NOTES for Amo 7:1-17
The prophet Amos warns of the coming judgment of God, and this judgment, in justice (the image of the "plumb line" in vv. 7-9), must be very severe. Spiritual authorities reject the prophecies, demand that Amos leave Israel, and thereby make the harsh sentence unavoidable. Amos answers that he did not appoint himself a prophet, but was called to this ministry by God and is doing what God has entrusted to him. Let us note that Amos is not an indifferent executor, but a participant in dialogue with God, in which God reveals His mercy (vv. 1-6). And already in the New Testament it will become completely clear that for God mercy is greater than justice.