STOP—LOOK—LISTEN! plead any of the covenant promises of God because he
Amos 6—7 judgment was coming. No doubt there were times when he wished he was back at Tekoa caring for the sycamore trees and the sheep. But the Sovereign Lord ("Lord God," used eleven times in these three chapters) was in control of history, and Amos knew that God's will was best. The prophet saw three visions of judgment and responded to them.
a judgment against these false gods (Ex. 12:12). Ezekiel 20:10–17 informs us that the Jewish people also practiced idolatry in the wilderness. The point Amos makes is that the people didn't learn from their past, a problem the church has today. "What experience and history teach us is this," wrote G. W. Hegel, "that nations and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted upon any lessons they might have drawn from it." 2 The Hebrew phrase translated "chief ointments" parallels Exodus 30:23, where the formula for the sacred anointing oil is given. Perhaps the careless Israelites were duplicating the holy oil for their own private use. If so, then we have an even greater sin—using the holy things of God for their own personal pleasure. 3 The phrase is used in Amos 8:7 to refer to God Himself, but that can't be the meaning here. The Jews prided themselves that their God was the true and living God, even though they often indulged in the worship of idols. They were also proud of the temple in Jerusalem (Ezek. 24:21). They might have been proud of God, but God certainly wasn't proud of them! 4 Some versions translate verse 12 "or plow the sea with oxen." However, to do so requires a slight change in the Hebrew text.
First, Amos saw the vision of the locusts (vv. 1–3) as they were poised to attack the second crop late in the summer, after the king had taken his share (1 Kings 4:7). This was the farmers' last chance for a harvest, and the harvest would be destroyed. The summer heat was on its way, and there would be no more chance for a crop. Being a man of the soil himself, Amos would sympathize with these farmers.
The strange thing is that it was God who prepared these insects and told them what to do! It was as though He turned against His own people and deliberately planned to strip their fields of food. But since the heart of Amos agonized for his people, he prayed that the Lord would call off the judgment; and He did. Amos joined that select group of intercessors, which includes Abraham (Gen. 18), Moses (Ex. 32; Num. 14), Samuel (1 Sam. 12), Elijah (1 Kings 18), and Paul (Rom. 9:1–3; 10:1–2).
III. Look ahead and see the end coming (7—9) A. Five visions of judgment—7:1—9:10 1. The locusts—7:1–3 2. The fire—7:4–6 3. The plumb line—7:7–9
CHAPTER SIX Amos 7:1—9:15 STOP—LOOK—LISTEN! T
Amos argued that the nation was so small that they could never survive the plague of locusts. Amos didn't plead any of the covenant promises of God because he knew the people had violated God's covenant and were deserving of a plague (Deut. 28:38–42). But God heard the prophet's plea and relented (Joel 2:12–14).1 he prophecy of Amos concludes with the record of five special visions of judgment that God gave to His servant: the locusts (7:1–3), the fire (vv. 4–6), the plumb line (vv. 7–9), the basket of fruit (8:1–14), and the ruined temple (9:1–10). However, the prophet closes his message on a positive note as he describes the future glorious kingdom that God has promised to His people (vv. 11–15).
The second vision was that of the devouring fire (Amos 7:4–6) in which the fire dried up the water and burned the land. The image is that of a great drought, and Amos had mentioned a drought earlier (4:7–8). God's judgment so moved the prophet that he cried out to the Lord and begged Him to cease, and once more God relented.
But these visions center on three experiences of the prophet in which Amos struggles with God and man (chap. 7), declares that judgment is coming (chap. 8) and affirms that God is working out His perfect plan (chap. 9).
The third vision was that of the plumb line (Amos 7:7–9), an instrument used to test whether a wall was straight and true. A man stood on top of the wall and dropped a line with a weight on it. By matching the line to the wall, the workers could tell if the wall was upright.
The Prophet Struggles (7:1–17) The life of a prophet wasn't easy. On the one hand, he had to stay close to the Lord in order to hear His words and be able to share them with the people. But on the other hand, he also had to be with the people to whom he was ministering, and they didn't always want to accept his ministry. It's no wonder that some of the prophets wanted to resign, including Moses and Jeremiah. Amos had two struggles: one with the Lord and one with the authorities, especially the king and his priest. When you read the book of Acts, you see that the apostles also faced struggles with the religious establishment and with the government.
God's law is His plumb line, and He measures His people to see how true they are to the pattern in His Word, and if they are of upright character and conduct. "Also I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet" (Isa. 28:17 nkjv) Alas, in Amos's time, He found that Israel was "out of plumb" and therefore had to be destroyed. This would include Israel's high places and sanctuaries, where they worshipped contrary to God's law, for the only place the Jews were to bring their sacrifices was to the temple in Jerusalem (Lev. 17:1–7).
"I will spare them no longer" was certainly an ominous statement. The nation had gone too far, and now there was no hope. For this reason, Amos didn't intercede for the land as he had done twice before. Like
Struggling with the Lord (vv. 1–9). Amos was a true patriot who loved God and loved his nation, and it grieved him that he had to tell Israel and Judah that