Amos Chapter 7
Showing all 17 verses for Amos Chapter 7.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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. "
"God showed Amos a vision: swarms of locusts forming just as the late-season crop was starting to grow back — right after the king had already taken his share of the harvest."
Notice who's left with nothing after the powerful take their share first — that's where my compassion goes before anywhere else.
"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. "
"When the locusts had stripped the land completely bare, Amos begged God to forgive Israel, pleading that the nation was too small and weak to survive such devastation."
I want you to plead for others' mercy the way Amos does here — love doesn't wait for someone to deserve rescue before it speaks up for them.
"The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD. "
"God relented and said the disaster he'd shown Amos would not happen after all."
When you own your mistakes honestly and someone speaks up for you, that changes things — my mercy responds to real relationship, not rigid rules.
"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. "
"God showed Amos a second vision: a consuming fire so intense it dried up the great deep and began devouring the land itself."
Take seriously how deep the damage of injustice can run — but know that even facing something this serious, an honest appeal for mercy is never wasted.
"Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. "
"Amos again begged God to stop, pleading once more that Jacob (Israel) was too small to survive."
Don't give up on pleading for someone just because you've already asked once; real compassion keeps showing up.
"The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD. "
"God relented again, saying that this disaster too would not happen."
Grace given twice is still grace, not a guarantee it repeats forever; use the space you're given to actually change, not just to feel relieved.
"Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the LORD stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. "
"God showed Amos a third vision: he stood beside a wall built true to a plumbline, holding a plumbline in his hand."
Measure your life against a real, honest standard rather than against how everyone else around you is behaving — that's how you actually know if you're straight or leaning.
"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: "
"God asked Amos what he saw; Amos said a plumbline. God replied that he was now setting that plumbline against Israel and would no longer overlook their crookedness."
Real love holds you accountable to truth eventually — I don't ignore wrongdoing forever out of kindness, because that isn't actually kind to anyone.
"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. "
"Israel's hilltop shrines will be left in ruins, its sacred sites destroyed, and God will rise against King Jeroboam's royal line with the sword."
Don't assume outward religious or social status will shield you if what's underneath isn't genuine — build on something real, not appearance.
"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. "
"The priest Amaziah sent word to King Jeroboam accusing Amos of plotting against him, claiming the country could no longer tolerate what Amos was saying."
Expect resistance when you speak an uncomfortable truth to people in power — being called a troublemaker for honesty is not a sign you're wrong.
"For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. "
"Amaziah quoted Amos as saying Jeroboam would die by the sword and Israel would be carried off into exile."
People under threat will sometimes twist your words to make you look worse than you are — stay honest anyway and trust that truth outlasts distortion.
"Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: "
"Amaziah told Amos to run off back to Judah, earn his living there, and do his preaching in his own country instead."
Don't assume someone's convictions are for sale or self-serving just because that's easier to believe than taking them seriously.
"But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court. "
"Amaziah forbade Amos from ever preaching at Bethel again, calling it the king's own sanctuary and royal court."
Keep your convictions independent of money and power, or they stop being able to speak truth when it's needed most.
"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 sycomore fruit: "
"Amos replied that he wasn't a professional prophet, nor from a family of prophets — he was simply a shepherd and a grower of sycomore figs."
You don't need a title or special status to do good or speak truth — your ordinary life is a legitimate platform for real integrity.
"And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. "
"Amos said God took him away from tending his flock and told him directly to go and speak to the people of Israel."
Listen for what genuinely calls you to do good, even when it interrupts your ordinary life — say yes to it rather than waiting for permission.
"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. "
"Amos told Amaziah to now hear the word of the LORD, since Amaziah had just ordered him to stop speaking against Israel and the house of Isaac."
Shutting your ears to truth doesn't make it stop being true — you're always better off listening and changing course than trying to silence the message.
"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. "
"Amos pronounced Amaziah's personal downfall: his wife reduced to prostitution in the city, his children killed by violence, his land seized and divided up, himself dying in a foreign land, and Israel carried into exile."
Protecting your comfort by silencing your own conscience, or someone else's, ultimately costs you the very security you were trying to protect — better to listen and change while you still can.