Prosperous, Prideful, and Passive – Amos 6
Prosperous, prideful, passive – these words describe the rich people of Samaria. They partied and drank, and sang and ate, and lounged about, enjoying their wealth and their precious foods and ointments. Not caring that their wealth was gained through corruption and abuse. Not grieving over the impending doom of their nation. They just kicked back and loved life and lived it to the full. They were like Nero playing while the city burned.
Yet God pronounces “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion…” (v.1). They trusted in the strength of their mountains (v.1). But God asked to go look at other, stronger and larger nations, whose mountains did not protect them (v.2). Their problem was not that they did not know the evil day was coming. It was that they “put [it] far away.” They procrastinated. They were having too much fun to repent (v.3-6).
Well, one day all “their fun” would come to an end. One day, they would be the first to go into captivity (v.7) God promised to deliver up their city because He hated their pride and their palaces (v.8). Many men would die and the great houses would fall (v.9-12). Those who bragged about their own power would be afflicted and carried away by another nation (v.13-14).
You and I may not be the richest people in the world, but we are able to enjoy blessings and prosperity that would have placed us in the top tiers of previous generations. Will we allow all our comforts to foster pride and passivity? Or will we be grieved with the spiritual condition of the world around us? Unless they repent and believe on Jesus, they will all die and go to hell! How can we be at ease in Zion while the lives of men and women hang in the balance?