This is the second message of woe, the first being in Amos 5:18. This one is directed to the notable men of Zion and Samaria, Amos 6:1. It’s a message to the leading men of both Israel and Judah, Amos 2:4-5 / Amos 3:1 / Amos 5:1 / Amos 5:5, although the message is primarily for Israel.
This prophecy was made during the reign of Jeroboam II. It was a time of great prosperity in the Northern Kingdom.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The 31 years following King Jeroboam II’s reign saw increasingly worse conditions for Israel, 2 Kings 15:8 to 2 Kings 17:6. Six kings reigned, three of whom seized power by political coup and assassination. Fear and violence marked this period, 2 Kings 15:16.’
They had become complacent in Zion, Luke 6:24-25 / Luke 12:13-21, and they felt secure in Samaria. Because of their relationship to God, they were in this privileged position, Psalms 127:1.
Smith, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These people misunderstood the terms of the covenant, thinking that God would spare Jerusalem regardless of what they did; they were at ease in Zion. In Samaria, they were trusting in the mountain of Samaria, a natural fortress which Israel’s leaders must have thought impregnable.’
Amos points out that Israel is better than these foreign countries, namely, Kalneh, that is, Babylon, Hamath, that is, Syria and Gath, which is Philistia, but they must prove themselves to be better, Amos 6:2.
Keil, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Amos names three great and flourishing capitals, because he is speaking to the great men of the capitals of the two kingdoms of Israel.’
They cannot just rely on this relationship that they have with God. The leaders of Israel think that this judgment day is far away, but they are labouring under a false impression, Amos 6:3. Their actions are leading to lawlessness.
Of the last six kings of Israel, only one died naturally. The other five were all murdered, showing what an evil, vicious nation they were becoming. Their forgetfulness of God is represented by their way of living. Their beds of ivory, upon which they lounged upon and they were eating the choicest lambs and fattened calves, Amos 6:4.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The idle rich were using inlays of ivory to decorate their beds, indifferently ignoring the gross poverty around them, and living as extravagantly as possible.’
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning the strumming on their harps, Amos 6:5.
‘The word which Amos alone uses in this place describes probably a hurried flow of unmeaning, unconsidered words, in which the rhythm of words and music was everything, the sense, nothing.’
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following concerning David and music, Amos 6:5.
‘I believe that David was not authorized by the Lord to introduce that multitude of musical instruments into the divine worship of which we read and I am satisfied that his conduct in this respect is most solemnly reprehended by this prophet and I further believe that the use of such instruments of music in the Christian Church is without the sanction and against the will of God.’
They drank a lot of wine, Philippians 3:19, and anointed themselves with the finest of oils, and strummed on their harps, Amos 6:6.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning Joseph.
‘The name of the patriarch, Ephraim’s father, recalled his suffering from his brethren. His brethren cast him into a “pit without water” Genesis 37:24, probably an empty, leaking well (much as was that into which Jeremiah, Jeremiah 38:6, was cast), damp, fetid, and full of loathsome creatures. They “saw the anguish of his soul when he besought them, and would not hear” Genesis 42:21. But what did they? “They sat down to eat bread” Genesis 37:25. So did these rich men deal with all their brethren, all Ephraim.’
Wiersbe, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Too many Christians are laughing when they should be weeping, James 4:8-10, and tolerating sin when they should be opposing it, 1 Corinthians 5:2.’
Remember, there’s nothing wrong with wealth, but it can lead to our destruction, 1 Timothy 6:9-10 / James 5:1-6. They didn’t care that all around them was being destroyed and falling into decay, Daniel 5:1-25.
The house of Israel shall be carried into captivity before the house of Judah, Amos 6:7. These luxuriant leaders would go into captivity at the head of the people of Israel. Their banquets would cease, and they would lounge on their soft couches no longer.
Here we read the announcement of punishment for these leaders.
God rejects the nation on an oath, He says, ‘He will deliver up the city and everything in it’, Amos 6:8 / Amos 8:7. The city is probably Samaria.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This was a solemn warning because God can swear by no one greater than Himself, Hebrews 6:13-14.’
Motyer, in his commentary, gives the following summary.
‘The fact of pride, Amos 6:8, its moral indifference, Amos 6:12, and its self-centeredness, Amos 6:13, are brought before us; but now we see the divine reaction to them. Amos 6:1-7 tells us in so many words that pride goes before a fall; Amos 6:8-14 tell us why this is. The divine reactions are hatred, Amos 6:8, alienation, Amos 6:9-10, and enmity, Amos 6:11-14.’
They will be the first to go into exile because they took pride in their wealth, 1 Timothy 6:9-10 / James 5:1-6, but God was about to take their wealth away, Amos 6:8. Pride is never a good thing, 1 Peter 5:5 / James 4:6 / Proverbs 3:34.
Notice the conditions within the city, ‘if ten men are in a house they will die,’ Amos 6:9. God couldn’t stand their fortified cities because they took advantage of the poor and needy to maintain their lifestyle, Amos 3:9-10. If the relative who is to burn the bodies finds someone hiding there, he will say, ‘Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord,’ Amos 6:10.
There are two possible interpretations given for this statement in Amos 6:10.
1. The name of the Lord mustn’t be mentioned in case God’s attention is drawn to him, and he is discovered and killed.
2. The name of the Lord is not to be mentioned because of the despair.
McComiskey, in his commentary, says the following.
‘When a relative of one of the dead comes to burn the corpses, should he find one person still alive, that person will not permit his mentioning the name of the Lord for fear that the Lord will turn his wrath on him.’
Out of the despair of what is happening to them, they want to forget God. Perhaps despair was caused because they realised they had turned from God, that they had been in the wrong, and they couldn’t face him.
But God’s judgment embraces the whole of the city, whether it be the great house or the small house, the rich or the poor; they will be smashed into pieces, Amos 6:11 / Amos 6:9-10. They will be broken down. God is not only going to smash the people who live in the city, Amos 6:9-10, but also the city itself, Amos 6:11.
The N.I.V. seems to differ from other versions in Amos 6:12. It suggests that horses and oxen run or plough over ‘rocky crags’. Other versions talk about oxen ploughing over the sea and oceans. Nevertheless, both are impossibilities.
Amos 6:12 tells us that these leading men can’t rely on their own strength. Do horses run on rocks? Does one plough the sea with oxen? These are against common sense and nature. But Israel was acting against common sense.
Spurgeon, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Shall horses run upon the rock?’ ‘Will one plough rocks with oxen?’ The answer implied is, ‘Certainly not,’ and it meant that, if a thing cannot be done, it is not worth doing; if it can, it will be well for us not to attempt to do it.’
Schultz, in his commentary, says the following.
‘There is a spiritual and moral order in the universe that is just as impossible to ignore as the natural order. It is as senseless to pervert justice as it is to expect horses to run on the rocks, or for oxen to plough on rock.’
They should not turn justice into poison nor the fruit of righteousness into bitterness, Amos 6:12. Some translations use the words, ‘gall and wormwood’. In other words, what they thought was justice was actually the bitterness of gall.
They were trusting in their strength, Amos 6:13. Jeroboam II had enlarged their borders and increased their prosperity, 2 Kings 14:25. Lo Debar, 2 Samuel 9:4 / 2 Samuel 17:27, which means ‘nothing’, and Karnaim, which means ‘horn’, were probably scenes of victory. These were towns east of the Jordan that were taken by Jeroboam II. They rejoiced in their own power, strength and victory.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The kingdom of Israel was destroyed in the year 722 by Sargon in the first month of his reign when Samaria was taken after a siege which was begun by his predecessor, Shalmaneser IV, and had lasted three years.’
Notice the entire limits of Israel, from her northern and southern borders, Amos 6:14. The Assyrians would overwhelm them from the northern borders of Israel, that is, Lebo Hamath, to Arabah, the southern borders near the Dead Sea. They will be oppressed throughout all of their territories. So all of their proud achievements are going to be taken away.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Once again God’s people would fall under the control of a foreign oppressor, as they had done in the past, Exodus 3:9 / Judges 2:18 / Judges 4:3 / Judges 6:9 / Judges 10:11-12 / 1 Samuel 10:17-18.’
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It should always be remembered in studying this prophecy that it was exactly and terribly fulfilled just as God had promised. Both the Sacred Scriptures and the testimony of the archaeologist testify to the overwhelming destruction of Israel within some thirty years after Amos wrote this prophecy.’