Amaziah the priest of Bethel’s report

In the previous passage, the vision of the plumb line showed that the judgment coming upon the northern kingdom was unavoidable. In today’s passage, why God’s judgment is unavoidable is shown through a historical incident. The person who appears is Amaziah, the priest of Bethel. (1) Amos had chosen Bethel as the place to deliver the word of the Lord. There was the most famous sanctuary in the northern kingdom there, and even the king himself visited it during festival seasons. (2) Amaziah, the priest of Bethel (probably a priest who served the golden calf), sent a messenger to Jeroboam II, king of the northern kingdom, and reported a series of events. That report was a mixture of fact and lies. (3) The claim that Amos was plotting rebellion is a lie. But it is true that the northern kingdom could not tolerate his words. Also, the claim that Jeroboam would die by the sword is a lie. Amos was only prophesying the downfall of Jeroboam’s house (dynasty). It is true that Israel would certainly be taken captive from its land.

Words condemning Amos

Amaziah condemned Amos with the following words. (1) ““Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there!” Amos was more than a seer. He was a prophet of the Lord. However, Amaziah would not acknowledge that and calls Amos a “seer.” (2) Amaziah also judged that Amos was prophesying only for money. Since Amos was from the southern kingdom of Judah, he reviled him by saying, in effect, “Go back to the land of Judah, prophesy there, and earn money.” (3) “But do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.” Indeed, at Bethel there was a temple in which the golden calf was enshrined. It is also true that during festival seasons the king came there and stayed. It is also a fact that a royal residence for that purpose had been built there. The priest, who should originally have guided the people, had become corrupt and had lost spiritual sight. If the leaders become spiritually blind, the people too will be shut up in spiritual darkness. This was the spiritual condition of the northern kingdom at that time. How is the situation in our country today? Let us offer intercessory prayers for the leaders of this nation, and also for spiritual leaders. “First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in authority” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).