Woe to Those at Ease in Zion (Luke 6:24-26)
“Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes. Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall. You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, you will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and your feasting and lounging will come to an end.
The Pride of Israel
The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself—the LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared: “I abhor Jacob’s pride and detest his citadels, so I will deliver up the city and everything in it.” And if there are ten men left in one house, they too will die. And when the relative who is to burn the bodies picks them up to remove them from the house, he will call to one inside, “Is anyone else with you?” “None,” that person will answer. “Silence,” the relative will retort, “for the name of the LORD must not be invoked.” For the LORD gives a command: “The great house will be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.”
“Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—you who rejoice in Lo-debar and say, ‘Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?’ (Lo-debar means “nothing” and “Karnaim” means “horn,” a symbol of strength.) For behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD, the God of Hosts, “and they will oppress you from Lebohamath to the Brook of the Arabah, “and they will oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.”
Ah, Israel! What a lovely place, provided you have money! Too bad God isn’t as impressed with these people as they are with themselves! “Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes. Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall. You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, you will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and your feasting and lounging will come to an end.”
While the citizens of the Northern Kingdom are living in luxury, they refuse to realize that their nation is deteriorating spiritually and is about to come to an inglorious end. The Israelites are about to go into exile at the hands of the Assyrians and may even face catastrophic plagues before the Assyrians arrive. If there are ten men in a house, they will all die and those who come to collect the bodies will be afraid to mention the name of the Lord. All of these gorgeous mansions will be reduced to nothing.” For the LORD gives a command: “The great house will be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.”
The citizens of Israel have refused to acknowledge their evil deeds; however, God is not impressed. “Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.” To use a modern expression, lies are attempting to identify as truth, but God refuses to accept such nonsense. “For behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD, the God of Hosts, “and they will oppress you from Lebohamath to the Brook of the Arabah, “and they will oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.” The Assyrians will make a clean sweep of the entire nation of Israel. All ten of the tribes involved will either be destroyed or carried into slavery. This destruction will be so complete that these ten tribes will subsequently be referred to as “the lost tribes of Israel.”
APPLICATION: Why is God so angry at the nation of Israel? Were the Israelites to spread the wealth around and were they to worship God instead of idols, God would not be angry. But the Northern Kingdom of Israel was founded on idolatry and that idolatry has only gotten worse as time has gone on. Totally ignoring God’s Laws and the words of the prophets, the citizens of the Northern Kingdom have persisted in enriching themselves at the expense of the poor, the widows and orphans – the very people whom God has ordered them to protect.
What does the Book of Amos have to say to us? God sent Amos to warn the nation of Israel that destruction was imminent if they did not repent and change, establishing righteousness and justice throughout their kingdom. Upper class Israelites were enjoying a luxurious lifestyle on the backs of the poor and downtrodden.
If God gives us wealth, what do we do with it? Do we take lovely vacations, purchase vacation homes and pleasure boats? Go on expensive shopping trips and excuse them as “retail therapy?” On the other hand, there are those who have endowed schools, orphanages, and scholarships in a number of places, doing untold good in the process. The Rockefeller Foundation serves as one such example. More than 100 years ago, research funded by the Rockefeller Foundation eliminated hookworm from the rural American South by implementing two innovations: building toilets and the wearing of shoes. Hookworm is passed from one person to another when someone who is barefoot walks through feces containing hookworm larvae. But you don’t have to be a Rockefeller to help people. There are those individuals who have worked in relatively low-paying jobs who have nevertheless succeeded in funding college education for deserving high school students. May God help us, so that we will use the resources He has given us to fulfill His perfect will for those resources!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to use the resources You have given us to help those around us as You want us to. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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