Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Amos Chapter 7
Metaphysically Interpreting Amos 7:1-9
7:1Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me: and, behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.7:2And it came to pass that, when they made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said,
O Lord Jehovah, forgive, I beseech thee:how shall Jacob stand?
for he is small.
7:3Jehovah repented concerning this:
It shall not be, saith Jehovah.7:4Thus 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. 7:5Then said I,
O Lord Jehovah, cease, I beseech thee:how shall Jacob stand?
for he is small.
7:6Jehovah repented concerning this:
this also shall not be, saith the Lord Jehovah.7:7Thus he showed me: and, behold, the Lord stood beside a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. 7:8And Jehovah said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb-line. Then said the Lord,
Behold, I will set a plumb-line
in the midst of my people Israel;
I will not again pass by them any more;
7:9and the high places of Isaac shall be desolate,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste;
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
Metaphysically Interpreting Amos 7:10-17
7:10Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. 7:11For thus Amos saith,
Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.
7:12Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thou away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: 7:13but prophesy not again any more at Beth-el; for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house.7:14Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore-trees: 7:15and Jehovah took me from following the flock, and Jehovah said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
7:16Now therefore hear thou the word of Jehovah:Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel,
and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac;
7:17therefore thus saith Jehovah:
Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city,
and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword,
and thy land shall be divided by line;
and thou thyself shalt die in a land that is unclean,
and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.
October 23, 1927: Amos 7:14-15
What is the meaning of the word “Amos”? Amos means “burden bearer, weighty,” and represents the quickening power of Spirit in the natural man. Amos was a type of John the Baptist. Jehovah often chooses for his prophets uneducated persons, who live close to nature. Such persons have less intellectual bias and are more receptive and obedient to Spirit than the worldly wise. Jesus said, “I thank thee, O Father ... that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes.”
August 31, 1930: Amos 7:10-15
In individual consciousness, what does the prophet represent? In individual consciousness the prophet represents the state of thought, or attitude of mind, that receives divine inspiration and imparts it to the consciousness.
What is the meaning of the word Amos? The word Amos means “burden bearer, load.” Amos was a shepherd. He signifies the conscience as directing the natural forces of mind and body. In his call to prophecy, we see the quickening of our conscience to spiritual vision, or understanding. The quickened conscience knows the law of God and perceives the results of obeying or disobeying it.
What do the kingdoms of Judah and Israel represent? Judah represents the inner and subjective forces of man's being; Israel represents his objective consciousness, established in, or awakened to, a certain degree of Truth.
Does Jehovah really punish man for his sins? Jehovah does not punish His people. The law of the Lord always works out for man's good. If man works in opposition to the law of good, he must reap the fruits of his own actions. Israel refused to heed the warnings of the prophet Amos and to adjust its ways; consequently it was open to the invasion of error thoughts from without.
What is the meaning of the word Amaziah? Arnaziah means “strength of Jehovah.” Ordinarily Amaziah may be likened to the overcoming strength that inheres in the will when it is established in Spirit. However, Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, represents here the will tinctured by the erroneous belief that strength and power are physical instead of spiritual.
Define the word Jeroboam. The meaning of the word Jeroboam is “the people will contend, he shall be multiplied.” Jeroboam really means the outer voice of the intellect, which often is governed by the headstrong will of the personal self and thus is lost to the voice of the inner conscience.
July 28, 1935: Amos 7:7-17
Of what is the plumb line mentioned in the text of this lesson a symbol? The divine law is the plumb line that gauges moral uprightness and integrity.
Is conscience a prophetic power? Conscience, the power of judging the moral quality of one's own thoughts and acts, is not primarily prophetic, but when man earnestly desires to know what is right and good in order to follow it, his conscience is then aligned with the divine law and he gains prophetic insight.
[Unreadable question.] In the language of Oriental symbolism, Amos, representing the conscience, says: “I was no prophet; neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees: and Jehovah took me from following the flock, and Jehovah said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”
What is meant by the term “my people Israel”? This term represents the higher religious thoughts of man, which are capable of understanding the law.
On what does man's moral character rest? The foundation of man's moral character is his higher or better self, which in turn rests on his convictions of right and wrong.
What is meant by the expression “house of Jeroboam”? This expression symbolizes the stronghold of the intellect or the objective consciousness, which has been separated from the subjective (or Rehoboam) consciousness.
What do “the places of Isaac” signify? Isaac means “joy,” “laughter,” and “the high places of Isaac” therefore signify the joy of life, especially the joy of the new life in Christ.
Amaziah threatened Amos and ordered him to leave the kingdom, metaphysically. What truth is imparted by this incident? Amaziah (“strength of Jehovah”) is a type of the overcoming strength of will, when it is established in Spirit; but in this lesson the word represents the will biased by the belief that strength is a physical, not a spiritual quality. Materialism of this kind is the enemy of conscience (Amos).
Should the will be governed by the intellect? No, it should obey the voice of conscience.
What is the key to prophetic vision? Understanding of the law of cause and effect in the mental and moral realms opens the mind to prophetic vision.
November 14, 1948: Amos 7:10-15
The fact that a custom is endorsed by those in high authority is no criterion of its worth. Head-hunting and cannibalism, if they were the accepted custom, would not be justifiable under any other law but that of cannibals and head-hunters. That Bethel was “the king's sanctuary” and “a royal house” did not immunize it against the proclaiming of the truth. It increased the prophet's obligation to make the law of life plain and clear, since the truth should hold the highest place. To spring from low origins, like “a root out of a dry ground,” is possible to it also, but the custom should be otherwise.
The name Amos means “burden” or “load.” The task of bringing his hearers to a consciousness of what is for their highest good and of inducing them to adopt it as their course of conduct is the “burden” that is laid on the prophet. He foretells the future only incidentally. Primarily he points out the right way to live in order to realize peace and happiness. He then makes clear the alternative, the “or else,” of habitual conduct that is at variance with the divine law.
April 16, 1950: Amos 7:7-15
What is the plumb line that measures uprightness and integrity (the wall of character)? The plumb line is the divine law.
What do “my people Israel” represent? They represent our higher religious thoughts, our thoughts concerning the I AM. Our religious thoughts must conform to the line of integrity and uprightness; otherwise they are in contravention of the divine law.
When a person does not observe the divine law, what effect does it have on him? He loses consciousness of the joy of life (“the high places of Isaac shall be desolate”).
What is meant by the prophecy “the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste”? Israel (“who prevails with God”) represents one who has power with God and man, spiritual and material. He who would exercise this power must align his expression of it with the divine law, otherwise his efforts to wield power in material ways prove ineffectual.
What is represented by the “house of Jeroboam” against which Jehovah was to bring the sword? Jeroboam (adverse thoughts) was king of Israel, and the “house of Jeroboam” represents the habit of always thinking adversely. We must overcome this tendency in ourselves so as to think true thoughts only. Habitual indulgence in adverse thoughts results in our experiencing ill-health, inharmony and want (Israel shall surely be led away captive).
What is represented by Amos and by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel who wished to do away with the prophet? Amos represents the voice of conscience. Amaziah (“strength of Jehovah”), priest of Bethel, represents those who worship physical strength and power and who discount the understanding that develops from devotion to spiritual ideas. Such persons seek to still the voice of conscience, which reminds them of their spiritual shortcomings.
Is conscience always a reliable guide? When conscience rests on faith and belief in Divine Mind, regard for the moral law and love of the good and true, it is reliable. Conscience not so securely founded may lead one to conform to false standards of conduct.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 12-17-2013
