Idleness Despite National Unrighteousness

1. Complacency in the nation’s leaders, vs. 1-3.

vs. 1 — Woe = “whoa! — stop, look and listen, because what follows is important!

“at ease in Zion” and “secure on the mountain of Samaria” the subject of Amos’s message from the LORD.

the Hebrew for “ease” means such as are recklessly at their ease, the careless ones, … (Pusey)

This was a message to both Israel and Judah.

“Distinguished men” are those to whom the rest of the nation looked up to. These leaders felt “secure”; in fact, Samaria withstood Assyrian troops for three years and was the last city of Israel captured by Assyria.

It was these leaders who regarded Israel, and Judah, as the “foremost of the nations. This may have been a little “tongue in cheek” by Amos, yet depicted the attitude of the leaders. Yet Amos now turns from both nations to focus on the Northern Kingdom.

v. 2 — the challenge: three city-states are mentioned, two from northern Aram, and Gath of the Philistines. Calneh and Hameth were overrun by Assyria 100 years earlier and now controlled by Israel in the days of Amos; Gath had fallen before Aram 60 years prior and then to Judah within that generation. Their territories were larger than Samaria’s. But what happened to them could happen to Samaria—in spite of the people of Israel believing that Yahweh would protect it.

v. 3 — Amos’ questions were dismissed by the leaders of Samaria. They did not believe that calamity would overtake their city. but they were really hastening the “seat of violence,” i.e. the day of terror, refusing to acknowledge and repent of sins.

The last 31 years following Jeroboam II reign saw increasingly worse conditions for Israel, marked by fear and violence.

2 Kings 15:16 NASB95

Then Menahem struck Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not open to him; therefore he struck it and ripped up all its women who were with child.

Of the six kings that followed Jeroboam II, three seized power through political coup and assassination.

2. Luxury and self-indulgence of the leaders, vs. 4-7.

v. 4 — The description Amos gives gives us an inkling of the lifestyles of these leaders. They reclined on beds, inlaid with ivory. When not in bed, they lounged through the day on their couches, implying laziness or drunkenness. Their food included the best, most tender meat available.

Ordinary citizens probably only ate meat three times a year, at the annual festivals.

Deuteronomy 12:17–18 NASB95

“You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings which you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the contribution of your hand. “But you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all your undertakings.

v. 5 — They also composed and improvised songs as well as inventing musical instruments. Seeking to be like King David, they entertained themselves and sang for their god, their belly.

v. 6 — Their consumption of wine was not by cups but by by bowlful, picturing gluttony; the reference to sacrificial bowls has shown how far Israel has gone. In Numbers 7, the tribe princes brought silver sacrificial bowls to present to the LORD at the consecration of the altar; in Amos’ time, their zeal has turned inward, to themselves alone.

This is even evidenced in the inordinate care they gave their bodies, spending much time and money anointing their bodies with oils and lotions to try and preserve and enhance their appearance (oil killed lice).

What they should have been doing was mourning over the moral weakness and decadence of the nation, which shortly would lead to its ruin.

Here is the picture of the sins of the Israelites: excessive preoccupation with relaxation (McGee thinks possibly sexual relaxation), food, music, drinking and cosmetics. Does this sound like the days we live in?

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible Exposition

“Too many Christians are laughing when they should be weeping (James 4:8–10) and tolerating sin when they should be opposing it (1 Cor. 5:2).”180

V. 7 — these leaders of the people will go into exile “at the head of” the people of Israel. All that they had enjoyed would be but a distant memory, Dr. Charles Feinberg wrote:

“Those who were first in prominence and sin will be the first in punishment and captivity.”

3. Samaria to experience complete devastation, vs. 8-14.

v. 8 — The LORD had sworn by Himself. This is a solemn warning.

God can swear by no one greater than Himself:

Hebrews 6:13–14 NASB95

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”

“Jacob” = northern kingdom of Israel.

“pride of Jacob” probably the city of Samaria.

These leaders self-confidence resembled their forefather, Jacob.

Their reliance on their fortresses made God’s protection and blessing irrelevant crutches in their thinking. God loathed their citadels. That which they depended on for safety would fail them. Yahweh would deliver up Samaria and its contents to an enemy.

v. 9 — the overthrow of Samaria would be so thorough, that none could preserve his life.

v. 10 — Any who might still be alive and in the house would beg those who came for the dead to not reveal their presence.

The mention of an “undertaker” (lit. “one who burns him”) may be a reference to burning corpses during a plague that would accompany the destruction of Samaria, or to prevent a plague from breaking out.

The fear of those left alive is that to mention the name of Yahweh would invite His attention and result in their death. Even then, they could not bring themselves to seek the LORD for help.

v. 11 — The destruction that Yahweh brings will be not just of the deaths of the people in Samaria, but also the houses of both rich and poor would perish.

v. 12 — Horses normally run on rock-free ground; oxen plowed fields that farmers had already removed the rocks. It was unnatural for horses and oxen to do otherwise.

In the same way, it was unnatural for Israel’s leaders to live as they did.

Justice had been replaced with corrupt court decisions that had killed the defendants—like a poison.

Right conduct of the leaders should have resulted in grace for the poor, which would be sweet to them, rather than bitter to their souls.

v. 13 — Under Jeroboam II, Israel had reclaimed some territory that it had formerly lost to Aram. As a result, the leaders felt very proud and confident.

The town of Lo-debar in Transjordan had been retaken, yet Amos made light of this feat by mispronouncing the city name “Lo-dabar,” which means “not a thing.” Their feat was not of much value.

Their claim to have take “Karnaim” (lit. “ a pair of horns,” symbols of strength) by their own strength. It was Yahweh who was the real strength behind their victory over a symbolically strong town, which in actuality was quite insignificant.

v. 14 — Yahweh is the true and only Strong One. He will raise up a nation against Israel. Once again, God’s people will be under a foreign oppressor, just as in the past, who would torment them through the length and breadth of the nation.

Hamath in the north.

“the brook (or sea) of the Arabah” describes the Dead Sea.

2 Kings 14:25 NASB95

He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.

3. Summation:

The five messages we have spoken about in these last few weeks describe the reasons for the kingdom of Israel’s coming judgment:

Legal injustice

economic exploitation

religious hypocrisy

luxurious self-indulgence

boastful complacency

Each of these involved unfaithfulness to Yahweh, the supreme, all-powerful Lord of Israel—with whom the Israelites lived in covenant relationship; Yahweh the Suzerain, Israel the vassal. National judgment was inevitable because of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the covenant, yet individuals who repented could escape punishment.

Proverbs 14:34 NASB95

Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.