Amo 7:16 | KingComments | STEP | To malign the messenger is to malign his sender. To disdain an ambassador is to disdain his king. We see an example of this in what Hanun, the king of the Ammonites, is doing to the messengers of David ( ). The reaction of Amos against the man who is supposedly a minister is razor-sharp. Here the true religion clashes with the false one. Amos does not literally represent what Amaziah said, but it does exactly reflect its intention. The word “speak” is literally “flow”, which is a typical expression for prophecy ( ; cf. ). The fact that the people apparently see themselves as “the house of Isaac” may indicate that they boast of their position as descendants of Abraham. Isaac is the son of promise. But such a profession is worthless if it does not include the faith and works of Abraham ( ). He speaks “the word of the LORD”. That is truth and does not tolerate contradiction. Amaziah could have said: ‘I did not say that.’ Many who speak in veiled language say: ‘I did not say that’ when they are confronted with what they said. A man of God knows how to take out the hidden undertone, by which the other is placed in the light. There are no escapes, there is no response from Amaziah.

‏ Amos 7:16

A Word to Amaziah

To malign the messenger is to malign his sender. To disdain an ambassador is to disdain his king. We see an example of this in what Hanun, the king of the Ammonites, is doing to the messengers of David (1Chr 19:1-6). The reaction of Amos against the man who is supposedly a minister is razor-sharp. Here the true religion clashes with the false one. Amos does not literally represent what Amaziah said, but it does exactly reflect its intention. The word “speak” is literally “flow”, which is a typical expression for prophecy (Eze 21:2; cf. Job 29:22).

The fact that the people apparently see themselves as “the house of Isaac” may indicate that they boast of their position as descendants of Abraham. Isaac is the son of promise. But such a profession is worthless if it does not include the faith and works of Abraham (Jn 8:39-40).

He speaks “the word of the LORD”. That is truth and does not tolerate contradiction. Amaziah could have said: ‘I did not say that.’ Many who speak in veiled language say: ‘I did not say that’ when they are confronted with what they said. A man of God knows how to take out the hidden undertone, by which the other is placed in the light. There are no escapes, there is no response from Amaziah.