Amos 6
COMMENTARY:
: 1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! (7600 “at ease” [sha’anan] means quiet, carefree, self-confident, undisturbed, free from fear or doubt, or easy in mind.)
DEVOTION: There is a problem in Samaria. The people are lounging around with nothing to do. They think they have no problems. They think everything is good. They are popular. They are famous. They are the ones that everyone comes to for help. If this is true, is there really a problem?
The answer is yes while Emperor Nero is said to fiddle while Rome was burning, the rich people of Samaria were playing when judgment was on the way. They were complacent. What does that mean? They didn’t care what was happening around them as long as they were having fun.
That is what is happening in many churches today. It seems that as long as Sunday goes well it doesn’t matter what is going on in the world around the church. One day they will wake up and see that the world is going to hell because the church is not reaching them for the LORD.
There are some Christians who think that those without Christ are just going to walk into church without an invitation. They think that there is no need to witness to anyone because everyone has made their choice and who are we to interfere with them.
Judgment day is coming and Christians are going to stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ and find out if they had the right attitude. The other event is going to be the Great White Throne Judgment where all those who have rejected Christ will be sentenced to the lake of fire. Will they be able to turn around and see us and ask why we never told them about the LORD? We are not to have an I don’t care attitude toward our neighbor’s relationship with the LORD.
CHALLENGE: It is great to be popular but it is even greater to watch a neighbor or friend become a believer. Don’t live at ease. Stand for the LORD!!
: 6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. (2470 “grieved” [chalah] means to be or become weak, be or become sick, be or become diseased, or be or become sorry.)
DEVOTION: When all seems to be going well, there is a tendency to think that all is right with the world. The children of Israel were living at ease. They had all the possessions that they thought they needed. They were living in comfort. They were singing up a storm. They were having parties. They were eating gourmet food.
At the parties they were drinking wine in bowls. They were not even using cups. They had all the wine they wanted. They were also able to anoint their bodies with the best perfume. They were living large.
However, they didn’t realize that they watching their nation going through affliction because of their sin. They were only concerned with their lifestyle. As long as everything seemed good, they were going to celebrate.
The LORD told Amos to tell them that this time of living for their personal pleasure was going to come to an end very soon. There was a nation coming to destroy them. The LORD hated their palaces or rich living without HIM. HE was the one who was sending the blessings and they were just taking them for granted. The LORD told them that being at ease was going to cause them to go into judgment. They seemed to not care if they went into judgment. People were going to die.
Today we have the same attitude in the church. We think that we can live the good life and not care that the rest of the world is going to hell for eternity. OR we think only of ourselves while our fellow Christians are suffering. OR we see the church going in a wrong direction but our lives are good so we don’t let it bother us. The LORD is trying to warn us not to be at ease. The enemy is real and comes in three forms. The three forms are the world, the flesh and the devil. We should be sorry if our church is in such a condition. Why? Because the LORD can send affliction our way too before the return of HIS Son.
CHALLENGE: Are we living at ease as if nothing is wrong today? What actions do we need to take in our lives that will change what is happening to those around us?
: 10 And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burns him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say to him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with you? And he shall say, No, Then shall he say, Hold your tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD. (2142 “mention” [zakar] means remember, mindful, think, recall, be thought of, recollect, or commemorate.)
DEVOTION: H. A. Ironside states of this verse: When at last the destruction came, the fearful sense of Jehovah’s wrath would close every mouth, even as they buried the dead, for the name of the Lord would be unsuited to their defiled lips (vers. 9, 10). It is sad indeed, to be under the rod, and yet to be utterly unable to get into touch with Him who appointed it. Such is the hardening power of the deceitfulness of sin.
When judgment comes the people of Samaria are afraid to turn to the LORD. We find this happening during the Tribulation period when the LORD’S wrath is judging the people and they would rather have the rocks fall on them than call on the name of the LORD.
The people of Samaria didn’t want to call on the name of the LORD because they thought if they got HIS attention HE would judge them rather than forgive them. They were wrong. If they had genuinely called on the LORD for forgiveness, HE would have forgiven those individuals. They had a wrong concept of God.
Today, we have many people walking around us who have this same concept of God. They think that they have sinned so much that if they mentioned the name of the LORD HE would strike them with lightning. It is wrong thinking. God wants everyone to call on HIS name. Most will not because they are too stubborn to admit they need HIM.
CHALLENGE: Our message to them is to tell them to call on the name of the LORD. HE will forgive repentant sinners.
: 12 Shall horses run upon the rock? Will one plow there with oxen? For ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock. (6666 “righteousness” [tsadaqah] means justice, right, truthfulness, rectitude, virtue, piety, blameless behavior, honesty, or beneficence.)
DEVOTION: The world of the children of Israel was upside down. They were doing everything against the commands of the LORD. They were counting on their defenses to save them from attack. They were consuming the best foods and the best drinks to satisfy their desires. They were mocking the LORD and thinking that they would not answer for their sins.
The LORD gave examples of other cities that were as strong or stronger that had fallen to the enemy. HE asked if they thought HE would save them. HE was sending judgment and they were going to face it.
Here HE asks them some questions. Do you allow horses to run upon rocks? Do you use oxen to plow rocks? The answer to both questions is NO. HE is informing them that they were doing everything wrong in HIS eyes.
They have done just the opposite of what the LORD wanted and therefore were turning judging into bitterness. They were not helping the poor with proper judgments in their courts but were hurting the innocent and allowing the guilty to get away with murder. They were turning doing right into a poison. They laughed at people who were trying to do the right things. Scorn was all they offered to those who wanted to honor the LORD.
In the book of Acts the disciples were accused of turning the world upside down but in reality, they were turning the world right side up. This was not happening in Samaria and therefore the LORD had to judge them.
Our responsibility as followers of Jesus Christ is to turn our world right side up. It is really upside down right now.
CHALLLENGE: We need to be willing to work in our poisoned society to turn it into a righteous society one person at a time. Remember that most of the people we see each day are dead in trespasses and sin. We have life to offer them.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lord – Adonai (Master, Owner)verse 8
GOD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verse 8
Lord GODverse 8
Sworn by HIMSELFverse 8
LORD – Jehovahverses 8, 10, 11, 14
LORD the God of hostsverses 8, 14
Hateverse 8
Name of the LORDverse 10
Judgmentverse 14
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name)verses 8, 14
God of hostsverses 8, 14
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Calnehverse 2
Hamathverse 2
Gathverse 2
Philistinesverse 2
Hemathverse 14
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Ease in Zionverse 1
Trust in the mountainsverse 1
Evilverse 3
Violenceverse 3
Turn judgment into gallverse 12
Turn the fruit of righteousness into hemlockverse 12
Claiming victory for selfverse 13
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Fruit of righteousnessverse 12
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zionverse 1
Samariaverse 1
House of Israelverses 1, 14
Davidverse 5
Affliction of Josephverse 6
Excellency of Jacobverse 8
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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