THE RESULT OF COMPLACENCY AND PRIDE

Passage: Amos 6:1-14

Key verse: 8b

NIV

Woe to the Complacent

6 Woe to you(A) who are complacent(B) in Zion,
    and to you who feel secure(C) on Mount Samaria,(D)
you notable men of the foremost nation,
    to whom the people of Israel come!(E)
2 Go to Kalneh(F) and look at it;
    go from there to great Hamath,(G)
    and then go down to Gath(H) in Philistia.
Are they better off than(I) your two kingdoms?
    Is their land larger than yours?
3 You put off the day of disaster
    and bring near a reign of terror.(J)
4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory
    and lounge on your couches.(K)
You dine on choice lambs
    and fattened calves.(L)
5 You strum away on your harps(M) like David
    and improvise on musical instruments.(N)
6 You drink wine(O) by the bowlful
    and use the finest lotions,
    but you do not grieve(P) over the ruin of Joseph.(Q)
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;(R)
    your feasting and lounging will end.(S)

The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel

8 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself(T)—the Lord God Almighty declares:

“I abhor(U) the pride of Jacob(V)
    and detest his fortresses;(W)
I will deliver up(X) the city
    and everything in it.(Y)”

9 If ten(Z) people are left in one house, they too will die. 10 And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[a](AA) asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!(AB) We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For the Lord has given the command,
    and he will smash(AC) the great house(AD) into pieces
    and the small house into bits.(AE)

12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
    Does one plow the sea[b] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison(AF)
    and the fruit of righteousness(AG) into bitterness(AH)—
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[c]
    and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[d] by our own strength?(AI)”

14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
    “I will stir up a nation(AJ) against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
    from Lebo Hamath(AK) to the valley of the Arabah.(AL)”

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Footnotes
  1. Amos 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
  2. Amos 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
  3. Amos 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
  4. Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Woe to Those at Ease in Zion

6 (A)“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
    and to those who feel secure on (B)the mountain of Samaria,
(C)the notable men of (D)the first of the nations,
    to whom the house of Israel comes!
2 Pass over to (E)Calneh, and see,
    and from there go to (F)Hamath the great;
    then go down to (G)Gath of the Philistines.
(H)Are you better than these kingdoms?
    Or is their territory greater than your territory,
3 (I)O you who put far away the day of disaster
    (J)and bring near the seat of violence?

4 “Woe to those (K)who lie on (L)beds of ivory
    (M)and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
    (N)and calves from the midst of the stall,
5 (O)who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
    and like David (P)invent for themselves instruments of music,
6 (Q)who drink wine in bowls
    and (R)anoint themselves with the finest oils,
    but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 (S)Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
    and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”

8 (T)The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts:

“I abhor (U)the pride of Jacob
    and hate his strongholds,
    (V)and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”

9 And (W)if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when one's relative, (X)the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” he shall say, “No”; and he shall say, (Y)“Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For behold, the Lord commands,
    and (Z)the great house shall be struck down into fragments,
    and the little house into bits.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
    Does one plow there[a] with oxen?
(AA)But you have turned justice into (AB)poison
    (AC)and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood[b]—
13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar,[c]
    who say, (AD)“Have we not by our own strength
    captured Karnaim[d] for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, (AE)I will raise up against you a nation,
    O house of Israel,” declares the Lord, the God of hosts;
“and they shall oppress you from (AF)Lebo-hamath
    to the Brook of (AG)the Arabah.”

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Footnotes
  1. Amos 6:12 Or the sea
  2. Amos 6:12 Or into bitter fruit
  3. Amos 6:13 Lo-debar means nothing
  4. Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns (a symbol of strength)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Woe to you who are complacent (1-7) Life was secure and comfortable for the notable and wealthy of Israel and Judah. They ate choice meat, laid in beds adorned with ivory, and lounged on couches. They enjoyed plenty of wine and used the finest lotions. Their days were spent making music for themselves. But their comfort and ease made them selfish and complacent. They ignored the moral and spiritual deterioration of their land. Unbeknownst to them, disaster was near. 2. God abhors the pride of Jacob (8-14) God detested the pride and arrogance of the wealthy. They boasted of their victories but, in fact, they had nothing. They lived securely but God would destroy their fortresses. No one would be left alive in their homes. The wealthy had turned justice and righteousness into bitterness. Therefore, the LORD would raise up a nation to oppress them.

Prayer: Lord, forgive my selfishness, complacency and pride. Help me to put aside my own comfort and be an instrument of justice and righteousness.

One Word: Beware of complacency and pride