Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Amos Chapter 5
Metaphysically Interpreting Amos 1:1-15
1:1The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 1:2And he said, Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.
1:3Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: 1:4but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad. 1:5And I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith Jehovah. 1:6Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Gaza, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole people, to deliver them up to Edom: 1:7but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.1:8And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord Jehovah. 1:9Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Tyre, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole people to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant: 1:10but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.1:11Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Edom, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever: 1:12but I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the palaces of Bozrah. 1:13Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border. 1:14But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind; 1:15and their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith Jehovah.
August 31, 1930 Amos 1:1
The prophet in us is the state of thought, or attitude of mind, that receives divine inspiration and imparts it to our consciousness.
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 prophesy, 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.
The kingdoms of Judah and Israel represent the inner and subjective forces of man's being; they also represent his objective consciousness, established in, or awakened to, a certain degree of Truth. Until man reaches the place in his unfoldment Godward where all that tends toward materiality and error is overcome, he seems to be having a battle of some kind. He lays hold of a truth, and for a time seems to live up to it; but as it sinks back into his subconsciousness he sometimes seems to fall away into material thinking again. Then that in him which is awake to spiritual vision (the prophet) begins to reprove him for his shortcomings, for his failure to abide by the law, and shows him the result. Sometimes he listens to the inner monitor and repents at once makes a decided improvement in his thoughts, and in his deeds by laying positive hold of Truth ideals; or he may refuse to listen -- as Israel refused to heed the warnings of Amos -- and so let the law work itself out in him and in his affairs in some form of suffering, or lack of harmony.
Such punishment is often called the punishment of Jehovah. God does not punish people, but the law cannot bring about good in them and for them when they refuse to order their lives in accordance with it.
UNITY magazine.
Transcribed by Mark on 11-30-2013
