AMOS LESSON 7


     We will begin this lesson in 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."

     This is like a vision, or either a knowing within Amos. We do
know that God showed this to Amos, regardless of how it came. God uses
things like grasshoppers to carry out His judgement. Everything and
everyone are in the control of God. It appears, there was some sort of
taxation on the crop. We see this comes after the king has his portion
of it. Grasshoppers are like locusts that devour the crops.

     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."

     We see Amos intercedes for the people, after he has this vision.
He pleads with God to lift this judgement on the people. He does not
know how they will live, if God does not. He is afraid this plague of
grasshoppers would totally destroy the family of Jacob {Israel}.

     Amos 7:3 "The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the
LORD."

     God heard the prayers of Amos, and did not bring this last plague
on Israel. To say the "LORD repented", means that He changed His mind
about this punishment.

     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."

     Now, we see the prophet is shown a vision, or a knowing within
himself, of another, more devastating plague that God will bring upon
Israel. This fire would, also, be a judgement from God. It appears,
this fire was on the ocean, and would dry up a portion of the ocean
itself.

     Amos 7:5 "Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom
shall Jacob arise? for he [is] small."

     We see Amos praying for Israel, again. He reminds God that He
might destroy all of them with this judgement, and they would not be
able to overcome this.

     Amos 7:6 "The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be,
saith the Lord GOD."

     Again, God heard the prayer of Amos, and changed His mind. He
decided not to do this terrible thing to His people.

     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."

     This "plumbline" is a measuring device. This means that God has
come, and examined them Himself. He has measured their sinfulness.

     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:"

     This measurement has proved that God's judgement of them is
correct. God is exacting with His building, and He is exacting with
His destruction. He measured Israel's conduct, and found them out of
line. God needs no further evidence of their inconsistency.

     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."

     The high places were associated with idol worship. They were all
over Israel. Even in the sanctuary, they had set a calf up to be
worshipped as God. Jereboam was the king, when this happened. In fact,
he did it. God will punish this to the utmost. This is the breaking of
the first commandment. One thing God would not overlook, was the
worship of false gods.

     Amos 7:10  "Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el 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."

     We see that Amaziah, the priest in Beth-el, has suddenly realized
that Amos is prophesying against them. He sends word to king Jereboam,
that they must stop these words of Amos, before he stirs up the
people. He tells Jereboam, that the prophesies are directly against
him, to get Amos in trouble.

     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."

     Amaziah does not recognize Amos as bringing a message from God to
the people. He speaks, as if the message that Amos brings, is a
fabrication of his own imagination. Amaziah believes that Jereboam
will have Amos killed and get him hushed up, when Jereboam hears that
he prophesied of his death by the sword. Jereboam is a self- centered
man, and Amaziah is depending on that to get Amos stopped. He speaks
of Amos prophesying the land will be taken captive, but fails to
mention that it is a judgement of God upon them.

     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:"

     Amaziah tries to frighten Amos into leaving Israel and going to
Judah to prophesy. We do not hear that Jereboam followed Amaziah's
advice. Jereboam could have been fearful of a revolt of the people, if
he came against this prophet. He just did not do anything. Even the
evil kings feared the prophets.

     Amos 7:13 "But prophesy not again any more at Beth-el: for it
[is] the king's chapel, and it [is] the king's court."

     We see from this, that the worship of this calf as God is the
king's preference. He worshipped the calf, instead of God. This is all
too familiar today. The compromise that is going on in some churches,
to please the wealthier and more powerful of its members, is very
similar to this. Nevertheless, this type worship displeases God.  They
are preaching to itching ears.

     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 herdsman, and
a gatherer of sycomore fruit:"

     Amos reminds Amaziah that he did not train to be a prophet. He is
called of God to prophesy. He was a herdsman by trade, and made his
living that way. God sent him to prophesy. If Amaziah does not accept
the message, he is actually coming against God.

     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 was not a professional prophet. It is interesting to note,
that those that should have been speaking of the sin in the land, had
fallen down in their duties. God picked up an unknown, and sent him
with a message to these people. He was not influenced by position of
power. He spoke the Words God put in his mouth.

     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."

     It is as if, Amos is telling this supposed man of God, that he
had better listen. Amos expresses, again, that this is the Word of the
LORD, not Amos' words. The priest has not done his duty, and is trying
to stop Amos. Amos says, I will listen to God, and not to you.

     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."

     Priests were supposed to have wives that were pure. To tell a
priest his wife would be a harlot, is more than he can comprehend.
When the city is taken, they will suffer all of these things. This is
a judgement of God against a people who are far from God. The priests
were even more guilty than the people, because they should have known
better.
                          Amos 7 Questions


1.  How did God make Amos aware of this prophecy?
2.  Where did the grasshoppers come from?
3.  What was meant by "after the king's mowings"?
4.  What does God control?
5.  What are the grasshoppers like?
6.  What is Amos doing in verse 2?
7.  Who does Amos call Israel in verse 2?
8.  Did the LORD listen to Amos?
9.  What is meant by the "LORD repented"?
10. What was the next thing God showed Amos?
11. What would happen with this fire in the deep?
12. What was Amos' reaction to the plague of fire?
13. What did God do about this second plague?
14. What is a "plumbline"?
15. What did God measure?
16. What did the measurement prove?
17. What will happen to the high places?
18. What had they put in the sanctuary to worship?
19. Who was king at this time?
20. Who was the priest at Beth-el, when Amos prophesied?
21. What was the priest's opinion of Amos?
22. What does he tell Jereboam, to get Amos in trouble?
23. What does Amaziah say, that Amos said about the king?
24. What does the priest fail to mention to the king?
25. Where did Amaziah tell Amos to go?
26. Did Jereboam do anything about Amos' prophesying?
27. Why did the priest tell Amos not to prophesy at Beth-el?
28. What was Amos' reply to Amaziah?
29. What did Amos speak?
30. Amos expresses, again, that these are not his words, but ________.
31. What prophecy did Amos make against Amaziah?