"It is not surprising that such a prophet as Amos should encounter the court preacher Amaziah (Amos 7:10-14). This dignified clergyman objected to such plain preaching, saying to Amos, in effect, 'Your rusticity is out of place here in the metropolis; you belong to the backwoods, not to the boulevards. This is the king's chapel and the king's court.' Amos replied, 'I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; ... and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel' (vv14-15)."
"Amaziah is still with us in the pulpit, Pollyanna's who wear rose-colored glasses, paint the clouds with sunshine, and preach peace when there is no peace. There are many Hananiah's who teach 'rebellion against the Lord' (Jeremiah 28:16b), but few Jeremiahs who will speak only what the Lord says. Of course, Sunday morning bench-warmers cannot endure Amos; they will desert him, sighing, 'This is [a] hard saying; who can hear it?' (John 6:60). Those who cannot stand Amos go down to Memorial Church to hear Dr. Sounding-Brass give book reviews."
(Vance Havner, "Amos, A Modern Message For America"; When God breaks Through, edited and compiled by Dennis J. Hester; page 810)
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