Amos 7:6
So the LORD relented from this plan. "It will not happen either," said the Lord GOD.
So the LORD
The phrase "So the LORD" begins with the divine name, "Yahweh," which is often translated as "LORD" in English Bibles. This name signifies the covenantal relationship between God and His people, Israel. It is a reminder of God's sovereignty and His personal involvement in the affairs of humanity. The use of "LORD" here emphasizes that it is not just any deity, but the God of Israel, who is actively engaged in the narrative.

relented
is translated from the Hebrew word "נָחַם" (nacham), which can mean to be sorry, to console oneself, or to change one's mind. In the context of Amos 7:6, it indicates a divine change of course in response to intercession. This is a profound demonstration of God's mercy and willingness to respond to the prayers of His prophets. It shows that while God is just, He is also compassionate and open to dialogue with His people.

concerning this
refers to the specific judgment that God had planned to bring upon Israel. In the preceding verses, Amos had seen visions of destruction, and he pleaded with God to spare the people. The phrase "concerning this" ties back to those visions and the specific acts of judgment that were averted. It highlights the power of intercessory prayer and the importance of standing in the gap for others. This phrase also serves as a reminder of the conditional nature of some of God's pronouncements, where human response can influence divine action.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who is sovereign and just, yet merciful and willing to relent from judgment.

2. Amos
A prophet from Tekoa, called by God to deliver messages of warning and judgment to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

3. Israel
The Northern Kingdom, which had turned away from God, engaging in idolatry and injustice, prompting divine warnings through Amos.

4. Vision of Judgment
Amos receives visions of impending judgment, which he intercedes against, leading to God's relenting.

5. Intercession
Amos's role as an intercessor highlights the power of prayer and the possibility of divine mercy.
Teaching Points
The Power of Intercession
Amos's intercession demonstrates the significant role believers can play in seeking God's mercy for others. We are encouraged to pray fervently for our communities and nations.

God's Relenting Nature
God's willingness to relent from judgment reveals His compassionate character. He desires repentance and restoration over punishment.

The Importance of Repentance
While God is merciful, His relenting is often contingent upon genuine repentance. We must examine our lives and turn from sin to experience His grace.

The Role of Prophets
Prophets like Amos serve as God's messengers, calling people back to righteousness. We should heed the warnings and teachings of Scripture to align our lives with God's will.

God's Sovereignty and Mercy
God's sovereignty is balanced by His mercy. He is in control, yet He listens to the pleas of His people, showing that prayer can influence divine action.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Amos's intercession in Amos 7:6 inspire you to pray for others, especially those who may be facing judgment or difficult circumstances?

2. In what ways can you see God's relenting nature in your own life or the lives of those around you?

3. How does the concept of repentance play a role in God's decision to relent from judgment, and how can you apply this to your daily walk with God?

4. What can we learn from the role of prophets like Amos in today's context, and how can we be attentive to God's messages through Scripture?

5. How do the additional scriptures that speak of God's relenting nature enhance your understanding of His character, and how can this understanding impact your relationship with Him?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 32:14
This passage describes another instance where God relents from bringing disaster after Moses intercedes for Israel, showing a pattern of divine mercy in response to intercession.

Jeremiah 18:7-8
God speaks of His willingness to relent from sending disaster if a nation repents, emphasizing His desire for repentance over judgment.

Jonah 3:10
God relents from destroying Nineveh after the people repent, illustrating His mercy and readiness to forgive.

Psalm 106:23
Highlights Moses' intercession for Israel, preventing their destruction, similar to Amos's role.

2 Peter 3:9
Speaks of God's patience and desire for all to come to repentance, aligning with His relenting nature.
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
Changed, Changing, Either, Mind, Purpose, Relented, Repented, Says, Sovereign
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Amos 7:6

     5036   mind, of God

Amos 7:1-6

     1120   God, repentance of
     6655   forgiveness, application

Amos 7:1-9

     1469   visions

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

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