Today we will be concluding Chapter 5 and beginning Chapter 6. In our last session we found the Lord deploring the people's outward show of religion that had no heart to it. He stated His intention to ignore their way of just "going through the motions" and He concludes that theme like this: "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream! 'Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god---which you made for yourselves. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,' says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty." (Amos 5:24-27)
Many scholars interpret these verses to mean that the people have offered far more sacrifices to pagan gods than they ever previously offered to the Lord or that they brought idols out of Egypt with them to which they made offerings in the wilderness. Exactly what is meant is not clear except that the people's hearts are not wholly committed to the Lord. Some are mixing heathen religious practices with their worship of the Lord and some have forsaken Him entirely for idols. Because they love idols so much, He intends to send them to a land where they will see nothing but idolatry.
He warns them not to be complacent. Just because no nation has ever conquered them before doesn't mean He will continue to protect them. The reason they stood firm against enemies in the past is because the Lord was on their side. But they are no longer on His side and if they continue to ignore His call to repent He will allow the nation to fall.
"Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! Go to Kalneh and look at it; go from there to Great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours?" (Amos 6:1-2) The Lord points them to other lands that have already been conquered or subjugated by other nations. Those idolatrous lands were prosperous but eventually they could not stand against the enemy. Israel and Judah cannot trust in wealth or military might to protect them from the enemy either.
"You put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of terror. You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end." (Amos 6:3-7) These words paint the picture of citizens numbing themselves against any prickling of their consciences and against any fear of an advancing foe and against any warnings of judgment from the Lord. They are eating and drinking and making merry while the wolf is at the door, so to speak.
The reference to "Joseph" is a reference to his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, whose tribes belong to the northern kingdom of Israel. The Lord announces that the northern kingdom will go into exile before the southern kingdom of Israel. From our study of the kings we know this is exactly what happened. Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire approximately 130 years before Judah fell to the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
No nation should trust in its prosperity or in its superior weaponry or in the size of its army. We are to trust in the Lord. If we are right with Him, He is more than able to protect us even if our forces are outnumbered, as we have seen Him do several times on the pages of the Bible. But if we are not right with Him, and if we continue living in opposition to Him in spite of repeated warnings and corrective action on His part, a day may come when He allows the nation to fall. We don't want to let things get to that point! It should be a part of our daily prayer time to pray that more and more people of our nation would turn to the Lord and that He would be able to continue blessing us.
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