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Introduction
Complacency is a danger that is always lurking and waiting to rear its ugly head and come and take up residency in our attitudes and lives.
It is something that must be battled constantly for with it comes grave consequences and misery.
The greatest potential threat of falling into complacency comes at a time when we feel we have arrived or we have become comfortable enough to let our guard down.
Complacency usually comes with a great cost many are unaware of and are not ready for.
Someone who becomes complacent in handling firearms will experience a negligent discharge or other catastrophic incident.
One who is complacent in awareness will miss the signs of danger about to happen.
Complacency in the job leads one to stop achieving and start coasting as if they have arrived.
Complacency causes maintenance, training, and otherwise developing to stop happening.
Complacency is a state of mind characterized by an absence of fear.
If there really were nothing to fear, there’s nothing to hurt you.
When there is something that can hurt you and you’re not fearful, beware: being fearful makes you careful.
Being complacent about a hazard is often confused with being unaware of a hazard.
“I did not know there was a hazard” is one problem; “I was sure that hazard wasn’t going to hurt me” is an entirely different problem.
Thinking “It’s never going to happen to me” often causes behavior that can make an injury more likely to happen.
That’s the big problem with complacency!
There is another complacency to beware of - spiritual complacency.
Amos chapter 6 is a continuation of his third sermon message to Israel.
It is separated out as the second declared woe on Israel.
Ou tof the message where Amos is lamenting Israel, he declares this second woe.
This woe is against Israel and her complacency as a nation that has lulled her to ignore the danger of losing the fear of the Lord.
Spiritual complacency comes from a place of comfort and enjoyment but its fleeting leaving only misery as the complacency results in judgment coming upon them.
As we read this message of woe to Israel notice how easily it could also be spoken of America and some churches.
We must heed this woe and warning that we might be vigilant against spiritual complacency in our own lives.
False Security
Amos declares woe to those who are at ease in Zion (Judah) and those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria (Israel).
Those who are at ease - that word in the Hebrew is sa-anan — “sha nahn”.
This word speaks of one who is free from fear or doubt, easy in mind -secure.
This speaks of those who are comfortable and have no lingering fear or concern.
They are marked by a confidence or assurance.
Amos says woe to those in Zion - Judah who are free from fear or doubt and have a confidence and assurance.
Then Amos also includes in this woe those who feel secure.
This word for secure is a different word and means unsuspecting - reliant and confident in the hill in which they dwell in Samaria (Northern Israel).
Look at last part of verse one - Amos is specifically speaking to the notable people in this first of the nations.
Those distinguished as noteworthy - the leaders.
The first of the nations is a reference to their inflated sense of self as the highest or the best nations.
Those that the house of Israel comes to.
The leaders of Samaria - Israel are living in such a way as to lead the people into believing that they were safe and secure and that this is a time to take it easy.
The nation was enjoying prosperity and a relative time of peace.
The leaders were living the example that they had arrived and now it was time to enjoy the good life and rest on their achievements.
Amos after telling them how they feel they are so safe and secure and have nothing to worry about directs them to go and see a few city ruins.
In verse 2 Amos says cross over to Calneh and go from there to see Hamath and finally go and gander at Gath of the Philistines.
The first two are ruins left behind by Aram and Assyria, and the last Gath is a city that was on more than one occasion decimated by Israel.
Amos say go and look, observe and understand the cities carefully.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Is their territory any larger than yours?
Is Israel better to fend off an attack?
No! Was their territory larger?
Yes.
Though their greatness and their large territory they were unable to keep from being overrun.
Amos now in verse three hits them with his point - they dismiss any thought of the evil day.
They dismiss and refuse to accept.
Arrogantly or foolishly confident they dismiss any thought of coming calamity.
False security sets in not during trouble and struggle but afterwards in the calm and the quiet.
God is rebuking Israel of their prideful complacent and false security.
He did this by comparing them to their pagan neighbors.
These pagans whom Israel knew had suffered the judgment of God already.
Yet here was Israel saying - it can’t happen here, or it wont happen yet.
They bring in reign of violence - display or bring out a reign of terror.
Washington times reported a conversation from Captain Edward John Smith who stated he believed the Titanic to be absolutely unsinkable.
“Even God Himself cannot sink this ship.”
It was the remotely sealable compartments that caused the ship to be deemed unsinkable.
When the ship hit the iceberg, the rivets popped off effectively “unzipping” the hull at the seams.
The hole in the hull allowed these compartments to flood, causing the unsinkable ship to not only sink but to do so very rapidly.
Lulled by Indulgence
The complacency of Israel came from their indulgence.
The comforts afforded to them lulled them into a sense of complacency.
Obviously it is ok to enjoy the fruits of our labor - the bible doesnt prohibit us from enjoyment.
What Amos speaks against and what the Bible speaks against and what leads us into danger is the over indulgence.
Israel truly over indulged.
Amos says they laid down in ivory beds ans sprawled out on their couches.
They rested in luxury and comfort.
Sprawled out - fully extended and stretched out.
The idea behind the word sprawled out lounging, not necessarily sleeping indicating a lazy rest.
A sprawled stupor from satiation and drunkeness.
Dining on lambs and calves from the flocks and stalls.
The picture here is not eating for necessity but over eating and over-indulging to excess.
The over indulgence filled their bellies and drunkeness over took their minds that they just sprawled out and laid around without a care of any responsibility only to their desire for more and for comforts.
Lulled by indulgence their hearts are now turned and set on the pleasure of the world, its food and drink and things.
Israel’s heart was set on their pleasures and not on God.
It lead them to vigorously pursue the earthly things, leaving them paralyzed in spiritual issues.
It produced a spiritual fatness and lethargy.
We are lulled to complacency when we make pleasures our priority and pursuit Food, fun, television, internet, hobbies, - rest.
Work, business, family, friends or even money, possessions, electronics - etc
Its not having these things - it is the over indulgence of them.
Over indulgence of things happens when they take the place of our relationship with God.
Amos describes this sort of self-delusion by saying they improvise songs to the sound of harps and invent their own musical instruments like David.
In their revelry they imagined themselves to be like David and using the instruments to worship and praise God but really all they were doing was appealing to their flesh.
Their were not content to just drink wine from goblets and cups - no it was by the bowlful.
They did not even grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
Another name for Israel - the coming disaster the coming ruin and utter destruction.
The departure from holiness and righteousness as a nation.
The loss of fervency for God.
Instead of heeding the warning of Amos they were fulfilling their hedonistic pleasures.
A picture of what was occurring along with a stern warning for us today is this “Prosperity from God brings an obligation to use what He provides to serve and glorify Him, not to indulge ourselves.”
Ends in Devastation
The declaration from the Lord through Amos is THEREFORE — because of this over indulgence and false security causing their complacency they will be going NOW into exile.
These leaders and these dignitaries will be the first of the captives.
Then he says their feasting and sprawling will come to an end.
Those who fall into complacency it will end in devastation, that is the path of complacency.
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