Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,
and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
you notable men of the foremost nation,
to whom the people of Israel come!
Go to Kalneh and look at it;
go from there to great Hamath,
and then go down to Gath in Philistia.
Are they better off than your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
You put off the day of disaster
and bring near a reign of terror.
You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.
You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical instruments.
You drink wine by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
your feasting and lounging will end.
The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself—the Lord God Almighty declares:
“I abhor the pride of Jacob
and detest his fortresses;
I will deliver up the city
and everything in it.”
If ten people are left in one house, they too will die. And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.”
For the Lord has given the command,
and he will smash the great house into pieces
and the small house into bits.
Do horses run on the rocky crags?
Does one plow the sea with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison
and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness—
you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar
and say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?”
For the Lord God Almighty declares,
“I will stir up a nation against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.”
- Amos 6:1-14
Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments
Amos 6:1-7 ‘felt secure’: “The second woe is for those who were at ease and felt secure (6:1). They enjoyed luxury (6:4-6) dearly at the expense of the poor (see 2:7; 4:1; 5:11), convinced that nothing would happen to them because they were part of the house of Israel. But to these Amos says, ‘Think again.’ He names other nations that had been conquered by the Assyrians and asks, Are you better than these kingdoms? (6:2). Definitely not. Israel had done everything they could to look just like everyone else. Therefore, they would be carried into captivity by the same instrument of God’s power (Assyria) that had destroyed all these others. The only thing standing between Israel and Assyria, in fact, was God. And he was about to get out of the way. Those who were at ease, sprawled out on their couches, making up songs, and gulping down bowls of wine would be the first to go into exile (6:4-7).”
- Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Amos 6:1-7 ‘Reflections’: “Israel was once in that condition, and an old prophet with shining eyes came to them and said, ‘Woe to them that are of ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! Pass ye unto Caln(;)h, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be ‘they better than these kingdoms? Or their border greater than your border? Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; that chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
“’Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them
that stretched themselves shall be removed’ (Amos 6:1-7).
“Israel was in a rut, and they did not want anybody disturbing their calm. They liked music and food and beds of ivory, and they anointed themselves with ointment. They had everything that we call sumptuous living. But they were not grieved at the affliction of Israel. They didn’t care. Let us not rest upon beds of ivory. By the grace of God let us begin to grieve a bit for the affliction of Joseph and be anxious and bothered in the Holy Spirit for the state the church is in.”
- A. W. Tozer, Rut, Rot pr Revival
Amos 6:1 ‘is being at ease a problem?’: “In itself it is not a fault to be at ease. It is a great blessing to be at ease in Zion in the healthy sense and meaning of that word. Is it not one of the invitations of Christ-‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’(Mt 11:28)? Is not this one of the promises made to the believer-‘He will live a good life, and his descendants will inherit the land’ (Ps. 25:13).
“But it seems there is also another sense in which the word ease may be used. This is a carnal ease, a fleshly security. It is not the confidence of a man who is pardoned but the ease of a hardened wretch who has learned to despise the gallows. It is not the assurance of one who is on the rock but the ease of a senseless drunk whose house is tottering from its sandy foundations, and yet he riots at full speed. It is not the calm of a soul at peace with God but the ease of a madman, who, because he has hidden his sin from his own eyes, thinks he has concealed it from God. It is the ease and peace of one who has grown callous, hardened, brutalized, stupid, sullen, and careless, who has begun a sleep that may soon be broken, or else it will surely bring him where he shall make his bed in hell.”
- Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon illustrations
Amos 6:2, 14 ‘the Decline of Hamath the Great’: “Hamath was a Syro-Hittite city in central Syria, which had a past going back as far as the 6th millennium B.C. The city is mentioned in the Syrian Ebla texts from the 3rd millennium B.C. and in Hittite texts of the 2nd millennium B.C. The prophet Amos warned that the Assyrians would attack Israel ‘from the entrance of Hamath’ (Amos 6:14), which represented Israel’s northern border during the reign of King Jeroboam II (793–753 B.C.).
“The city of Hamath had numerous dealings with Israel to its south. During the period of David and Solomon (after 1000 B.C.), Hamath was apparently subordinate to Israel. Later, however, Hamath became independent. The Assyrian sources of Shalmaneser III (858–824 B.C.) say that King Urhilina of Hamath was a ringleader in the coalition against Assyria at the battle of Qarqar in 853 B.C. Under King Zakkur, Hamath enjoyed a period of strength during the early 8th century B.C.
“Yet the Bible indicates weakness for Hamath sometime later in the same century. Amos, who prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, points out that since ‘Hamath the great’ had fallen, Israel should not think that she herself would survive (Amos 6:2). Furthermore, the writer of Kings records a victory by Jeroboam II over Hamath (2 Kin. 14:28).
“If Jeroboam II did in fact defeat Hamath, it is possible that this Syro-Hittite kingdom began to decline during the 8th century B.C. According to Assyrian annals, Hamath was forced to surrender 19 provinces to Assyria in 738 B.C., 15 years after the death of Jeroboam II. By 720 B.C. Hamath had lost its independence and had become a province of Assyria.”
- Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible
Amos 6:3 ‘sins that are passed to the next generation’: “Israel was saying, ‘Yes, a day of judgment is coming, but it is not near. We do not need to worry about it.’ That was the thing that Hezekiah said to Isaiah when Isaiah told him that judgment was coming on the southern kingdom and that they were to be carried into captivity. Hezekiah said, ‘Will it be in my day?’ Isaiah said, ‘No, it won’t be in your day.’ And even Hezekiah, who was a great king, said, ‘Well, then, that’s all right.’
“Our present generation is passing on to our grandchildren a nation that is in debt and in great trouble. I used to worry about my daughter and the day in which she would live. Now I worry about my two little grandsons and the world that they are moving into and in which they will live. The evil day is coming.
“What are the three sins which destroy a nation? The first sin is given in verse 4—”
- J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Vol III, Proverbs to Malachi
Amos 6:4 ‘The Ivory House’: “The city of Samaria holds two distinctions. First, it was the only city that the Israelites are specifically credited with building from the ground up (1 Kin. 16:24); all others they took from some other people. Samaria’s second claim to fame is the amazingly large number of ivories that were found in the rubble of King Ahab’s palace (1 Kin. 22:39).
“The ivories have been found in destruction layers that had been Ahab’s house, but exactly how they were used is not certain. Among the pieces found were a large number of plaques, suggesting that they were hung on walls. Some of these plaques were themselves decorated with gold, colored glass, and jewels. Other pieces of ivory were used as inlays for furniture, which recalls the ‘beds of ivory’ mentioned by the prophet Amos (Amos 6:4).
“The motifs of these ivory pieces included animals like lions and goats; foreign gods like the Egyptian gods Horus and Re; Hebrew letters; and winged creatures. No doubt such unusual and expensive decoration spread the fame of Ahab, who ruled from 874 to 853 B.C. Ivory houses also characterized the prosperity that the prophet Amos decried during the later reign of Jeroboam II (793–753 B.C.). The kings of Israel had a summer palace in Jezreel and a winter palace at Samaria, both being examples of luxury and extravagance (Amos 3:15).”
- Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible
Amos 6:4 ‘Food and Drink’: “The custom of eating while reclining seems to have come to Palestine from the East. People ate from common dishes on a low table as they reclined on large couches. The banquets of the rich included musicians, fine foods, and perfumes for the guests. Ivory inlays decorated the wooden parts of luxurious furniture (Amos 6:4). Examples of such inlay survive, showing how it was carved by artisans.”
- Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible
Amos 6:6 ‘drink wine from bowls’: “These large bowls, usually used for sacrificial purposes, here typify the excesses of their lifestyle.”
- John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Amos 6:7 ‘banquets or mourning’: “The Hebrew term marzeah refers to some type of ‘house,’ but is ambiguous in meaning. It is translated both as ‘banquets’ (Amos 6:7) and as a ‘house of mourning’ (Jer. 16:5). Whatever its meaning, it is apparently synonymous with the ‘house of feasting’ in Jer. 16:8. The common denominator between the ‘house of mourning’ in Jeremiah and the ‘banquets’ in Amos may be drinking, and not mourning, as scholars have traditionally understood marzeah.”
- Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible
Amos 6:8-14 ‘God especially hates pride’: “God hates all sin, but he especially hates pride. That was the sin of Satan, who wanted to set his throne in the heavens and be like God (see Isa 14:12-14). It’s not surprising, then, for God to say, I loathe Ja-cob’s pride (6:8). God’s people are to reflect his character-not the devil’s. And because this group had rejected their God, he would smash their homes to pieces (6:11) and raise up a nation against them (6:14).”
- Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Amos 6:8-11 ‘Destruction to Come’: “Part of Israel’s pride during Amos’s time came from the military victories of Jeroboam II (2 Kin. 14:25). Lo Debar and Karnaim, mentioned in Amos 6:13, may have been cities of the Transjordan captured in these campaigns. Amos is scornful of such petty boasting. Victory over these insignificant cities pales before the destruction and slaughter that approaches Israel (Amos 6:8–11).”
- Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible
Amos 6:9 ‘often plague follows war’: “Some expositors believe that this refers to the coming of a devastating plague, such as often follows warfare.”
- J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Vol III, Proverbs to Malachi
Amos 6:10 ‘one who will burn’: “This could refer to cremation, demanded by the excessive number killed and because of fear of epidemics. With rare exceptions (cf. 1 Sam. 31:12), corpses were buried in ancient Israel. dare not mention … the LORD. Previously welcomed as a friend, the LORD came in judgment as a foe; survivors would not want to invoke His name out of fear.”
- John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Amos 6:11 ‘all into captivity’: “High and low, great and small were going into Assyrian captivity.”
- J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Vol III, Proverbs to Malachi
Amos 6:12 ‘happiness where it cannot be found’: “The prophet is disagreeing with ungodly men on their pursuit of happiness where it can never be found. They were endeavoring to grow rich and great and strong by oppression. The prophet says, ‘You have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.’ They had trans-formed the judgment seat into a place where justice was bought and sold and the book of the law was made to be the instrument of deception and high-handed fraud. Yet, says the prophet, there is no gain to be gotten this way-no real profit, no true happiness. And truly, if there are any who try to content themselves with this world and hope to find a heaven in the midst of business and family without looking upward for it, they labor in vain. If anyone endeavors to find pleasure in sin and think it will go well with them if they despise the law of God and seek pleasure by breaking the natural laws which concern their bodies, they will find that they have made a great mistake. They might as well seek for roses in the caverns of the sea or look for pearls on the bare pavements of the city. They will find what their soul requires nowhere but in God. To seek after happiness in evil deeds is to plow a rock of granite. To labor after true prosperity by dishonest means is as useless as to till the sandy shore.”
- Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes
Amos 6:13 ‘Lo Debar … Karnaim’: “These were, apparently, two Syrian sites captured by Jeroboam II (cf. 2 Kin. 14:25). ‘Lo Debar’ means ‘nothing’ and sarcastically points out that Israel’s ‘great’ gain will amount to nothing. ‘Karnaim’ means ‘horns,’ which symbolizes the strength of an animal. Israel foolishly believed they had conquered in their own strength.”
- John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Amos 6:14 ‘a nation’: “Assyria in 722 B.C. Hamath to the Valley of the Arabah. These represent the northern and southern perimeters of the kingdom as reestablished by Jeroboam II (cf. 2 Kin. 14:25).”
- John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
My Thoughts
Samaria’s guard was down. They had a victory, but the victory was against a nothing of a target. Sometimes enemy armies do that on purpose. It makes the attackers complacent. They let their guard down. This happened with Samaria.
They may have delayed the day of destruction but they set themselves up for the terror that was about to come.
Sometimes, when the enemy attacks quickly, the defending forces will slow the enemy but let them have large portions of territory. With their supply lines stretched to the limit and poorly defended, the counterattack can be brutal.
Rev. MacArthur talked about drinking wine from bowls was excessive in their arrogance.
But God hates the pride in mankind. What we have comes from God, no matter how much effort is made by ourselves. God allowed us to have it. Why should we boast. In some ways, us having a blessing so that we can boast is about like Samaria attacking a poorly defended target. With us failing the test and not praising God for the victory, our next defeat will not just add to the terror but bring us to humiliation.
Samaria (Israel) will be oppressed thoroughly.
Some Serendipitous Reflections
Amos 6:1-7 Woe to the Complacent 1. Tell three areas of your life in which you feel somewhat insecure.
“2. Where might you be complacent: At home? With friends? At church? With the future?
“3. The more secure you are in relation to God, are you more eager to serve him? Or less?
“4. ls God a God of the rich (blessing them), or of the poor (defending them)? Explain.
Amos 6:8-14 The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel 1. What is the difference between pride and confidence? How can you develop confidence without pride?
“2. If your were ‘The Little Engine That Could,’ what would you be saying about your life right now: (a) I don’t think I can? (b) I think I can? (c) I know I can? (d) I thought I could?
“3. What ‘poisonous’ or ‘bitter’ place might be in your life today? How can it become ‘just’ or ‘fruitful’?”
- Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups
Amos 6 has two sets of questions as shown.
Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.
If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
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