Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Amos+007

 

Amos 7 (ESV)

1 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. 2 When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,

 

“O Lord God, please forgive!

How can Jacob stand?

He is so small!”

3 The Lord relented concerning this:

“It shall not be,” said the Lord.

 

4 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5 Then I said,

 

“O Lord God, please cease!

How can Jacob stand?

He is so small!”

6 The Lord relented concerning this:

“This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.

 

7 This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

 

“Behold, I am setting a plumb line

in the midst of my people Israel;

I will never again pass by them;

9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,

and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,

and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

 

REFLECTION:

• God allowed Amos to see three visions. In addition to seeing God’s patience, we also experienced the prophet’s love for the people. Amos saw the first two plagues, namely the locust plague (1-3) and the fire (4-6). The plague of locusts occurred after the first harvest, which may represent a kind of tribute from the people to the king, and later harvests belong to themselves. When the later growth sprout again, the locusts bloom, and the damage at this time is extremely serious. The fire is described as devouring the great deep, the great deep is the depth of the earth, or the description of “underworld”, which describes the scope and depth of the fire. When the prophet asked God for grace, God changed His mind and did not bring these two plagues. The word “relented” means a deep sigh. God’s refusal to send disasters also reflects His patience and love.
• The prophet’s speech has a dramatic enhancement effect. First he mentions two disasters, but they end with God’s forgiveness, which brings out the third disaster that cannot be avoided. The third vision (7-9) is not fierce or harsh, but it brings out God’s disposition of righteous judgment in the plain. “I will never again pass by them” means that the repetition and seriousness of the Israelites’ sins have reached an extreme point, and God has to punish them.
• A plumb line is a tool used to measure whether a wall is vertical; a slanted wall will eventually collapse. God wants the people to stand with Him, so the sins that bend us must be eliminated immediately. God’s word is the plumb line, which allows us to examine our sins. How do you measure up to God’s standards?

 

PRAYER:

God, you are a gracious and compassionate God, and relent over disaster. The world today is full of sin and corrupted hearts. Please give people a heart of repentance to accept the salvation of Jesus Christ.

 

HYMN:

Heart of God – youtu.be/78Anj2jtMP8