Amos 6:1a, 4-7 (NRSV)
Read Amos 6:1a, 4-7 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 6Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel resorts! Verse 4Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; Verse 5who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; Verse 6who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Verse 7Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.
Devotion
Amos warned the people of Israel against their trust in their wealth, against their comfortability, warning them that if they continued in this way, the result would be exile. I wonder what part of life do we find ourselves being too comfortable with? Are we missing where God is leading us and guiding us to? Are we too comfortable in our wealth, in our possessions, in our location, in our calling or vocations that we’re missing God’s voice?
When I hear Amos say “Woe to those who are at ease…woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches,” (Vss.1, 4) I’m reminded of how Jesus’ Beatitudes warn us to be mindful and to take steps back from our comfortability. The other side of the situation is to think about the others in the world that don’t have what we have.
Prayer
God help us out of our comfortabilities and continue to challenge us to find ways that we can help one another. Help us to hear the woes that you call to our attention. Amen.
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