Apparently, Amaziah felt he needed to speak out and defend “that old-time religion.” In the priest's accusations against God's prophet, Amos was tested in several ways. The allegations were pointed, designed to raise the prophet's anger and hatred so that he would respond in a way that would “show his true colors.” Amos' true colors did surface—showing that he was a true man of God!
Amaziah portrayed him as disloyal, which is often the first charge made against a true servant of God. The Jews accused Christ of rebellion against the Roman government, a totally unfounded accusation. In Amos' case, the accusation was equally baseless.
The priest accused Amos of saying that Jeroboam would die in battle (Amos 7:11). He was tricky. To prove that Amos had said this, he quoted the prophet's actual words: “Israel shall surely be led away captive” (Amos 5:27; 6:7). In reality, the prophecy made no specific mention of Jeroboam II. Amaziah's false accusation was supported by something true.
The Jews tried this with Christ, too. They used, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19), as proof that He would destroy the Temple (Mark 14:58). They misrepresented what He said because He did not refer to the physical Temple. This twisting of truth is one of Satan's frequent ploys.
A second way Amos was tested was in his motivation for serving God. Amaziah charges Amos with preaching for selfish reasons, for money, represented by “Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread” (Amos 7:12). Amos, a Jew, was preaching in Israel. To paraphrase, Amaziah said, “If you go back to Judah and tell them what you have preached against Israel, they will love you. They like hearing bad things about Israel! They will fill your basket with big offerings, and you'll be rich!” If Amos were not a true man of God, he might have swallowed this enticement.
Third, Amos was tested in his personal security. A threat implied that if he did not leave Israel, he would get hurt: “Never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is the royal residence” (verse 13). This test evaluated Amos' ability to confront authority. In referring to “the king's sanctuary, and . . . the royal residence,” Amaziah warns him: “This is the national cathedral! What you say shouldn't be uttered in a hallowed, sacred place like this. It is dedicated to the welfare of Israel. In saying such things, you are challenging the king's authority.” His ploy failed, though, since Jeroboam II seems to have taken no action against Amos.
