King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 5 notes
1Thus 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.
Was God creating afresh these grasshoppers, or he gathered them? I believe he gathered them, but in a sense it was he creating them. But the verse clearly says he formed them; that goes to show the Lord still creates, and continues to, for his own name's sake and to fulfill HIS desire upon the earth.
2And 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.
3The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.
4Thus 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.
5Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
All God needed was a man to stand in the gap.
6The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD.
7Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
8And 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:
9And 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.
10Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el 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.
I do not think this Amaziah was the Lord's priest.
I suspect he was a Baal worshiper or some idol's priest.
It is ironic that this Bethel, where Jacob encountered God, now has some strange gods being worshipped there.
I suspect he was an idol priest.
11For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.
12Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
13But prophesy not again any more at Beth-el: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.
Such a fallen state; they actively abhorred any correction or godliness.
14Then 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:
15And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
16Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
17Therefore 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.