Woe to Those at Ease in Israel! I. Base Text: Amos 6:1-7:17 II. Context A. Amos of Tekoa (Amos 1:1) 1. Amos of Tekoa, prophesying in the days of Jeroboam II king of Israel (796-739 BCE; likely 760-750 BCE) 2. Time of political stability, economic prosperity B. Tone set: YHWH roars from Zion, pastures mourn, Carmel withers (Amos 1:2) C. Amos begins presentation with nation oracles (Amos 1:3-2:5) 1. Provides critique of Aram, Philistia, Phoenicia, Edom, Ammon, Moab in succession (Amos 1:3-2:3) 2. All condemnations for actions against people of God 3. So far, all would be on board 4. Then critique of Judah for covenant unfaithfulness (Amos 2:4-5) D. Amos then critiques Israel, provides YHWH's word against them (Amos 2:6-4:13) 1. Condemnation for oppression of poor (Amos 2:6-11) 2. Distortion, perversion of pure religion (Amos 2:12-16) 3. The word is given and is sure: Samaria will pay for her sins (Amos 3:1-11) 4. Pitiful remnants will remain; prosperity will cease (Amos 3:12-15) 5. Wealthy Samaritan women will be degraded and humiliated (Amos 4:1-3) 6. Israel transgressing in Bethel, Gilgal, in their religious activity (Amos 4:4-5) 7. Israel did not heed God's earlier judgments, will receive visitation (Amos 4:6-13) E. Amos laments Israel's fate, exhorts them to seek God (Amos 5:1-27) 1. Lamentation over the downfall of Israel (Amos 5:1-3) 2. Israel ought to seek YHWH in truth, cease oppression (Amos 5:4-17) 3. Woe pronounced on those seeking day of YHWH (Amos 5:18-24) 4. Amos again condemns Israel's ceremonial service, will cast them in exile beyond Damascus (Amos 5:21-27) F. Amos' warnings to Israel continue in Amos 6:1-7:17 III. Meaning A. Woe to Those at Ease in Israel (Amos 6:1-14) 1. Amos then directs his critique to the powerful and privileged 2. Declares a woe, a lament, for those at ease in both Zion and secure in Samaria: both houses of Israel (Amos 6:1) 3. They are to compare themselves to other countries around them which will share in their ultimate fate: is there any difference? (Amos 6:2; cf. 2 Kings 18:34, 19:13) a. Calneh: a city to the north, on the Orontes River, 70 miles south of Antioch of Syria (Genesis 10:10, Isaiah 10:9) b. Hamath: a city in Syria (Isaiah 10:9) c. Gath: Philistine city, taken by Hazael the Aramean and whose wall was torn down by Uzziah of Judah (2 Kings 12:17, 2 Chronicles 26:6) 4. Such wealthy people and their profligate feasts, the marzeah, denounced (Amos 6:3-6) a. Marzeah as revelrous party, featuring preparation of meat, wine, anointing with oil, musical accompaniment, eating in prostrate position b. Beds of ivory, wealthy and elegant (Amos 6:4; cf. Amos 3:15) c. Stretching themselves on couches a very lazy and gluttonous position; same term as curtains hanging over in Exodus 26:12-13 d. Eating calves from stall as sign of wealth (Amos 6:4; 1 Samuel 28:24, Luke 15:23) e. Singing idle songs, inventing instruments as David not a denunciation of instruments in Temple, but of the religious parody inherent throughout the description of the feast (Amos 6:5; cf. 2 Chronicles 29:25) f. Drinking wine in bowls, using finest oils showing no moderation or restraint (Amos 6:6; cf. Exodus 24:6, 27:3, Esther 2:12, Proverbs 21:17, Song of Solomon 1:3, 4:10; Luke 16:19-31) g. While they sumptuously revel and feast in excess, they are not grieved for Joseph's affliction: none of this will last (Amos 6:6; for references to Joseph, cf. Amos 5:6, 15) 5. They are condemned to be the first to go away captive, with no more revelry (Amos 6:7) 6. God denounces the "excellency" of Jacob, detesting his palaces; the city is condemned to destruction and its inhabitants to death or exile (Amos 6:8) 7. God as swearing by Himself (Amos 6:8; cf. Genesis 22:16, Isaiah 45:23, Jeremiah 22:5, 51:14, Hebrews 6:13) 8. Amos uses visceral imagery warning of devastation (Amos 6:9-10) a. All ten in a house will die (Amos 6:9) b. An uncle, a distant relation, left to burn what is left of the bones; will not want to speak name of YHWH, either out of fearful reverence or fear of further destruction (Amos 6:10) 9. Houses will be turned into pieces (Amos 6:11) 10. Amos mocks Israel's misplaced self-confidence (Amos 6:12-14) a. Rhetorical question: horses do not run on rocks, oxen do not plow them, since futile behavior (Amos 6:12) b. Application: Israelites, distorting and poisoning justice and righteousness, believe they have gained victory by own strength (Amos 6:12b-13) c. Gall as bitter, poisonous herb; wormwood as in Amos 5:7; horn as strength, power d. Textual difficulty: to translate or transliterate in Amos 6:13? e. Translate, as ASV: "ye that rejoice in a thing of nought, that say, 'Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?'" f. Transliterate, as ESV: " you who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, 'Have we not by our own strength captured Karnaim for ourselves?'" g. Lo-debar perhaps same as Debir, Joshua 13:26? If so, on border with Gad near Mahanaim (2 Samuel 9:4-5, 17:27); Karnaim in Bashan (cf. Amos 4:1) h. "no thing" seems to have more validity than Lo-debar, yet Karnaim seems to make more sense than "horns" i. Regardless, the meaning evident: Israel puffed up, ascribing victory to themselves as opposed to God, continue to pervert justice j. Consequence: God will raise up a nation to afflict Israel from north to south (Amos 6:14) k. Lebo-hamath: far north in valley between Lebanon, Anti-Lebanon Mountains l. Brook of the Arabah: valley between Dead Sea, Gulf of Aqaba 11. Israel's pride will be humbled (cf. Isaiah 2:12, 5:11-14, 9:8-21, 37:22-29) B. Amos then receives a series of visions (Amos 7:1-9) 1. Prophets frequently receive visions (cf. 1 Kings 22:19, Isaiah 6:1-9, Jeremiah 1:4-19, Ezekiel 1:1-3:27) 2. Distinct pattern in first two visions: Amos is shown something devastating, cries out for God to relent, and God does so (Amos 7:1-6) 3. No such relenting, though, in the third vision (Amos 7:7-9)! 4. Vision of Locusts (Amos 7:1-3) a. Amos is shown a locust infestation which could come upon Israel b. Locust visions also present in Joel 1:1-2:27 c. The locust/grasshopper being formed also seen in Nahum 3:17 d. One of the plagues of Egypt involved destruction by locusts (Exodus 10:1-20) e. A terrible danger for Israel, for the latter growth was the crop of wheat, harvested after barley, and endangering a year's worth of crops! f. Amos begs for Israel to be spared, for it is small (Amos 7:2, 5; cf. Deuteronomy 7:7-8, Jeremiah 8:23, Ezekiel 9:8) g. God proves willing to relent (Amos 7:3, 6; cf. Exodus 34:6, Psalm 103:3, Jeremiah 8:5-10, Joel 2:13, Jonah 3:10-4:2) 5. Vision of Fire (Amos 7:4-6) a. Amos is then shown a vision involving a great judgment by fire, wholesale devastation, begs for Israel to be spared, and God again relents b. The great deep as the waters under the earth (Genesis 7:11, Psalm 36:6) 6. Vision of Plumb Line (Amos 7:7-9) a. Amos then shown the vision of the plumb line b. Plumb line as string with weight on its end; when it hangs freely, can tell if a wall is vertical or not. If not, it will collapse, as Israel (2 Kings 21:10-15) c. God will not pass by again, will leave religious sanctuaries desolate, bring sword upon house of Jeroboam (Amos 7:9; cf. 2 Kings 15:10, Hosea 4:13, 10:8) d. High places as altars for sacrifice (e.g. 1 Kings 3:4) e. Reference to Isaac here and in Amos 7:16; along with Jeremiah 33:26, only references to Isaac among the prophets E. Accusation Against Amos (Amos 7:10-17) 1. The text then shifts to a narrative, describing Amaziah the priest of Bethel's message to Jeroboam (II) king of Israel regarding Amos' prophecy (Amos 7:10-13) 2. Amaziah accuses Amos of conspiracy against Jeroboam and disturbance of the land and people (Amos 7:10-11; cf. 1 Kings 16:9) a. Accusation regarding Jeroboam is false; Amos does not claim Jeroboam will fall by sword, but son Zechariah will (Amos 7:9, 2 Kings 15:10) b. Accusation about exile accurate (Amos 5:27, 6:7) 3. Amaziah tells Amos to depart and return to Judah (Amos 7:12-13) a. Calls him a seer, perhaps dismissively (cf. 1 Samuel 9:9, 2 Samuel 24:11), perhaps indicating lack of professional prophetic standing, yet in 2 Kings 17:13, seer is an interchangeable term with prophet b. He is not to prophesy in Bethel, for it is the "king's sanctuary...temple of the kingdom"; quite right, for it is not of God but of the king, 1 Kings 12:25-33 4. Amos responds to Amaziah, both explaining himself and providing YHWH's specific condemnation of Amaziah (Amos 7:14-17) 5. Amos defends himself: he is not a prophet by vocation, but called by YHWH to take a specific message to Israel (Amos 7:14-15) a. Appeal of not being a prophet also in Zechariah 13:5 for darker reason b. "Son of a prophet" as part of professional prophet class, as in 1 Kings 20:35, 2 Kings 2:1-5, 4:1, 38 c. Instead, a herdsman and dresser of sycamore trees: sycamore figs as eaten by poor; Amos as using knife to open sycamore figs at early stage of development so that they ripen, are edible 6. Amaziah provides direct fulfillment of Amos 2:12 in attempting to silence the prophet, but YHWH will have the last word (Amos 7:16; cf. Isaiah 30:9-11) 7. Amaziah's condemnation and humiliation shocking: he will die in an unclean (foreign) land; his wife will be a prostitute in the city; his children will be killed by the sword; his land will be divided among others; and even if he or Israel does not want to hear it, no matter, for Israel will go into exile out of its land (Amos 7:17) F. Thus Amos continues to testify to the message of YHWH: change or experience death and exile! IV. Application A. Woe to Those at Ease in Zion 1. In Amos' day, the elite of Israel and Judah had confidence in their prosperity and expected their status quo to continue 2. They feasted luxuriously while perpetuating injustice and oppression 3. It would not last: within 50 years the prosperity was gone! 4. A good warning for us today: many put trust in prosperity and political or economic stability, treat other people poorly while they spend lavishly 5. We do well to remember Matthew 6:19-33, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19 and trust in God! B. Gained by Our Own Strength 1. While there are some questions about how to understand Amos 6:13, Israel's mentality is clear: what they have gained they have obtained by their own strength 2. They focused on what they could see: their military might, their power seemed to win the day 3. Yet, as they will learn, such talk is foolish, for it is through the power of YHWH that they will succeed or fall 4. Not much has changed in 2700 years: people still think they have gained what they have obtained through their own efforts 5. We do well to remember that all we have comes from God, and in all ways give Him the glory (Ephesians 1:3, 6:10-18, James 4:13-17)! C. The Land Cannot Bear his Words 1. Amaziah the priest, the representative of the religious status quo, has no love for Amos or his message 2. He accuses Amos of not just conspiracy but that the land cannot bear his words (Amos 7:10) 3. Yes, the changes expected are vast and deep, but those with the most power and clout have the most to lose! 4. In reality, the land cannot bear Amaziah and his cronies' injustice and oppression, and will suffer the devastation of YHWH (Amos 1:2) 5. To this day opposition to the message of justice and righteousness still in the Gospel, the elevation of the humble and the humiliation of the exalted, remains, and often finds its shrillest voice among the "religious" (Matthew 23:1-35) 6. The moral imperatives of the Gospel seem to many to be too hard for the land to bear, yet in reality, the violation of this morality is unsustainable and leads to judgment (Romans 1:18-32, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)! 7. Nothing is too hard for God; let us not find ourselves in opposition to His purposes in the name of maintaining a status quo! V. Conclusion A. Amos has continued his critique of Israel 1. The wealthy and well-connected may feast sumptuously, but it will not last 2. Israel can try to trust in her own strength, but it will fail 3. You can try to kick Amos out of Israel, but the word of YHWH will be proclaimed and it will be accomplished B. The foretold doom came to pass: Israel was demolished and devastated by the Assyrians, and ceased to exist as a nation C. Let us heed the word of God in Christ and follow after Him! D. Invitation/songbook Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and to them that are secure in the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come! (Amos 6:1)" It is seductive to put our trust in political or economic stability, but there is never enough stability in this world or in things. Let us trust in God and pursue His purposes to gain what is wealth indeed (1 Timothy 6:17-19)! 2: "Ye that rejoice in a thing of nought [or Lo-debar], that say, "Have we not taken to us horns [or Karnaim] by our own strength?" (Amos 6:13) The Israelites foolishly thought they succeeded through their own strength alone; they would soon learn the dangers of not giving God the glory. Let us never forget that all we are and have comes from God, and give Him the praise and glory (Ephesians 1:3, James 4:13-17)! 3: Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, "Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words" (Amos 7:10). Those profiting by the status quo work diligently to maintain it and undermine those who oppose it. In truth, the land could not bear the oppression and injustice done by men like Amaziah, and God's judgment was just. Let us stand firm in the message of God even when opposed by the worldly forces promoting the status quo (Ephesians 6:12)! 4: "But prophesy not again any more at Beth-el; for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house" (Amos 7:13). Amaziah tells Amos to leave Bethel, but speaks more truth than he might imagine. The king of Israel, not God, established the temple at Bethel, and God hastened its destruction. Let us avoid human-based religion and follow YHWH the true God in Christ, founded upon His words (Matthew 7:24-27)!