What is the meaning of Amos 7:3? So the LORD relented • The prophet had just pleaded, “O Lord GOD, please forgive!” (Amos 7:2). The response is immediate: “So the LORD relented.” • Scripture presents real moments where God holds back announced judgment in answer to intercession—see Exodus 32:14; Jonah 3:10; Jeremiah 18:7-8. • This does not imply inconsistency in God’s nature; rather, it shows the harmony of His justice and mercy. His foreknowledge includes the prayers He ordains, and His unchanging character delights to show compassion (Lamentations 3:22-23). from this plan • “This plan” points to the first vision in the chapter—a swarm of locusts poised to strip the land (Amos 7:1-2). • The judgment was literal, threatening total collapse of Israel’s economy. God is not bluffing; His warnings are real (Leviticus 26:14-16). • Yet the very fact that He reveals the plan indicates His desire to spare (Amos 3:7). By withdrawing it, He underlines that mercy is just as factual as wrath (Ezekiel 18:23). “It will not happen,” • God’s declaration is final: the locust judgment scheduled for that moment is canceled. • Similar statements appear when the Lord rescinded a destroying angel over Jerusalem (2 Samuel 24:16) or when He promised to withhold disaster after Hezekiah’s reforms (Jeremiah 26:19). • The words give comfort to the faithful remnant. Even in a nation bent on rebellion, the Lord hears a righteous person’s plea (James 5:16-18). He said • The authority behind the reversal is the sovereign voice of God Himself. When He speaks, events conform—“For He spoke, and it came to be” (Psalm 33:9). • His pronouncement is reliable because “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). • Therefore, Amos can record it with confidence, and believers today can rest on it just as firmly (Isaiah 55:11). summary Amos 7:3 records a real historical moment: God had announced a locust judgment; Amos interceded; the Lord literally withdrew that specific disaster. The verse highlights the impact of earnest prayer, the balance of divine justice and mercy, and the absolute reliability of God’s spoken word. |
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