Amos 7: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Amos 7 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh shows Amos a vision of locusts formed to consume the newly sprouted grass after the king's harvest (vv. 1-3). Amos pleads with Yahweh for forgiveness, invoking the smallness of Jacob.

Key verse

“Yahweh said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I will set a plumb line in the middle of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more.”
Amos 7:8 (WEB)

Outline

Amos 7:1–3 Vision of the Locusts
Amos 7:4–6 Vision of Fire
Amos 7:7–9 The Plumb Line
Amos 7:10–13 Amaziah's Confrontation
Amos 7:14–17 Amos's Defense and Prophecy

Discussion questions

In v2, why does Amos plead with the Lord regarding Jacob's inability to stand?
What does the plumb line in v8 symbolize for the people of Israel?
Amaziah's warning in v12: why does he order Amos to leave Bethel?
Jeroboam's fate in v11: what implications does that hold for Israel's future?
Where have you faced opposition for speaking truth, like Amos in v16?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Amos 7: Amos 8, Jonah 3, Joel 2.

Before next time: read Amos 8.