Scripture Reading(s)
Amos 6:1a, 4-7
6:1a Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.
6:4 Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall;
6:5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music;
6:6 who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
6:7 Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.
Reflections
This is a passage about judgement that was coming to the nation. Israel had become arrogant, thinking that they were on a higher status then everyone else. This was a nation that was about to be brought down from their high pedestal and given into exile as a result of their disobedience. Unlike David, who wrote songs of praise and worship to God, this is a passage that was talking about the downfall of Israel.
Sin can ultimately destroy and sever our ability to grow in our relationship with Christ. It poisons and is a toxin to our view of how serious sin is and our perspective of who God is. We become complacent towards things that we once knew and believed in our hearts was wrong. It causes us to forget who God is and the true satisfaction and joy that only He can provide for us.
God does not delight in punishing us. However, when we choose to go after our fleshly desires, the result is punishment and judgement. Only a true repentant heart and the forgiving work of Jesus Christ can save us from our sin and pull us back to Him.
Each day examine yourself and what motivates you to make it through each day. What is that draws you away from God and recognize the sins that can place a barrier in growing closer to Him. Pursue holiness and recall that God loves you and therefore our response is to love Him by honoring Him with our lives.
Amos is not mincing words or sending a coded message. He is declaring (through much of his prophecy) that the wealthy and unrighteous will soon be punished by the Lord. They will be taken into captivity by a foreign power. No longer will the hypocrisy continue in Israel. Those who thought they were safe because of their riches and their social constructs will be the first to go.
Indeed, we are not unlike the Israelites at the time of the first exile. We go on day after day worrying about our own lives, our money (or lack of), and we forgot about God’s kingdom. We forget that we are called to be a witness to other in love and service, not serve our own purpose. Let us renew our minds every day and not be as the children God had to punish but lets follow the Lord an receive the fullness of life that only Jesus gives.