Reading: Amos 6-9, Psalm 127

So, what happened to all these guys? The Bible doesn’t give us a biography on most of the prophets, so we don’t really know for sure, and since they are not included in the story, it seems clear that it doesn’t really matter all that much. On the other hand, they all say some pretty ridiculously offensive things, especially to those in power. Amos is no exception, and while we don’t know exactly how his life ended, there is a good chance it was not peacefully.

In chapter 6, Amos continues his blasting of the Israelite claims to be the people of God while ignoring the heart of God’s commands. He accuses them of materialist excesses in verses 4-6, while ignoring the suffering of their brothers, and condemning them to exile. Amos sees ruin and death coming from God. It will be so complete that people, even at burials, will be afraid to mention God’s name. Chapter 6 wraps up Amos’ general message for the nation of Israel, and it is not a pleasant one.

Beginning in chapter 7 and continuing through the rest of the book, we get a first person account of a series of visions God gave to Amos, and that he apparently declared at Bethel, the center of worship for the northern kingdom. After the first three visions, we are interrupted by a little story about how the priest of Bethel, Amaziah, complained to Jeroboam II, king of Israel about Amos’ prophesied. This remains unresolved, because Amos simply issues a prophesy of terrible destruction for both Jeroboam and Amaziah, and then continues with his visions. The last two visions Amos sees are at least partly in response to that story, and how things have changed now that Israel’s rulers have tried to silence the prophet.

The first two visions are of destruction. First by locust, like we read about in Joel, and the second by fire. In both cases, Amos begs God to shorten the judgment, so Israel is not wholly destroyed, and God agrees. These bear similarities to how Moses begged God to preserve his people in the wilderness. Amos is taking the role of Moses by pleading for the people’s life, though he does not go so far as to place himself in judgment instead of the people the way Moses dose. The third vision is of God with a “plumb line” by a wall. This is a measuring device, and God intends to measure the quality of his people with it. Knowing what he will find, he declares that the house of Jeroboam will be destroyed in judgment.

The narrative interruption follows this information. Once Amos speaks against the king, the royal priest at Bethel, Amaziah, reports it to Jeroboam. Interestingly, he does not wait for a response from the king, but tells Amos to get lost right away. Amos’ reply is fairly astonishing when we look at the situation he’s in. Amaziah is the royal priest. He has the titular authority. Amos is from the southern kingdom- he has no authority at all. As bad as the power imbalance is, Amos goes one better. I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. He opens his response by making sure there is no doubt that Amos is, in fact, a nobody. As common as it gets. The only authority he has is the message God gave him. He has nothing of his own to say. What is the message? Well, it’s pretty bad for Amaziah: His wife will be a harlot, his children will be killed, his land divided by conquerors, and he will die in exile. Good times. We aren’t told the resolution of this little conflict, but Jewish tradition tells us that some time after their little confrontation and Amos’ refusal to leave, Amaziah has Amos killed. Being a prophet was never a safe job.

But Amos isn’t quite done speaking with his curse on Amaziah. He has two more visions from God to relate. The first is begins with a basket of fruit, late in season. God says he is weary of his people living well on the backs of others. He goes back to the problem of religious formalism- people who keep the Sabbath, but are really just waiting for the next day when they can squeeze profit out of their brothers. People who keep the festivals, but are really just waiting for when they can buy and sell their sisters as slaves. Here is where the story of Amaziah comes into play. Israel has asked for the prophet to be silent, and God will give them what they ask for. He will send a famine, but not of food. The famine will be of the word of God. God will stop sending prophets. When we consider the first two visions Amos had, where he begged God not to wholly destroy Israel, the problem here becomes clear. Without a prophet, there is no one to beg for God’s restraint. Without a prophet, destruction will be total. Which brings us to the final vision.

Amos’ last vision is a fulfillment of national tragedy. God tells Amos he is going to totally destroy Israel and scatter them around the ancient world. It is not a good time. But then, he also promises to keep some alive in the midst of this disaster. There is no prophet to restrain him, but God will restrain himself. Then, in a way similar to what we read in Isaiah, Amos gets a vision of God bringing new life out of destroyed Israel. The image here is a tent, the booth of David that is fallen. God will repair the broken dwelling and bring a new day of prosperity. Like most of the Hebrew prophets, Amos follows many declarations of judgment with a picture of hope.