John Calvin Commentary Amos 7:4-6

"Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me: and, behold, the Lord Jehovah called to content by fire; and it devoured the great deep, and would have eaten up the land. Then said I, O Lord Jehovah, cease, I beseech thee: how shall Jacob stand? for he is small. Jehovah repented concerning this: this also shall not be, saith the Lord Jehovah." — Amos 7:4-6 (ASV)

The Prophet shows that God had not only once spared the people, but that when He was again prepared for vengeance, He still willingly deferred it, so that, if possible, the people might willingly recover. But as all were unhealable, this forbearance of God produced no fruit. Now, regarding the Prophet's words, we see that a heavier punishment is indicated by the likeness of fire than by what he said before when he spoke of locusts.

We stated that locusts ordinarily represent a moderate punishment, one not so dreadful at first glance. For though the scarcity and famine caused by locusts, when they consume all kinds of fruit, are most grievous evils, yet fire sometimes strikes people with much greater dread. Therefore, by mentioning fire, the Prophet shows that God had become very indignant, seeing that the people had hardened themselves and could not be reformed by common and usual remedies.

The Lord’s usual mode of proceeding, as He declares everywhere in the Scriptures, is this: At first, He tries to see if people are capable of being healed and does not apply the most grievous punishment, but one that can be endured. But when He perceives hardness and obstinacy in sinners, He doubles and trebles the punishment; indeed, as He says through Moses, He increases His judgments sevenfold (Deuteronomy 28:25). Such, then, was the manner Amos now records, for God at first created the locusts, and then He kindled a fire, which consumed the great deep and devoured their possession.

The vowel point, indicating a participial form in the word used here, shows that they are mistaken who render יוצר, iutsar, as “creation” (of which we have spoken before); for the vowel point here corresponds with that in the other instance of יוצר, iutsar,. In both places, the Lord shows Himself to be the author of punishment, which is usually ascribed to chance, because people imagine that evils proceed from something else rather than from God. Therefore, it was necessary for this to be clearly expressed, as the Prophet also does when he says that locusts had been created by God and that fire had been kindled by Him.

God then called to contend by fire. It was not without purpose that the Prophet uses the verb רוב, rub, which expositors have not yet properly considered. For he indirectly condemns the hardness of the people, because the Lord had already not only chastised the people’s vices but had also contended with depraved and obstinate people: just as when no justice can be obtained, litigation becomes necessary, so the Prophet says here that God was coming prepared with fire to contend with the people’s stubbornness.

The great deep, he says, was consumed by this fire. Therefore, what I have already said becomes more evident—that a more dreadful punishment is described here than in the first vision. The locusts devoured only the grass, but the fire penetrates into the greatest depths; it consumes and destroys not only the earth’s surface but burns up the very roots. Indeed, it descends to the center and consumes the whole earth. Those who translate חלק, chelak, as “a part” do not pay sufficient attention to the Prophet’s intention, for he concludes that the earth’s surface had been laid waste because the very gulfs had not escaped the burning. And when the fire reaches the very depths of the earth, how could their possession endure, which was also exposed to the sun’s heat? We see how the earth is burned up by heat when the sun is scorching in midsummer. We now perceive the Prophet’s intention.

He adds that God was again pacified. We must always keep in mind the objective Amos had in view; for ungodly people thought the Prophets were liars whenever God did not immediately execute the vengeance He had denounced: but Amos here reminds them that when God defers punishment, He does not threaten in vain but waits for people to repent; and that if they continue to abuse His patience, they will at last have to feel how dreadful is the vengeance that awaits all those who thus pervert the goodness of God, who do not hear God inviting them so kindly to Himself. This is the meaning.