Amos 2:12

"But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
and commanded the prophets,
saying, 'You shall not prophesy.'


2:12. But despite these gracious acts Israel added two more sins to her account. She intimidated the Nazirites (cf. v. 11) to break their vows and drink wine, and she commanded the prophets not to prophesy (cf. 7:10-16). In so doing Israel revealed her own lack of commitment to God and her unwillingness to hear His Word.

The raising up of Nazarites was not only intended to set before the eyes of the people the object of their divine calling, or their appointment to be a holy nation of God, but also to show them how the Lord bestowed the power to carry out this object. But instead of suffering themselves to be spurred on by these types to strive earnestly after sanctification of life, they tempted the Nazarites to break their vow by drinking wine, from which they were commanded to abstain, as being irreconcilable with the seriousness of their sanctification (see my Bibl. Ant. § 67); and the prophets they prohibited from prophesying, because the word of God was burdensome to them (cf. Amos 7:10ff.; Mic. 2:6).

So Amaziah forbade Amos (Am 7:12, 13, 14).

Worldly minded people are uncomfortable around those who have a message from God and who model their lives after his character. They have only two options: (1) bring life into line with God’s message and God’s model or (2) bring the messengers and models into line with their twisted lives (Rom 12:1–2). Israel chose the latter option.