November 9 Daily Discovery - Read Amos Chapter 6

This passage below is from the King James Version (ekjv.org).  

Remarks from the Berean Fellowship follow the passage below.

[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.
[8] The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.
[9] And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.
[10] And a man's uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD.
[11] For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.
[12] Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:
[13] Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?
[14] But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of the wilderness.

The Woe of Comfort

Have you ever heard this: "A life lived for pleasure is frivolous, - a life live without pleasure is unbearable?" What we have here in Amos chapter 6 is similar, for the prophet cries out a "Woe upon those that are at ease in Zion." Because of their sins they are ripe for God's judgment and they are not troubled about their condition. T hey are absolutely comfortable and they feel completely secure but it will all end soon.

The call of the prophet was to offer comfort to the afflicted but it was also to afflict those that were comfortable. Israel was not honoring God and they were not troubled about it. They were completely comfortable in their environment. They felt completely safe even though the prophet had warned them that God was going to raise up an adversary to judge them.

We Must Live to Honor Our Purpose

The people of the nation of Israel were all about comfort and pleasure. They were completely self focused and had no real awareness of god in their lives. This is why the prophet pronounced a woe upon them.

They were not living according to their God-defined purpose.

Rev. 4:11

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

We have been created for to please God, for God's glory.  

We were not made for ourselves.

Matt. 5:16

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Phil. 3:12-14

[12] Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
[13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
[14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

God Must be First and Foremost

Matt. 6:24-34

[24] No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
[25] Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
[26] Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
[27] Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
[28] And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
[29] And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
[30] Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
[31] Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
[32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
[33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
[34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

God sometimes gives us wealth and comfort.

When He does, these things are ours to enjoy, but we must not cleave to them or hoard them. T hey must be shared with others, especially the poor. Jesus routinely admonished those that wanted to follow Him, when they had great riches,  to sell their stuff and give the proceeds to the poor.

1 Tim.6:17-19

[17] Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
[18] That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
[19] Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

1 John 3:16-18

[16] Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
[17] But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
[18] My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

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Continue Your Search

From this chapter, do you see any: Commands to Obey, Warnings to Heed, Promises to Claim, Examples to Follow, Vices to Avoid, Praises to Emulate, Prayers to Use, Principles by which to Live, Questions to Ask or Actions to Take?

See: Berean Fellowship Bible Study Method