Amos 6

At ease in Zion (vs. 1-14)—If there is a “theme” to the preaching of Amos, verse one would be it: “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion.” The wealth of Israel is pictured in vivid terms throughout this chapter: “Who lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches” (v. 4); “Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, and invent for yourselves musical instruments like David” (v. 5); “Who drink wine from bowls, and anoint yourselves with the best ointments” (v. 6). As noted in earlier chapters, it was a time of great luxury and prosperity in the northern kingdom of Israel. And this led them to “trust in Mount Samaria, [and] notable persons in the chief nation, to whom the house of Israel comes!” (v. 1). It would do them no good, of course.

“Go over to Calneh and see; And from there go to Hamath the great; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms?” (v. 2). These once great cities thought they were indestructible, too, and Amos is attempting to get the people of Israel to learn a little bit from history. Unfortunately, wealth has a way of anesthetizing spiritual desire; we have what we want now, so the future is of little concern to us. The wealthy, however, would be the first to be punished: “Therefore they shall now go captive as the first of the captives, and those who recline at banquets shall be removed” (v. 7).

Riches have a way of leading to pride, i.e., the belief that we have accomplished prosperity by ourselves. And that pride was something else the Lord condemned: “I abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his palaces” (v. 8). And so, “Therefore I will deliver up the city [Samaria] and all that is in it” (v. 8). Verses 9 and 10 are very obscure and hard to interpret; the best guess is that they describe some sort of desolation that will come upon Israel as a result of God’s wrath. But regardless, “the Lord gives a command, He will break the great houses into pieces” (v. 11). The vanity of pursuing worldly wealth in pictured in verse 12: “Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen?” Try to run a horse over a rock pile or plow it up with oxen and you’ll understand the prophet’s allusion. Israel’s wealth led them to pervert justice and righteousness (v. 12), They rejoiced “in a thing of nought”—an idol—and believed it had saved them: “Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?” (v. 13). “But, behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel," says the LORD God of hosts,” and the destruction will range from one end of the country to the other (v. 14). The “nation” was Assyria, and the fulfillment took place in 722/721 B.C.

There is nothing wrong, of course, with wealth. There were some very godly men in the Bible who were quite prosperous (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job). But Biblical warnings are especially needful where goods and riches are abundant: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (I Timothy 6:7). “For in one hour so great riches is come to nought” (Revelation 18:17). “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath” (Zephaniah 1:18). We simply aren’t going to be able to buy our way into heaven or use our wealth to escape the wrath of God.

As a final thought, I want to leave the reader with Adam Clarke’s comments on Amos 6:5, “Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, and invent for yourselves musical instruments like David.” Clarke was a Methodist who lived about 200 years ago. His thoughts on David’s instruments is interesting: “I believe that David was not authorized by the Lord to introduce that multitude of musical instruments into the Divine worship of which we read, and I am satisfied that his conduct in this respect is most solemnly reprehended by this prophet; and I farther believe that the use of such instruments of music, in the Christian Church, is without the sanction and against the will of God; that they are subversive of the spirit of true devotion, and that they are sinful. If there was a woe to them who invented instruments of music, as did David under the law, is there no woe, no curse to them who invent them, and introduce them into the worship of God in the Christian Church? I am an old man, and an old minister; and I here declare that I never knew them productive of any good in the worship of God; and have had reason to believe that they were productive of much evil. Music, as a science, I esteem and admire: but instruments of music in the house of God I abominate and abhor. This is the abuse of music; and here I register my protest against all such corruptions in the worship of the Author of Christianity. The late venerable and most eminent divine, the Reve[rend] John Wesley, who was a lover of music, and an elegant poet, when asked his opinion of instruments of music being introduced into the chapels of the Methodists said, in his terse and powerful manner, ‘I have no objection to instruments of music in our chapels, provided they are neither HEARD nor SEEN.’ I say the same, though I think the expense of purchase had better be spared.” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Amos 6:5). It is certain the church in the first century did not use mechanical instruments of music, and the early Medieval church opposed them as well. There is no authority in the New Testament for their use in Christian worship; “singing” is the only kind of music ever found in the early church, and it is every bit as presumptuous to add instruments to the song service as it would be to add steak and potatoes to the Lord’s Supper. The instruments, however, have become so common and widespread in denominational churches that hardly any consideration is ever given as to whether they please the Lord or not. And that should be our ONLY concern when worshiping Him.