure, and these are things upon which the judgment falls most heavily (7-9).

Amos and Amaziah (7:10-17)

Amaziah the priest heard Amos's preaching at Bethel, and was furious that he so boldly denounced Israel's religious practices. He planned to get rid of the unwelcome prophet by accusing him of treason because of his announcements of judgment on the royal house (10-11; see also v. 9).

The king apparently took no interest in the priest's accusations. Amaziah therefore tried to persuade Amos to return to Judah, where people would welcome his prophecies against Israel and so pay him generously (12-13). Amos replies that he is not a professional prophet and never has been. He is a common farmer whom God called to announce his message to Israel (14-15). In addition he has a message for Amaziah. When Israel is eventually conquered, Amaziah's wife will become a prostitute for the enemy soldiers, his children will be killed, and his land will be divided up by the conquerors (16-17).