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| 1 Thus hath the Lord GOD showed 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. |
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| 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. |
Shall Jacob – Natural Israel. A300
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| 3 The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD. |
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| 4 Thus hath the Lord GOD showed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part. |
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| 5 Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
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| 6 The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD. |
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| 7 Thus he showed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. |
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| 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: |
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| 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. |
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| 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel 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. |
Then Amaziah – Representing those who are at ease in nominal spiritual Zion. R2357:4
The priest – Prince. R3423:6
Amos' opponents were the professedly religious, and it was so also with our Lord. We must expect the same in our day. R3424:2
Amos – Representing those who are faithfully declaring the Harvest Message at the present time. R2357:4
Not able to bear – He is disturbing the peace of those who are at ease in Zion. R2357:4
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| 11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. |
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| 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: |
Flee thee away – Because the prophet had gone so far as to tell openly of the fall of the reigning dynasty. R3423:6
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| 13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court. |
Prophesy not again – The announcement today to nominal spiritual Zion of the "Day of Vengeance" is as unacceptable and disbelieved as was the message of Amos. R2357:3,4
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| 14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: |
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| 15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. |
Go, prophesy – The Lord's people today, as Amos, are not to be deterred into silence from prudential reasons, but are to speak the truth in love. R2357:4
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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