Scripture Daily

Context No. 4295 of 4322 · Amos

Context · Reflection

Amos 6:1-9: in context

1Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who are secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come! 2Go to Calneh, and see. From there go to Hamath the great. Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? Is their border greater than your border? 3Alas for you who put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near, 4who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch themselves on their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the middle of the stall, 5who strum on the strings of a harp, who invent for themselves instruments of music, like David; 6who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best oils, but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7Therefore they will now go captive with the first who go captive. The feasting and lounging will end. 8“The Lord GOD has sworn by himself,” says the LORD, the God of Armies: “I abhor the pride of Jacob, and detest his fortresses. Therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is in it. 9It will happen that if ten men remain in one house, they will die.

Amos pronounces a woe on those who are at ease in Zion, the comfortable and secure who lounge on beds of ivory, dine on choice meat, drink wine in bowls, and indulge themselves, but, the prophet says, are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Their sin is not merely luxury but a comfortable indifference: they enjoy their ease while their people suffer, untroubled by the affliction all around them.

What stands out is the specific charge: they are not grieved over the affliction of their people. It was not only their self-indulgence that condemned them, but their insulation from the suffering of others, their ability to feast and relax while their neighbors were being ruined, feeling nothing. Their comfort had made them blind and indifferent to the pain around them.

It is possible to be so cushioned in our own ease that we grow indifferent to the suffering of others, enjoying our comforts while remaining untroubled by the affliction around us. Amos names this comfortable indifference as a grievous sin. The call is to let ourselves be grieved by others' suffering rather than insulated from it, to feel the affliction of the hurting rather than lounging untouched while others are in pain.

Has my own comfort made me indifferent to the suffering of others, able to enjoy my ease while remaining untroubled by the affliction around me, and will I let myself be grieved by others' suffering as Amos rebuked those who felt nothing for the ruin of their people?

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