But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
Amos 2:12 stands within a fearless rebuke and prophecy directed against the northern kingdom of Israel for its idolatry, depravity, and apostasy. It was uttered when injustice and corruption flourished and upright conduct was unpopular. It lays bare how common drunkenness had become in Israel, to the point that the people even gave wine to drink to the Nazarites whose consecration they should have respected.
Through it Israel was summoned to live up to the light and knowledge it had received, with the warning that failure to accept its responsibilities would bring punishment and that downfall would follow apostasy. The prophecies of Amos, including this passage, also point forward to a famine of the Word in the last days.
Amos 2:12 stands within a fearless rebuke and prophecy directed against the northern kingdom of Israel for its idolatry, depravity, and apostasy. It was uttered when injustice and corruption flourished and upright conduct was unpopular. It lays bare how common drunkenness had become in Israel, to the point that the people even gave wine to drink to the Nazarites whose consecration they should have respected.
Through it Israel was summoned to live up to the light and knowledge it had received, with the warning that failure to accept its responsibilities would bring punishment and that downfall would follow apostasy. The prophecies of Amos, including this passage, also point forward to a famine of the Word in the last days.