Warnings to Zion And Samaria
May 14, 2021
Commentary
Amos condemned the rich, powerful leaders for living in luxury gained through violence and for ignoring the poor of the land (vv. 1-7). One of the main reasons Israel’s spiritual life had declined was because God’s people had grown complacent (v. 1). They had grown smug and self-confident deriving a sense of false security from the prosperity they had enjoyed over the years. The leaders of Judah and Samaria seemed to have believed that, since they had a special place in God’s plan, they would enjoy prosperity and escape the judgment of their neighbors (v. 2). These self indulgent Israelites wanted only the best for themselves (vv. 3-6). In their eyes they thought they would be “the first of the captives” (v. 7).
The Lord swore by Himself because no higher authority existed (vv. 8-14). The people had built luxurious homes to flaunt their achievements (vv. 8-11). While it is not wrong to live in nice houses, we must not let them become sources of inflated pride and self-glorification. God hates pride (v. 8). He gave our homes to us, and they are to be used for service, not just for show. The people hesitated to speak God’s name even during a time of grief, for fear that they would attract His attention and be judged also (v. 10). The conduct was as absurd as plowing on rocks (v. 12).
Israel’s pride had grown to such a proportion that extreme measures were required. Recent military successes led them to believe they were invincible (v. 13). God’s people would soon learn from bitter experience that their strongest fortresses would not protect them. They had failed to practice righteousness. The Lord Himself would raise an enemy to destroy them (v. 14).
Application
Are we at ease in Zion? I need to be careful. With all the comforts and luxuries of life, I am apt to become thoughtless of the miseries of poverty and misfortune.
Amos 6:1– 14 (NET)
1 Woe to those who live in ease in Zion, to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria. They think of themselves as the elite class of the best nation. The family of Israel looks to them for leadership.
2 They say to the people: “Journey over to Calneh and look at it; then go from there to Hamath-Rabbah; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they superior to our two kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?”
3 You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come, but you establish a reign of violence.
4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, and sprawl out on their couches. They eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the middle of the pen.
5 They sing to the tune of stringed instruments; like David they invent musical instruments.
6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, and pour the very best oils on themselves. Yet they are not concerned over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile, and the religious banquets where they sprawl on couches will end.
8 The Sovereign Lord confirms this oath by his very own life. The Lord God of Heaven’s Armies is speaking: “I despise Jacob’s arrogance; I hate their fortresses. I will hand over to their enemies the city of Samaria and everything in it.”
9 If ten men are left in one house, they too will die. 10 When their close relatives, the ones who will burn the corpses, pick up their bodies to remove the bones from the house, they will say to anyone who is in the inner rooms of the house, “Is anyone else with you?” He will respond, “No one.” Then he will say, “Hush! Don’t invoke the Lord’s name!”
11 Indeed, look! The Lord is giving the command. He will smash the large house to bits and the small house into little pieces.
12 Can horses run on rocky cliffs? Can one plow the sea with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into a poisonous plant, and the fruit of righteous actions into a bitter plant.
13 You are happy because you conquered Lo Debar. You say, “Did we not conquer Karnaim by our own power?”
14 “Look! I am about to bring a nation against you, family of Israel,” the Lord, the God who commands armies, is speaking. “They will oppress you all the way from Lebo Hamath to the stream of the rift valley.”
Illustration: Ironside Carries a Sandwich Board in Downtown Chicago
At one point in his ministry, noted preacher Harry Ironside worried that he was not as humble as he ought to be. When he asked a friend for advice, his friend suggested that Ironside make a large sandwich board sign with the plan of salvation in Scripture written on it and walk through the busy shopping district of downtown Chicago for an entire day. Ironside did as his friend suggested. When he had finally returned to his apartment, he thought about how humbling the experience had been. But as he removed the sign, Ironside caught himself thinking, “There’s not another person in Chicago that would be willing to do a thing like that.” (Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute).