Amos 6:1-7 Complacent

Amos 6:1-7 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,

you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,

you distinguished people of the leading nation,

to whom the house of Israel comes.

2Travel to Kalneh and look.

Go from there to Hamath Rabbah,

and go down to Gath of the Philistines.

Are you better than those kingdoms?

Are their territories greater than your territory?

3You who are trying to put off the evil day,

you bring near the session for violence!

4Those who lie on ivory beds,

sprawling upon their couches,

eating lambs from the flock

and calves straight from the stall,

5improvising tunes on the lyre,

composing music for themselves on musical instruments like David,

6drinking large bowls of wine—

they slather themselves with the most expensive perfumed oils,

but they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

7That is why they will go into exile as the first of the exiles.

Those who sprawl out at their feasts for the dead will depart.

Complacent

I.

They were complacent. It was a great time to be alive. Go into a store—any store—and the shelves were stocked full. A wide variety of goods and services were available. Things had been imported from all over the world because trade deals had been struck that were favorable for the people. Food? It wasn’t necessary to settle for low quality, or even decent quality; things were so good that farmers and ranchers were making sure that the highest quality was readily available. Personal care products? The very best and most expensive could be easily obtained. Alcohol? It flowed freely, and was easily available and expected. Exotic imported goods? Commonly available, and to be found in the homes of every person of any consequence. Leisure and entertainment? Not just left to the professionals, but enjoyed by everyone.

Jeroboam II was the ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Three weeks ago we heard Moses say: “See now, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster” (Deuteronomy 30:15, EHV). It was pretty clear in most people’s minds: Jeroboam II had brought the life and prosperity that everyone wanted. They still called their nation “Israel,” and they were quite proud of the fact that they were prosperous. Their prosperity was surely a sign that God was still with them and thought highly of their nation.

Because they thought so highly of themselves, God had sent prophets to warn the people. Two weeks ago we heard from one of Amos’ contemporaries: Hosea. Hosea, we said, was a performance artist prophet. God told Hosea that part of his prophecy was to be the lifestyle he was to lead, which was to be a metaphor to the people of their behavior toward the God who had chosen them.

Amos wasn’t a performance artist prophet. He didn’t do things that were meant to graphically display his prophecy. He just spoke. Bluntly. “1Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you distinguished people of the leading nation, to whom the house of Israel comes... 3You who are trying to put off the evil day” (Amos 6:1, 3, EHV). Without pulling any punches, or softening the message to make it more agreeable for people to hear, Amos just says what needs to be said.

Complacent. Putting off the evil day. The people didn’t really think about the spiritual condition of themselves or their nation. Truth be told, they didn’t really care. They were just hopeful that whatever would happen would happen after their lifetimes.

The lifestyles they chose showed to what extent they were putting the coming judgment from their minds. They went to great extent to get the very best for themselves.

“Those who lie on ivory beds, sprawling upon their couches, eating lambs from the flock and calves straight from the stall” (Amos 6:4, EHV). Ivory is not a product native to Israel, but something that had to be imported. Such vast quantities were being imported that people weren’t just using ivory as an inlay in an otherwise wooden bedframe, they were displaying their opulence by building whole bedframes using ivory.

Opulence carried over to their choice of foods. In those days meat was considered a luxury, to be enjoyed from time to time, but not every day. But they didn’t go and select just any animal to be used for their meat, time and attention and effort were taken to carefully tend certain animals to obtain the choicest cuts of meat.

Then there was the leisure and entertainment. In other words, the parties. Amos continued: “...improvising tunes on the lyre, composing music for themselves on musical instruments like David, 6drinking large bowls of wine—they slather themselves with the most expensive perfumed oils” (Amos 6:5-6, EHV). They didn’t have a Superbowl or some other sporting event around which to organize a party, so they just got together and had jam sessions. Everyone would play musical instruments, whether they had any talent or not. The entertainment wasn’t the real draw, anyway. Of greater importance was alcohol consumption: “large bowls of wine.” Since they didn’t have any cars, there was no chance of Driving Under the Influence. Makeup and perfumes were also obtained in abundance. Lotions to smooth away the wrinkles, perhaps, and make a person look younger.

Last week Solomon talked about your legacy. “So then, here is what I have seen to be good: It is beautiful to eat, to drink, and to look for good in all a person’s hard work which he has done under the sun, during the few days of his life that God has given him, for that is his reward” (Ecclesiastes 5:18, EHV). Perhaps that’s how they saw their partying: it was beautiful to eat and drink and look for the good in all their hard work.

But as they partied in the Northern Kingdom, they didn’t bother with the last part of what Solomon said. They weren’t thinking about God at all. “...but they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph” (Amos 6:6, EHV). Joseph was another name sometimes used for the Northern Kingdom of Israel. What the people in that Northern Kingdom showed is called apostasy: the abandonment of religious faith. The people thought their heritage was good enough; they were children of Abraham. They were God’s Chosen People. They were complacent.

II.

Do you ever notice 21st Century America in some of the history of the Bible? The opulence displayed by the citizens of Jeroboam II’s Northern Kingdom is nothing compared to today. Products are shipped all over the world. Never before in history was it possible to get fresh vegetables from around the world. Imported goods aren’t available only to the wealthy. Even products made here in the US have parts that were imported before they were able to create the product you find in the store. Imported goods aren’t exotic in our global economy. While the trade of certain natural products like ivory has become illegal, synthetic products that outperform the natural ones are readily available.

As for leisure and entertainment, it’s available everywhere. If a person doesn’t want to spend the money to attend live and in-person, it’s easier than ever to watch on some sort of streaming service. And if you want to participate rather than watch from the sidelines, options abound—from sports leagues to choirs and orchestras, no matter what your level of ability.

But the bigger question is, does all this relative wealth turn our heads away from God? Does it make us complacent?

Remember the word apostasy; it means the abandonment of religious faith. Wealth wasn’t really the problem in the Northern Kingdom, it revealed the problem. The people were complacent. They were concerned only about the material world.

In the past few decades people have turned further and further away from God. Other things have taken priority. The opulence of our society has made people complacent about a need for God, or a desire to have him interfere in their lives.

Then there are the people who call themselves Christian. Many have a complete lack of understanding of biblical principles. Church to many means looking for a place that will cater to their whims. Perhaps they want to ignore certain sins or lifestyle choices; perhaps they are more interested in the vibe given by the external things in the church, like the music and the mood. Perhaps they become complacent because a church calls itself Christian, but they don’t do their due diligence and examine the nitty-gritty of the teachings.

It could be called complacency to just consider any church “good enough” if it calls itself a Christian church. But Paul wrote: “If anyone teaches different doctrines and does not devote himself to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing” (1 Timothy 6:3-4, EHV).

III.

Looking at today’s Second Reading from Amos, there isn’t much gospel, is there? The closest seems to be when he calls them: “...you distinguished people of the leading nation” (Amos 6:1, EHV). “Leading nation” is a reminder that Israel—even the Northern Kingdom—is a remnant of God’s Chosen People. It is a reminder that, as God’s Chosen People, they should cling to the promises God made to them. They should “chose life and prosperity,” as Moses told them in the First Reading several weeks ago, but that meant clinging to God and his will for the people, not just being complacent in earthly prosperity.

To find clearer gospel than that, one needs to look at the surrounding context of these few verses. God gave the people a clear promise in the previous chapter: “Listen, this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live!” (Amos 5:4, EHV). His name, the LORD, means the God of faithful love, the God who keeps his promises, especially the promise to send a Savior.

Combine that promise with what Amos says in the final verse of today’s reading; “That is why they will go into exile as the first of the exiles” (Amos 6:7, EHV). They “will go.” It hadn’t happened yet. God’s warning told them: Don’t be complacent!” it pointed back to his gospel promise: “Seek me and live!” God consistently pointed to his ultimate promise: to send a Savior from sin.

The complacent Jews in the Northern Kingdom finally had their false sense of security dashed as they were taken into captivity. Even when God carries out his threats, he still points to his promise of forgiveness in Jesus. When they found themselves far removed from the Promised Land, perhaps many of them remembered the warnings of the prophets and looked again to God’s promised Savior.

IV.

How complacent are you? Sometimes we forget the spiritual condition of our world. Sometimes we even forget our own spiritual condition. We become complacent, and get caught up dining on the choicest foods and indulging in the best entertainment options of our day.

Today’s Second Reading reminded us: “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have. For God has said: I will never leave you, and I will never forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, EHV). It is the love of money that shows complacency. Rather than focusing on money or things, focus on the God who has promised never to leave you, never to forsake you.

As one who trusts in the Lord Jesus, make your lifestyle one that is not complacent. Confess the faith you profess. Make sure your friends know that complacency has consequences. Bring them to know the truth you know—that God kept his promise to send the Savior, and that Savior came for everyone. Amen.