◄ Amos 7:4 ►
This is what the Lord GOD showed me: The Lord GOD was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land.
Study Bible
This is what the Lord GOD showed me
The phrase begins with a declaration of divine revelation. The Hebrew word for "showed" is "הִרְאָה" (hir'ah), which implies a vision or a supernatural insight given by God. Amos, as a prophet, receives this vision directly from the Lord GOD, emphasizing the authority and authenticity of the message. The use of "Lord GOD" (Adonai Yahweh) underscores the sovereignty and supreme authority of God, who is revealing His will and impending judgment.

The Lord GOD was calling for a judgment by fire
The term "calling" in Hebrew is "קָרָא" (qara), which can mean to summon or proclaim. This indicates an intentional and deliberate act by God, not a random occurrence. "Judgment by fire" is a powerful image, often associated with purification, destruction, and divine wrath. Fire in the biblical context is frequently a symbol of God's holiness and His consuming power against sin (e.g., Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19). This judgment signifies a severe and purifying action from God, reflecting His intolerance for the persistent sin of Israel.

It consumed the great deep
The "great deep" (Hebrew: "תְּהוֹם רַבָּה," tehom rabbah) refers to the primordial waters or the depths of the sea, which in ancient Near Eastern cosmology represented chaos and the unknown. The imagery of fire consuming water is paradoxical, highlighting the overwhelming and unstoppable nature of God's judgment. This phrase suggests that even the most chaotic and untamed elements of creation are subject to God's sovereign will and can be subdued by His power.

and devoured the land
The word "devoured" (Hebrew: "אָכַל," akal) conveys a sense of complete consumption and destruction. The land, representing the nation of Israel, is depicted as being utterly consumed by this divine fire. This serves as a stark warning to the people of Israel about the consequences of their unrepentant sin and rebellion against God. Historically, this reflects the impending invasions and exile that Israel would face as a result of their disobedience, as foretold by the prophets.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Amos
A prophet from Tekoa, called by God to deliver messages of judgment and repentance to Israel.

2. The Lord GOD
The sovereign and just God who reveals His plans to His prophets.

3. Judgment by Fire
A symbolic vision representing God's impending judgment on Israel, indicating total destruction.

4. The Great Deep
Often understood as the primeval waters or the depths of the earth, symbolizing the foundational elements of creation.

5. The Land
Refers to the land of Israel, which is the subject of God's judgment due to its people's sins.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in Judgment
God is sovereign and just in His judgments. He reveals His plans to His prophets, demonstrating His control over creation and history.

The Seriousness of Sin
The vision of fire consuming the land underscores the seriousness of sin and the inevitable consequences of turning away from God.

Repentance and Intercession
Amos's role as a prophet includes interceding for the people. Believers are called to intercede for others and seek God's mercy.

Symbolism of Fire
Fire symbolizes purification and judgment. Believers should reflect on areas in their lives that need purification and align with God's will.

Hope in God's Mercy
While judgment is severe, God's ultimate desire is for repentance and restoration. Believers can find hope in God's mercy and grace.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the vision of judgment by fire in Amos 7:4 reflect God's character and His response to sin?

2. In what ways can the symbolism of fire in the Bible serve as a warning and a call to repentance in our lives today?

3. How does Amos's role as a prophet and intercessor challenge us to pray for our communities and nations?

4. What parallels can you draw between the judgment described in Amos 7:4 and other biblical accounts of divine judgment?

5. How can understanding God's sovereignty and justice in judgment influence our daily walk with Him and our interactions with others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 7
The flood account, where God judges the earth with water, contrasts with the judgment by fire in Amos, highlighting different aspects of divine judgment.

Deuteronomy 32:22
Describes God's anger as a consuming fire, similar to the imagery in Amos 7:4.

2 Peter 3:7
Speaks of the present heavens and earth being reserved for fire, connecting to the theme of ultimate judgment by fire.

Revelation 20:9
Describes fire coming down from heaven to devour God's enemies, paralleling the consuming fire in Amos.

Isaiah 66:15-16
Portrays God's judgment with fire and sword, emphasizing His power and righteousness.
Sermons
Intercession for Pardon PrevailingA. Shanks.Amos 7:1-6
Revelation and PrayerHomilistAmos 7:1-6
Revelation and PrayerD. Thomas Amos 7:1-6
People
Amaziah, Amos, Isaac, Jacob, Jeroboam
Places
Bethel, Brook of the Arabah
Topics
Ate, Behold, Burning, Calling, Consume, Consumed, Consumeth, Contend, Content, Deep, Devoured, Dried, Eat, Eaten, Eating, Farm, Fire, Heritage, Inheritance, Instrument, Judgment, Lord's, Portion, Punishment, Shew, Shewed, Showed, Shown, Sovereign, Thus, Yea
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Amos 7:1-6

     1120   God, repentance of
     6655   forgiveness, application

Amos 7:1-9

     1469   visions

Amos 7:2-5

     4847   smallness

Library
Whether Irony is a Sin?
Objection 1: It seems that irony, which consists in belittling oneself, is not a sin. For no sin arises from one's being strengthened by God: and yet this leads one to belittle oneself, according to Prov. 30:1,2: "The vision which the man spoke, with whom is God, and who being strengthened by God, abiding with him, said, I am the most foolish of men." Also it is written (Amos 7:14): "Amos answered . . . I am not a prophet." Therefore irony, whereby a man belittles himself in words, is not a sin. …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Scriptural Types.
1. The material world is full of analogies adapted to the illustration of spiritual things. No teacher ever drew from this inexhaustible storehouse such a rich variety of examples as our Saviour. His disciples are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and a city set on a hill. From the ravens which God feeds and the lilies which God clothes, he teaches the unreasonableness of worldly anxiety. The kingdom of heaven is like seed sown in different soils, like a field of wheat and tares …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

The History of the Prophetic Sermons, Epistles, and Apocalypses
[Sidenote: Real character and aims of the prophets] To understand and rightly interpret the prophetic writings of the Old Testament it is necessary to cast aside a false impression as to the character of the prophets which is widely prevalent. They were not foretellers, but forth-tellers. Instead of being vague dreamers, in imagination living far in the distant future, they were most emphatically men of their own times, enlightened and devoted patriots, social and ethical reformers, and spiritual …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

The River of Egypt, Rhinocorura. The Lake of Sirbon.
Pliny writes, "From Pelusium are the intrenchments of Chabrias: mount Casius: the temple of Jupiter Casius: the tomb of Pompey the Great: Ostracine: Arabia is bounded sixty-five miles from Pelusium: soon after begins Idumea and Palestine from the rising up of the Sirbon lake." Either my eyes deceive me, while I read these things,--or mount Casius lies nearer Pelusium, than the lake of Sirbon. The maps have ill placed the Sirbon between mount Casius and Pelusium. Sirbon implies burning; the name of …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

The Prophet Hosea.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. That the kingdom of Israel was the object of the prophet's ministry is so evident, that upon this point all are, and cannot but be, agreed. But there is a difference of opinion as to whether the prophet was a fellow-countryman of those to whom he preached, or was called by God out of the kingdom of Judah. The latter has been asserted with great confidence by Maurer, among others, in his Observ. in Hos., in the Commentat. Theol. ii. i. p. 293. But the arguments …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

On the Interpretation of Scripture
IT is a strange, though familiar fact, that great differences of opinion exist respecting the Interpretation of Scripture. All Christians receive the Old and New Testament as sacred writings, but they are not agreed about the meaning which they attribute to them. The book itself remains as at the first; the commentators seem rather to reflect the changing atmosphere of the world or of the Church. Different individuals or bodies of Christians have a different point of view, to which their interpretation …
Frederick Temple—Essays and Reviews: The Education of the World

The Essay which Brings up the Rear in this Very Guilty Volume is from The...
The Essay which brings up the rear in this very guilty volume is from the pen of the "Rev. Benjamin Jowett, M.A., [Fellow and Tutor of Balliol College, and] Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Oxford,"--"a gentleman whose high personal character and general respectability seem to give a weight to his words, which assuredly they do not carry of themselves [143] ." His performance is entitled "On the Interpretation of Scripture:" being, in reality, nothing else but a laborious denial of …
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

Links
Amos 7:4 NIV
Amos 7:4 NLT
Amos 7:4 ESV
Amos 7:4 NASB
Amos 7:4 KJV

Amos 7:4 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Amos 7:3
Top of Page
Top of Page