Woe to them that are at ease in Zion and that are secure in the mountain of Samaria, the renowned of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come.
Amos cries woe over the leading men of two kingdoms — the comfortable in Zion, the confident on the mountain of Samaria, the men the whole nation looked up to. The question is whether honour, borders and comfort can shield anyone from the judgment of God.
The woe is aimed at a settled sense of safety. One writer reads the whole chapter as God's renewed appeal to men wrapped up in it.
Amos 6 is a fresh appeal from Jehovah to men wrapped up in self-security, warning them of sorrow that is certain… They are shown here that the resources of nature cannot hide them from the judgment of God. Their place of honour is just as powerless — the honour of being raised above the nations, with the house of Israel looking up to them.
The "notable men" are the chiefs of the nation. The next verse sends them to look at three other places — Calneh, Hamath and Gath — and asks whether Israel is any better than them.
This woe concerns the great men, the chiefs of the nation. They had sunk into a godless self-security. They dreamt on in their darkness, while the clouds of judgment gathered above them. They were to go from Calneh to Hamath, and then down to Gath of the Philistines… These places were the places of vileness and corruption. But were the kingdoms of both Judah and Israel any better than these?
Being "the first of the nations" is what makes the woe land. One writer draws out what Israel's unique place with God meant for them.
"You only have I known of all the families of the earth." But the conclusion is very solemn. They alone were set apart to know Jehovah; they alone were known as His people. So God says, "therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." The measure of relationship is always the measure of responsibility. The nearer a people is brought to God, the stronger the grounds and the higher the standard on which they must answer His claims in obedience.
The ease had a cause. Under king Jeroboam, Israel had won its borders back as far as Hamath. (Older translations call the day of disaster in verse 3 "the evil day.")
Jeroboam had "put far away the evil day" by winning Israel's borders back to "Hamath the great," and to the sea of the plain. Look, says Amos, the evil day is near. On the eve of ruin, the prince was relaxing, thinking only of his ease. Yet Hamath itself and Gath (recaptured by Uzziah), and Calneh and Babylonia were about to fall into the hands of the Assyrians!
Refusing to face that day is not harmless. It changes how people live.
Some desired the day of the Lord. Others put it far off, refusing to believe that judgment was near… The evil servant says, "My Lord delays His coming," and so he behaves outrageously. What were the results in Israel when the evil day was put far off? They committed violence; violence increased in the land.
Ease can be more dangerous than pressure. One writer points to two men who trusted God in danger and failed in comfort.
It is easier to some to be abased than to abound. David trusted God when he was hunted like a partridge on the mountains. When he lived at ease in Zion, Satan lured him into the foulest sins. Jehoshaphat counted on God when he was weak, saying, "We do not know what to do." When he was strong and rich, he allied himself with Ahab and helped the ungodly.
The words have long been used of a spirit found among God's people in any age — and one mark of it is impatience with those who mourn.
Those who are at ease in Zion, to use an expression from the Old Testament, will always scorn the grief of those who feel how far the holy city has departed from her God… Those who were led by the Spirit of God were always a weeping people. It was not that they distrusted the faithfulness of God Himself. They were overwhelmed by what they felt when they saw how little the faithful respond to the power and grace of God.
- Ease. The woe falls on men who felt safe in Zion and in Samaria. Neither place nor comfort could hide them from judgment.
- Eminence. They were the notable men of the first of the nations. That honour did not answer the charge; it raised it. The measure of relationship is always the measure of responsibility.
- Evidence. Israel was told to look at Calneh, Hamath and Gath. Those cities were about to fall to Assyria, so Israel had no ground for confidence.
- Evasion. They pushed the evil day far away while Jeroboam's new borders made ruin look impossible. The same refusal returns in the servant who says his Lord is delayed.
- Exposure. Comfort tests a person harder than hardship. David and Jehoshaphat stood when weak and fell when strong. And those at ease will scorn the few who still grieve.
Pass unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go to Hamath the great; and go down to Gath of the Philistines are they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
Amos sends Israel's leaders on a tour: east to Calneh, north to Hamath, west to Gath. Does being bigger, older or better placed than your neighbours shelter you when God judges?
The three cities lie east, north and west of Israel. Kelly points to what became of them.
Here God shows them that the resources of nature have no power to hide them from His judgment. Their place of honour has no power either — raised above the nations, with the house of Israel looking up to them… Calneh was far east, a very ancient city and one that lasted a long time. (Compare Genesis 10:10 and Isaiah 10:9.) Hamath was a Canaanite kingdom north of the land. Gath lay in the west. Where were they now? What cause Israel had to fear, worse and more guilty than they!
The word "great" attached to Hamath is not decoration. It marks a military prize, and one Israel had won back not long before.
Damascus and Hamath were both capitals of two once powerful kingdoms. David had brought them under his rule long before (1 Chronicles 18:3-6). Jeroboam won them back for Israel more than a hundred and fifty years after they broke away from Judah. That says much about the success and power of his arms against those hostile nations on his northern border. Hamath, called "the great" in Amos 6:2, was the chief city of upper Syria. It held a key strategic position, commanding the whole valley of the Orontes, which led down to the countries to the south.
Amos aims this at the top men of the nation. The cities he sends them to had a name for evil.
This woe concerns the great men, the chiefs of the nation. They had sunk into a godless self-security. They dreamed on in their darkness, while the clouds of judgment gathered above them… Nimrod built Calneh in the land of Shinar (Genesis 10:10). Hamath was the capital of a Syrian kingdom, and Gath the centre of Philistia. These places were places of vileness and corruption. But were the kingdoms of both Judah and Israel any better than these?
Israel had just enlarged its own border, which is what makes the question sting. Commentators differ on when these cities fell. Some treat them as ruins already. Others point to a blow still coming.
Jeroboam had "put far away the evil day" by reconquering Israel's borders as far as "Hamath the great," and up to the sea of the plain. Look, says Amos, the evil day is near at hand. On the eve of ruin, the prince was relaxing, thinking only of his ease. And see — Hamath itself and Gath (Uzziah had recaptured Gath, 2 Chronicles 26:6), along with Calneh and Babylonia, were about to fall into the hands of the Assyrians!
The comparison also carries a warning:
Amos 6 dwells on the false confidence that deceived the heads of Israel. A judgment like that of Calneh and Hamath might fall upon Israel.
Israel treated closeness to God as cover. Earlier in the book, Amos states the opposite rule.
They were separated to the knowledge of Jehovah, and they alone were known as His people. That is why He says, "therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." The measure of relationship is always the measure of responsibility. The closer God brings a person, the stronger the grounds and the higher the standard on which that person must obey God's claims.
The rule reaches further than Israel:
It is God's people when in a bad state who are worse than anybody… The more light people have, the worse they are if they are not faithful… the nearer you are to the blessing, if the blessing is not yours, the more guilty you are.
- Look. Amos sends the leaders east, north and west to three famous cities and lets the ruins do the arguing.
- Compare. Those kingdoms were places of vileness and corruption. Were Israel and Judah any better?
- Borders. Jeroboam had just pushed Israel's border out to Hamath the great. The very cities Israel measured itself against were about to fall to Assyria.
- Powerless. Size, age, honour and a strong border are resources of nature, and none of them can hide a nation from the judgment of God.
- Nearer, heavier. The measure of relationship is the measure of responsibility. The privilege Israel trusted in made their guilt greater, not smaller.
Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
Amos speaks to the leaders of a rich, successful kingdom, and verse 3 names their habit of mind: they pushed the day of reckoning far away and pulled violence in close. Older translations call it "the evil day"; the ESV reads "the day of disaster."
The chapter opens with a woe, and the trouble it names is confidence resting on the wrong supports. One commentator sums up who the chapter targets — people trusting supports that cannot shelter them:
Amos 6 is a fresh appeal of Jehovah to those wrapped up in self-security, warning them of sure sorrow… Here God shows them that the resources of nature cannot hide them from His judgment. Their place of honour above the nations was just as useless, with the house of Israel looking up to them.
Another writer describes the same blindness:
This woe concerns the great men, the chiefs of the nation. They were sunk into a godless self-security. They dreamt on in their darkness while the clouds of judgment gathered above them.
Israel's king had won back territory. The map itself looked like proof that the evil day could wait:
Jeroboam had "put far away the evil day" (Amos 6:3) by winning back Israel's borders as far as "Hamath the great" (Amos 6:1-2) and the sea of the plain. Look, says Amos, the evil day is near at hand. On the eve of ruin, the prince was relaxing, thinking only of his ease (Amos 6:4).
The border had moved. The day had not.
The verse pairs two moves: the day of disaster pushed far off, and the seat of violence brought near. A commentator asks what followed in Israel once men pushed the evil day away:
While some desired the day of the Lord, others put it far off; they refused to believe that judgment was coming. It was so in Ezekiel's time when the people said, "The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing" (Ezekiel 12:22). So it is in Christendom. The evil servant (Matthew 24) says, "My master is delayed," and as a result he acts outrageously. What were the results in Israel when the evil day was put far off? They committed violence; violence increased in the land. They lived in luxury on beds of ivory and ate the best of the flock. They danced and made merry. They drank wine, but no one cared about the hurt of Joseph — the spiritual condition of the people.
Two opposite attitudes to the day of the Lord meet one answer:
Some pretend to court the day of Jehovah. Others dare not look "the evil day" in the face, so that they may oppress and enjoy without remorse. Either way it comes to the same end: judgment from God, who is not mocked in either case.
One writer sets the leaders' false confidence beside what it cost them:
Amos 6 dwells on the false confidence that deceived the heads of Israel. A similar judgment to that of Calneh and Hamath might fall on Israel. Their chief men gave themselves up to luxury, as though all were prosperity… They would be the first to go into captivity.
First in wealth, first into captivity. The men most certain the day was far away met it soonest.
- Dream. The chiefs of the nation felt safe without God. They dreamt on in the dark while the clouds of judgment gathered.
- Delay. Israel's recovered borders made the warning look absurd, so the leaders pushed the day off. Amos answered that the evil day was near at hand.
- Violence. The verse's two halves are cause and effect. Push judgment far off, and violence comes near. Refusing to look at the day is what lets men oppress and enjoy without remorse.
- Deafness. The same refusal returns wherever people say the vision comes to nothing, or that the master is delayed. Commentators trace it from Ezekiel's hearers to the evil servant of Matthew 24, and on to Christendom.
- Captivity. Courting the day and refusing to look at it end alike, because God is not mocked. The leaders who felt safest went into captivity first.
that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves from the midst of the stall;
Amos lists the furniture and the food of Israel's leading men. The list is a charge, not a compliment. So why would God object to comfort? The answer is what these men were comfortable about, with their nation on the edge of ruin.
Chapter 6 opens with a woe on men who felt untouchable.
Amos 6 is a fresh appeal of Jehovah to those wrapped up in self-security, warning them of sure sorrow… Here they are shown that the resources of nature are powerless to hide them from the judgment of God. Their place of honour is just as powerless — the honour of standing above the nations, with the house of Israel looking up to them.
Some in Israel courted the day of the Lord. Others, like the men of this verse, refused to look at it.
So some pretend to court the day of Jehovah. Others dare not look "the evil day" in the face, so that they may oppress and enjoy without remorse. It comes to the same end of judgment from God, who is not mocked in either case.
The verse names both a bed and a couch. One piece of furniture did both jobs.
These were mostly divans, low raised seats around the room. They served for reclining on in the day and for sleeping on at night, which is why they are often called "beds."
Ivory is the material the verse names first.
Ivory is the well-known substance that the tusks of the elephant consist of. We read of beds of ivory, thrones of ivory, palaces of ivory, ivory houses, and vessels of every kind. The finest specimens were used for carving, and the smaller ones were cut into veneers for covering surfaces.
The luxury had a deadline. Israel's borders had just been pushed back out under Jeroboam, Israel's ruler.
Amos announced to the house of Israel that Jeroboam's conquests would not last. The Assyrian would capture them… Jeroboam had "put far away the evil day" by reconquering Israel's borders as far as Hamath the great, and to the sea of the plain. Look, says Amos, the evil day is close at hand. On the eve of ruin, the prince was relaxing, thinking only of his ease (Amos 6:4)… The house of Jeroboam was threatened with ruin under the judgment of the Lord.
The food in the verse points past appetite to the men who ate it.
Their chief men gave themselves up to luxury, as though everything were prosperity. They had no sense of the affliction of Joseph. They should be the first to go into captivity.
Pushing the day of reckoning out of sight did not leave them neutral. It set them free to live as they pleased.
What were the results in Israel when the evil day was put far off? They committed violence; violence increased in the land. They lived luxuriously on beds of ivory and ate the best of the flock. They danced and made merry; they drank wine, but no one cared about the hurt of Joseph, the spiritual condition of the people.
Is a list of couches and menus too small a thing for prophecy?
The Spirit of God can go into small details when the details are there to go into. But someone may further object, "We must furnish our houses according to our rank in life." Wherever someone raises this objection, it lays bare the real ground of the objector's soul. That ground is the world.
The test reaches past Israel to us.
Even at this distant day, we may take our share of the prophet's rebuke for the same heartlessness. That is so if we can willingly love the world that cast out the true Joseph… The beds of ivory, the sound of the viols, the wine and the finest ointments were never so plentiful as they are today. And if we can settle down to life in such a world, are we true to the cross of Christ, as we ought to be?… We are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. We are not true to the rejection of Christ. Worldliness is heartlessness to Him.
- Ease — the woe falls on men wrapped up in self-security. They thought their rank above the nations could shield them from God's judgment.
- Ease blinds — pushing "the evil day" out of sight did not make them harmless. Violence grew in the land while they feasted on the best of the flock.
- Ease deadens — ivory couches served for lounging by day and sleeping by night. The men on them had no feeling for the affliction of Joseph.
- Ease ends — on the eve of ruin the prince was relaxing. The first to lie down in luxury were the first to go into captivity.
- Ease today — the same test reaches us. If we can settle into a world that cast out Christ, worldliness has become heartlessness toward Him.
that chant to the sound of the lute, [and] invent them instruments of music, like David;
Amos speaks to people at the top of a prosperous nation. This verse catches them singing and building new instruments while the country slides toward ruin. The writers ask one question: not whether music is wrong, but what these singers used it for, and what it drowned out.
The chapter opens with a woe on people who felt untouchable. The couches, the meat, the music and the wine are the evidence for the charge.
Amos 6 is a fresh appeal from Jehovah to those wrapped up in self-security, warning them of sure sorrow... Here they learn that the resources of nature cannot hide them from the judgment of God. Their place of honour cannot hide them either. They stand above the nations, and the house of Israel looks up to them... Verse 7 tells them they will be among the first to go into captivity, and the loud feasting of those stretched out on their couches will end. It will turn into mourning and the cry of despair.
The word behind "harp" here names a stringed instrument.
A stringed instrument. The word is nebel, and is often translated "psaltery". Its exact form is not known.
The word "invent" has a history in Scripture, and this verse sits among its darker uses.
God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions (Ecclesiastes 7:29) or devices... Cain went out from the presence of God and built a city, and his descendants made harps and organs. Men made themselves as happy as they could without God, as in the days of Uzziah. Amos 6:5.
David did design instruments, and Scripture points to this very verse as proof. But note what he designed them for.
We must remember that David was a great inventor of musical instruments (Amos 6:5). Those instruments will be the fitting way to celebrate Jehovah's praise in the kingdom when it comes for the world (Psalm 150; Revelation 11:15). Meanwhile we worship in spirit and in truth, as true worshippers of the Father. We are to sing with the spirit and also with the understanding (John 4; 1 Corinthians 14).
The same skill can serve two different aims. Scripture follows both to the end.
God was pleased to have the music of David in the temple worship, and He will have music from Israel on earth again. But the music of man's world charms his heart away from God, and God has marked it out for judgment.
Some think couches, songs and ointments are too small for God to comment on. This passage answers that on its own.
The Spirit of God can go down to the smallest details when the details are there. Someone may object further, "We must furnish our houses according to our rank in life." Wherever people raise that objection, it shows the real ground their soul rests on. That ground is the world, beyond doubt.
The songs are not the whole charge. The charge lands on what the singers felt nothing about — the affliction of Joseph.
The beds of ivory, the sound of the harps, the wine and the finest ointments were never so plentiful as in these days. And if we can be content with life in such a world, are we true, as we ought to be, to the cross of Christ?... We are not "grieved for the affliction of Joseph," we are not true to the rejection of Christ. Worldliness is heartlessness to Him.
- Gift. David invented instruments to celebrate Jehovah's praise, and Scripture cites this very verse as proof.
- Copy. These singers have David's skill without David's aim. They follow Cain's line, who made harps and organs after going out from God's presence and made themselves as happy as they could without Him.
- Comfort. Couches, songs, wine and ointments are the resources of nature. None of them can hide anyone from the judgment of God.
- Numbness. Judge the music by what it silences: no grief over the affliction of Joseph. Worldliness is heartlessness to Christ.
- Test. God's Spirit goes down to the smallest details — so "our rank in life" is no defence for a home furnished to please the world.
that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments; but are not grieved for the breach of Joseph.
Amos 6 pictures Israel's leaders on ivory beds, feasting and drinking while the nation slid toward ruin. Their crime was not the luxury but what was missing from it — any grief over "the ruin of Joseph."
The chapter opens with a woe against people who felt safe. One writer shows how useless their defences were, and how they avoided thinking about God's day:
Amos 6 is a fresh appeal of the Lord to those wrapped up in self-security, warning them of sure sorrow… Here they are shown that the resources of nature cannot hide them from the judgment of God. Their place of honour is just as useless: they were raised above the nations, with the house of Israel looking up to them… Some make a show of longing for the day of the Lord. Others dare not face the evil day, so that they can oppress and enjoy life without remorse. Either way it comes to the same end: judgment from God, who is not mocked.
The wine and the oil were not necessities. A Bible dictionary traces the word behind "finest oils":
The Hebrew word is shemen, which is regularly translated "oil." It is used for "fatness, oil, spiced oil," and so "ointment." On joyful occasions people anointed the head with it (Psalm 133:2). Elsewhere it is called the "oil of gladness" (Psalm 45:7; compare Proverbs 27:9; Ecclesiastes 9:8; Amos 6:6).
One writer's summary of the chapter shows where this confidence rested, and where it ended:
Amos 6 dwells on the false confidence that deceived the leaders of Israel… Their chief men gave themselves up to luxury, as if everything were going well. They had no sense of the affliction of Joseph. They should be the first to go into captivity. The Lord would give up Israel to desolation. For they trusted in what was empty — in their golden calf.
The men most comfortable would be the men taken first.
The name Joseph carries its own history. One writer sets this verse beside what Joseph's brothers once did:
Joseph's brothers had no idea of all that was to flow to them from their treatment of him. "They took him and cast him into a pit… and they sat down to eat bread." "Woe to them… who drink wine in bowls… but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph." (Amos 6:6)
The verse also tests the reader. One writer ties our ease in this world to the rejection of Christ:
The heartlessness of all this is what is especially shocking. That is what the prophet Amos, under the Holy Spirit, notices so solemnly when he speaks of the affliction of Joseph… The beds of ivory, the sound of stringed instruments, the wine, and the finest oils were never so plentiful as in these days. And if we can settle down to life in such a world, are we true to the cross of Christ, as we ought to be?… We are not "grieved over the ruin of Joseph." We are not true to the rejection of Christ. Worldliness is heartlessness to Him.
Another writer asks the same question of Christians who are content and happy:
We are happy: quite right, but do we still carry the sense of ruin? Is it not a grief and a burden — the scattering of the members of Christ, the deep desolation of everything that bears His name?
The chapter does not leave the woe hanging. God swears an oath against Israel's pride:
The prophet then declares the hatred God feels against the ways of Israel. Those ways dishonour Him and corrupt man. "The Lord has sworn by Himself… I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds; so I will deliver up the city and all that is in it."… It is a picture of utter desolation and despair.
- Ease — The woe falls on men wrapped up in self-security. Their honour and their resources could not hide them from God's judgment.
- Numbing — Wine in bowls and the finest oils belonged to celebrations. Here the festival mood hides the evil day these men dared not face.
- Missing grief — Their chief men gave themselves to luxury as if all were going well. They had no sense of the affliction of Joseph.
- Old pattern — Joseph's brothers threw him into a pit and then sat down to eat. Feasting while a brother suffers is the sin Amos names.
- Today's test — Comfort in the world that rejected Christ is the same heartlessness. It ends where Amos ends: God abhors the pride of Jacob and gives up the city to desolation.