Amos 7:1-9

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.

 

The remainder of the book of Amos is a series of five visions which are visions of judgment.  Here we are told that it was the Lord GOD who was the one who formed these grasshoppers which were actually locusts.  The term “Lord GOD” shows that it is God who is total control of everything which is about to happen.  And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.  (Isaiah 33:4)  All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.  (Deuteronomy 28:42)  The beginning of the shooting up was given to the cattle as food by means of the cattle themselves doing the eating.  Then the second growth was that which was given to the king and then afterward they had the harvest.  Normally after the kings would eat of the harvest, the plants would grow back again but now the promise of the locust which would be a metaphor for the Assyrians means that the land would be totally stripped and nothing more would grow again.

 

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.

 

Then when the locusts eat all the grass of the lands they will then focus in on all the fruits and vines and trees which means a total stripping of the land.  This would signify Pul’s invasion of the land of Israel when he will strip the land of everything.  Then as the land is being ravaged the people will seek the LORD and Amos will be the one who would intercede for them which is what the prophets and the priests did.  If Israel is trodden down by the Assyrians, then who is able to help Jacob or Israel arise and escape the judgment?  The prophet had declared to the LORD that the nation of Israel was very small and could not defend itself against an enemy the size of Assyria.

 

Amos 7:3

The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.

 

The LORD hears the prayers of the prophet Amos and then declares that the judgment would be avoided and at this particular time the Assyrians would not attack and destroy Israel but that stay of execution only lasted about 35 years when they were finally destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.

 

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.

 

Here we have the second vision which is of a greater calamity.  This time a great fire which is supernaturally created would be so immense that it could be stated that it actually devoured the deep ocean which would be the Mediterranean Sea.  It would also be so immense that it would devastate part of the land of Israel.  It could also be referring to a great drought which would take on the land and without rain it would actually affect the levels of the sea.

 

Amos 7:5

Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

 

Then Amos beseeches the LORD to please cease the great fire because Jacob would not be able to arise since it is small in comparison to the great conflagration and would be utterly consumed and there would be nothing left of the people or the land.

 

Amos 7:6

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

 

Then just as he did with the overwhelming army of locusts, the LORD would not bring the judgment of fire upon the land immediately.  These things the LORD is showing Amos is revealing the fact that the LORD can, at his discretion, bring a mighty judgment in different ways on the land and at any time they can begin.  Here we also see another biblical principle at work.  Amos was a saved man and a righteous man.  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  (James 5:16)  Here we read that the effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  Amos had beseeched the LORD not to bring the immediate judgments upon Israel and the LORD heard him and did not bring the judgments.

 

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.

 

Since Israel had not repented of their sins, the judgments which God showed Amos could only be delayed and not stopped permanently.  Now God gives Amos another vision which is a visual story.  Amos now sees God standing upon a wall with a plumbline.  A plumbline is a long string with a lead weight attached to the bottom of it.  It was used in construction to make sure that a wall being built was being built perpendicular to the ground.  If the wall was slightly crooked, then the entire structure would be compromised and eventually fall if certain pressures were placed on it from certain angles or weight. Today a level would be used to make sure the wall was perpendicular.

 

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:

 

Then the LORD asks Amos what he sees?  Then Amos answers the LORD that he sees a plumbline and he would have been familiar with them because that was the tool of choice for builders in ancient times.  Then the LORD tells Amos that he is going to plant that plumbline right in the middle of his people Israel.  It is interesting to note that Israel has sinned mightily against the LORD and yet he still calls them “my people.”  If a plumbline reveals that a wall is too far out of line, then the whole wall must be taken down and rebuilt properly.  When God planted Israel in the land and they were obedient they were upright but since the time they came into the land from Egypt, there was a constant degradation of their lifestyle into false religions, idolatry, violence and other heinous sins and now they were to the point where the LORD is telling Amos that their sins now demand judgment and no longer would the LORD bypass judgment but would bring it on them in his timing.  Just as a bad wall had to be torn down, so Israel in their unrepentant sins had to be taken down as well and it would happen in the Lord’s timing.

 

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.

 

Here we see God focusing directly upon the places where the false religions were practiced.  The high places which were built by the physical descendants of Isaac shall be made a desolation as they will all be destroyed.  Then the idol worshipping Israelites looked to sanctuary cities as their refuge whether they be Beth-el or in Dan where Jeroboam I made the golden calves.  These are the places where they did pagan rituals and sacrificed to the false gods.  The house of Jeroboam would suffer from within.  In the days of Zachariah he was killed by Shallum the son of Jabesh.  {8} In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.  {9} And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  {10} And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.  (2 Kings 15:8-10)

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