A Country At Ease
Notes
Transcript
A Country At Ease
A Country At Ease
1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, And trust in the mountain of Samaria, Which are named chief of the nations, To whom the house of Israel came!
2 Pass ye unto Calneh, 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?
3 Ye that put far away the evil day, And cause the seat of violence to come near;
4 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;
5 That chant to the sound of the viol, And invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;
6 That drink wine in bowls, And anoint themselves with the chief ointments: But they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, And the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.
Amos - a man with a mission… - the man from Tekoa - a town 6 miles S of Bethlehem and approx 10 miles south of Jerusalem.
1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
15 And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
Amos - was just another man - of the tribe of Judah, but was called to leave his homeland and be a prophet to those in Israel...
The kingdoms were divided, and soon we will see the 10 tribes of Israel vanquished - Judah also will come under the great attack and oppression of Nebuchadnezzar and the armies of Babylon…
We are 25 years before captivity comes, but the messengers of the Lord are pronouncing judgement and proclaiming the need for repentance...
Here we find the judgment of something that we look at as being good - not bad...
1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, And trust in the mountain of Samaria, Which are named chief of the nations, To whom the house of Israel came!
Woe to them...
We would think just the opposite…
Blessed are they
happy are they
content are they that are at ease...
no fear
no insecurity
no worries
no anxiety
no pressure
no problems
no “issues”
We would say - That’s where I want to be...
We would not say:
blessed are they
happy are they that...
are fearful
stressed
worried
depressed
anxious
pressured
oppressed
troubled...
Sir Isaac Watts put it this way:
Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follow’r of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies
On flow’ry beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?
Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord;
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.
The spiritual condition of Israel was not in a good place -
the blessings and comforts did not lend to a a better position with God - but a worse condition...
1. A Sense of Status
1. A Sense of Status
Ease is something we all crave - we want it easy and when it is, we feel like we have arrived
Notice the progression
1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, And trust in the mountain of Samaria, Which are named chief of the nations, To whom the house of Israel came!
At ease in Zion
Trust in the mountain of Samaria
Named - chief of the nations
Presence of the Preferred people
Israel was at ease -
A Sense of Status - they were prideful -
2. A Sense of Security
2. A Sense of Security
2 Pass ye unto Calneh, 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?
Israel was lulled into a false sense of security...
THE POWERFUL NATIONS THAT EXISTED - THAT ARE EXTINCT...
Calneh
Hammath
Gath - that great city of the philistines...
America the Beautiful
A Sense of Status - they were prideful -
A Sense of Security - they were powerful
3. A Sense of Satisfaction
3. A Sense of Satisfaction
4 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;
5 That chant to the sound of the viol, And invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;
6 That drink wine in bowls, And anoint themselves with the chief ointments: But they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, And the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.
Beds of Ivory - luxury
Rest upon their couches - comfort
wealth and possessions
lambs
calves
spirits charmed and comforted by the musicians
wine in bowls - the vastness of their comforts and pleasures - a mere glass / cup would not suffice to the volume that they desired...
perfumes, ointments, -
they enjoyed the best and were not concerned or burdened by the need of their brethren… Joseph
their need
their affliction did not matter -
as long as they were comfortable and at ease...
A Sense of Status - they were prideful -
A Sense of Security - they were powerful
A Sense of Satisfaction - they were Prosperous
Not only was this the condition of Israel
Not only does this sound like America
This also is a reflection of the condition of the church...
A Sense of Status - they were prideful -
A Sense of Security - they were powerful
A Sense of Satisfaction - they were Prosperous