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| 1 Thus did the Lord Jehovah shew unto me; and behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. |
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| 2 And it came to pass, when they had wholly eaten the grass of the land, that I said, O Lord Jehovah, forgive, I beseech thee! How shall Jacob arise? for he is small. |
Shall Jacob – Natural Israel. A300
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| 3 Jehovah repented for this: It shall not be, said Jehovah. |
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| 4 Thus did the Lord Jehovah shew unto me; and behold, the Lord Jehovah called to contend by fire; and it devoured the great deep, and ate up the inheritance. |
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| 5 Then said I, O Lord Jehovah, cease, I beseech thee! How shall Jacob arise? for he is small. |
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| 6 Jehovah repented for this: This also shall not be, said the Lord Jehovah. |
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| 7 Thus did he shew unto me; and behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. |
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| 8 And Jehovah said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb-line. And the Lord said, Behold, I will set a plumb-line 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 desolated, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will arise 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 certainly go into captivity out of his land. |
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| 12 And Amaziah said unto Amos, Thou seer, go, flee away into the land of Judah, and eat bread there, 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 sanctuary, and it is the house of the kingdom. |
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 And Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit. |
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| 15 And Jehovah took me as I followed the flock, and Jehovah 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 And now hear thou the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and utter not words against the house of Isaac. |
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| 17 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided with the line; and thou shalt die in a land that is unclean; and Israel shall certainly go into captivity, out of his land. |
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