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"Then Amaziah said to Amos"

Text: Amos 7:12

DIRECT CONFRONTATION

Amaziah went on to take it upon himself to confront Amos directly. He must have felt confident because of his position as a priest and his link to king Jeroboam II.

“Then Amaziah said to Amos:
‘Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah.
There eat bread,
And there prophesy.
But never again prophesy at Bethel,
For it is the king’s sanctuary,
And it is the royal residence.'”
Amos 7:12-13

1. Amaziah’s first word to Amos

a) “Go, you seer”

The word “seer” was used from ancient days to describe a prophet (1 Samuel 9:9).

b) “Flee to the land of Judah”

He taunted Amos to return to Judah, seeking to intimidate him.

c) “There eat bread, and there prophesy”

i) This was nothing less than a sneer.

ii) He despised Amos as a “professional prophet” whose main concern was earning his keep by prophesying.

2. Amaziah’s next word to Amos

a) He was forbidden to prophesy at Bethel.

b) Amaziah was the priest in charge of the temple at Bethel.

c) Bethel was too small to accommodate the two of them.

3. “Bethel”

a) The word “Bethel” literally means “House of God”.

b) Both Abraham and Jacob used the same word to describe the place where they met God.

i) Abraham set up the first altar at Shechem (Genesis 12:6-7).

The second altar was at Bethel (Genesis 12:8).

ii) Jacob met God at a place called Luz.

He renamed it “Bethel” (Genesis 28:19).

4. Bethel in Amaziah’s description

a) “It is the king’s sanctuary”

Jeroboam worshiped at this temple. He might be called the patron of the temple.

b) “And it is the royal residence”

It is very likely that when the king visited he would also reside there for a while.