John Calvin Commentary Amos 7:16

"Now therefore hear thou the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not [thy word] against the house of Isaac;" — Amos 7:16 (ASV)

Amos, having shown that he must obey God, who had committed to him the office of teaching, now turns his discourse to Amaziah and points out what he would gain by his insolence in daring to forbid a Prophet, an ambassador of the God of heaven, from proclaiming what he had been commanded.

Since, then, Amaziah had proceeded to such a degree of rashness, or rather of madness, Amos now assails him and says, Hear then now the word of Jehovah. He here sets the word or the decree of God in opposition to Amaziah's prohibition; for the ungodly priest had forbidden God’s servant to proclaim His words any more in the land of Israel: “Who are you?

You indeed speak thus; but God will also speak in His turn.” He shows, at the same time, the difference between Amaziah's speech and the word of God: the impostor had indeed attempted to terrify the holy man so as to make him desist from his office, though the attempt was vain; but Amos shows that God’s word would not be without effect. “Whether I hold my peace or speak,” he seems to say, “this vengeance is suspended over you.” But he, at the same time, connects God’s vengeance with his doctrine; for this was also necessary, so that the ungodly priest might know that by attempting to do everything, he gained nothing else than doubly increasing the vengeance of God.

There is, therefore, great emphasis in these words, Now hear the word of Jehovah, you who say, Prophesy not. Amaziah was indeed worthy of being destroyed by God a hundred times, together with all his offspring; but Amos intimates that God’s wrath was especially kindled by this madness—that Amaziah dared to put a restraint on God, and to forbid His Spirit freely to reprove the sins of the whole people.

Since, then, he proceeded so far, Amos shows that he would justly have to suffer the punishment due to his presumption, yes, even to his furious and sacrilegious audacity. This was because he set himself up against God and sought to take from Him His supreme authority. For nothing belongs more particularly to God than the office of judging the world, and this He does by His word and His Prophets.

Since, then, Amaziah had attempted to rob God of His own right and authority, the Prophet shows that vengeance had thereby been increased: You then, who say, Prophesy not against Israel, and speak not, hear the word of Jehovah.

This passage is remarkable, and from it we learn that nothing is better for us, when God rebukes us, than to examine our own consciences, submit to the sentence that proceeds from His mouth, and humbly entreat pardon as soon as He condemns us. For if we are refractory, God will not cease to speak, though we forbid Him a hundred times; He will therefore go on despite our unwillingness.

Furthermore, we may spew out many blasphemies, but what can our clamorous words do? The Lord will, at the same time, speak with effect; He will not scatter His threatening in the air, but will really fulfill what proceeds from His mouth. And for this reason Paul compares heavenly truth to a sword, for vengeance is prepared for despisers.

We ought therefore to take notice of this in the Prophet’s words—that when profane men attempt to repel every tittle and all threatening, they gain nothing by their perverseness; for the Lord will exercise His own right, and He will also join to His word, as they say, its execution.

“You then who say, Prophesy not, hear the word of Jehovah; though you may growl, yet God will not be hindered by these your commands; but He will ever continue complete in His own authority.” And he mentions word, as we have already said, to show that the truth with which the ungodly contend is connected with the power of God.

God might indeed destroy all the unbelieving in silence, without uttering His voice; but He will have His Word honored, so that the ungodly may know that they contend in vain while they spew out their rage against His word, for they will at length find that their condemnation is included in His word.

Now, when he says, Prophesy not against Israel, and speak not against the house of Isaac, we may learn again from these words that the name Isaac is used by the Prophet by way of concession; for the people of Israel were then accustomed to adduce the example of this holy patriarch.

Thus superstitious men, neglecting the law of God, the common rule, always turn aside to the examples of the saints, and they do this without any discrimination. Indeed, as their minds are perverted, when anything has been wrongfully done by the fathers, they instantly seize upon it.

And then, when there is anything unique which God had approved in the fathers but did not wish to be drawn into a precedent, as is commonly said, the superstitious think they have the best reason in their favor when they can set up such a shield against God.

Since, then, the Israelites at that time had the name of their father Isaac in their mouths while they were foolishly worshipping God in Bethel and in other places, contrary to what the law prescribed, the Prophet Amos deliberately repeats the name of Isaac here again, expressing it probably in imitation of what Amaziah had said.

Now follows a denunciation: Therefore thus says Jehovah. This לכן, lacen, therefore, shows that Amaziah suffered punishment not only because he had corrupted God’s worship, because he had deceived the people by his impostures, and because he had made gain by the disguise of religion, but because he had insolently dared to oppose the authority of God and to turn aside the Prophet from his office, both by hidden crafts and by open violence.

Since, then, he had attempted to do this, Amos now declares that punishment awaited him. We therefore see that destruction is doubly increased when we set up a hard and iron neck against God, who would have us be pliant, and who, when He reproves us, requires from us at least this modesty—that we confess that we have sinned.

But when we evade, or when we proceed still further in defiance, this outcome will at last follow—that God will execute double vengeance on account of our obstinacy. Therefore then Jehovah says: and O! that this were deeply engraved on the hearts of men; there would not then be so much rebellion prevailing in the world today.

But we see how daring men are; for as soon as the Lord severely reproves them, they murmur. Then, if they have any authority, they stretch every nerve to take away from God His own rights, and from His servants their liberty.

At the same time, when we observe the ungodly to be so blind that they do not perceive the vengeance (such as the Prophet here denounces) to be near them, and do not dread it, it behooves us to weigh properly what the Prophet here declares. And that is, that perverse men, as I have already said, gain only this by their obstinacy: that they more and more inflame God’s displeasure.

With respect to the kind of punishment he was to suffer, it is said, Your wife in the city shall be wanton: it is so literally; but the Prophet does not speak here of voluntary wantonness. He then intimates that Amaziah could not escape punishment, but that his wife would be made a prostitute when the enemies occupied the land of Israel.

We indeed know that it was a common thing for conquerors to abuse women; and it would be well if this practice were abolished today. Besides, it was deemed lawful in that age for the conqueror to take for himself not only the daughter but also the wife of another.

This then is the reason why the Prophet says, Your wife shall be a prostitute. But he says, in the city; which was far more grievous than if Amaziah’s wife had been led to a distance and suffered that reproach in an unknown country. It would have wounded Amaziah’s mind less if the enemies had taken away his wife and this disgrace had remained unknown to him, being done in a distant land.

But when his wife was publicly and before the eyes of all constrained to submit to this baseness and turpitude, it was much harder to be endured and occasioned much greater grief. We therefore see that the punishment was much increased by this circumstance, which the Prophet states when he says, Your wife shall in the city be a prostitute.

Then it follows, Your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword. It is a second punishment when he declares that the sons and also the daughters of the ungodly priest would be slain by the enemies. It was indeed probable that some of the common people also suffered the same evils; but God no doubt punished the willfulness and madness of Amaziah for having dared to resist admonitions as well as threatening.

But he also adds, Your land shall be divided by a line. He means by this statement that there would be no one to succeed Amaziah, but that whatever land he possessed would become a prey to the enemies. Your land then shall be divided by a line.

It may be, at the same time, that Amos speaks here generally of the land of Israel, and this seems probable to me. I indeed allow that the law of God was not kept either by Amaziah or by the other priests; yet we know that there was some affinity between the lawful priesthood and the spurious priesthood that the first Jeroboam had introduced.

Hence I conjecture that Amaziah had no possessions, since it was lawful for priests to have only gardens and pastures for their cattle; they cultivated no lands. I am therefore disposed to extend what is said of one man's land to the whole people, and this opinion is confirmed by what immediately follows.

But you shall die in a polluted land. He called the land in which Amaziah and the rest of the people dwelt Amaziah's land; but he calls the land into which he, with all the rest, were to be driven, a polluted land.

If anyone objects and says that this punishment did not apply to one man, the ready answer is this: God meant that a special mark should be imprinted on His common judgment, so that Amaziah might know that he had, as it were, accelerated God’s vengeance, which he nevertheless intended to turn aside when he sent away the Prophet Amos into the land of Judah, as we have seen.

It follows at last, Israel by migrating shall migrate from his own land. We here see that the Prophet proclaimed no private threatening, either to Amaziah himself, to his wife, or to his children, but extended his discourse to the whole people; the fact at the same time remains unchanged that God intended to punish the perverseness of that ungodly man while executing His vengeance on the whole people.