1
This is what the Lord GOD showed me:
Behold, he was forming a swarm of locusts
at the time when the late growth began to sprout,
that is, the late growth after the king’s mowing.
2
When the locusts began to consume the plants of the land, I said:
“Lord GOD, please grant forgiveness!
How can Jacob stand?
Is he not small?”
3
Then the LORD relented concerning this.
“It shall not happen,” said the LORD.
4
This is what the Lord GOD showed me:
Behold, the Lord GOD was calling for fire to execute judgment.
It devoured the great deep
and was about to devour the land.
5
Then I said:
“Lord GOD, please stop!
How can Jacob stand?
Is he not small?”
6
Then the LORD relented concerning this.
“This also shall not happen,” said the Lord GOD.
7
This is what he showed me:
Behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built true to plumb,
and in his hand was a plumb line.
8
Then the LORD said to me:
“What do you see, Amos?”
I answered: “A plumb line!”
Then the Lord said:
“Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel;
I will no longer spare them.
9
The high places of Isaac shall be laid waste,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be ruined,
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
10
Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam, king of Israel, saying:
“Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel;
the land cannot bear all his words anymore.
11
For thus Amos says:
‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'”
12
Then Amaziah said to Amos:
“Seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah!
Earn your bread there and prophesy there!
13
But do not prophesy again at Bethel,
for this is the king’s sanctuary,
and this is the royal temple.”
14
Then Amos answered Amaziah:
“I am not a prophet, nor am I one of the sons of the prophets,
but I am a herdsman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit.
15
But the LORD took me from following the flock,
and the LORD said to me:
Go, prophesy to my people Israel.
16
Now therefore hear the word of the LORD!
You say: Do not prophesy against Israel,
and do not speak against the house of Isaac.
17
Therefore thus says the LORD:
Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword;
your land shall be divided up with a measuring line,
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.”
🦗🔥📏 Summary of Amos 7 – Three Visions & Rejection of God’s Prophet
Amos 7 brings us into the realm of prophetic vision, where God shows three images of destruction: locusts, fire, and a plumb line. Two of them are withdrawn because of Amos’s intercession, but the third — the plumb line — shows that judgment can no longer be delayed. This chapter also contains the conflict between the true prophet (Amos) and the court prophet (Amaziah).
📌 1. Vision 1 – Locusts (verses 1–3)
“This is what the Lord GOD showed me…”
- Locusts came after the king’s harvest, when the people most needed food
- Amos interceded: “Lord, forgive! Who can stand?”
- The Lord relented (showed mercy) and did not send the locusts
🎯 The prayer of a righteous man can change God’s decision, so long as it is not yet final.
📌 2. Vision 2 – Fire (verses 4–6)
- The Lord showed judgment by fire that burned up the sea and the land
- Once again, Amos pleaded:
“Stop, Lord GOD! Who can stand?”
- The Lord then withdrew this punishment
🎯 The Lord is patient, and ready to hear a heart that intercedes.
📌 3. Vision 3 – Plumb Line (verses 7–9)
“See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel…”
- Plumb line = a measuring tool to test whether a building is upright
- The Lord declares:
I will no longer spare them
The high places of Isaac and the sanctuaries of Israel will be destroyed
The sword will rise against the house of Jeroboam
🎯 There is a time limit for forgiveness — judgment will come if the people reject the warning.
📌 4. Conflict: Amos vs. Amaziah (verses 10–17)
- Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, reported Amos to King Jeroboam:
“This land cannot bear his prophecy!”
- Amaziah accused Amos of being a troublemaker and told him to go back to Judah
- But Amos answered firmly:
He was not a professional prophet, only a shepherd and a gatherer of figs
But the Lord called him
- Amos prophesied directly to Amaziah:
His wife would become a prostitute
His children would die by the sword
His land would be divided
He himself would die in an unclean land
🎯 Truth is often rejected by those in power. But a true prophet cannot be silenced.
📖 Main Lessons
- The Lord warns before He punishes, and still listens to intercessory prayer
- But if the warning is rejected, judgment will surely come
- The plumb line symbolizes God’s standard — not human feelings or tradition
- The conflict between truth and power will always occur
- A true prophet is called by God, not appointed by a religious or political system
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“The prayer of a righteous person, when prayed in faith, is very powerful.”
→ Like Amos, we are called to pray for the nation and ask for mercy.
“Sir, leave it alone this year also…”
→ Jesus also illustrated the delay of judgment for the sake of repentance.
“Each person’s work will be tested by fire…”
→ Like a plumb line, the Lord tests our spiritual integrity.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often I wanted to gather your children…”
→ Jesus’ warning is like Amos: the Lord longs to save, but is rejected.
🎯 Amos 7 affirms that the Lord is patient, yet just. If the people reject His love, what remains is judgment.
🕊️ “Who can stand?” – Amos 7:2, 5
🕊️ “I will measure My people Israel with a plumb line…” – Amos 7:8
🕊️ “Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah!” – Amos 7:12
🕊️ “I am not a prophet… but the LORD took me…” – Amos 7:14–15
