Verses 1-2 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! 2 Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
Zion is another name for Jerusalem. The name means “parched place”. The Hebrew word translated as “ease” is “shaanan” and it means at ease, careless, arrogant, or secure. Samaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom which became known as Israel and which was made up of ten tribes, whereas Judah was the southern kingdom made up of two tribes and had Jerusalem or Zion as its capital. So it appears this part of the prophecy given to the prophet Amos by the LORD was addressed to both nations. The “them that are at ease” would most likely be the rich and powerful men in control of government, the economy and the people. Apparently they are not cognizant of the threat of other nations around them and God suggests they go to these various places and see these kingdoms and compare them to their own nations. God was also pointing out that they should not relax as their land or nation was no better than the heathen lands or nations as they had abandoned their God.
Verses 3-7 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; 6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.
Because the rulers and the power elite are living in luxury (ivory beds, the best foods and wines, music and entertainment) they have become complacent and are not tending to the needs of their nations. Just as Joseph’s brothers disregarded the suffering and plight of their little brother when they sold him into slavery, these men were disregarding the plight of their nation and its people. Their punishment was that they were to be the first people taken into captivity and slavery. This prophecy became fulfilled when Assyria captured Israel and when Babylon captured Judah. The rich and famous were the first either killed or dragged off into captivity in foreign lands, whereas the poor were usually left to continue to work the land and prevent it from being taken over by wild animals and weeds. The conquering nations wanted the land to be productive, but the leadership was dispensable.
Application: The Hebrew rulers and power elite did not believe that calamity could come to them because they were living the good life, so they did not repent and get back into right standing with the LORD. Likewise today, nations who have become comfortable with their wealth and their possessions do not feel a need to seek and rely on the LORD, and so they will not repent of their sin and rebellion. Surrounded by luxury and entertainment, they forget the downtrodden and the needy and just continue in their wickedness. But just as the nations Israel and Judah were eventually destroyed, so shall today’s nations who reject the leadership and counsel of God Almighty be destroyed. God is no respecter of persons and He will judge and punish no matter what the nationality or religious belief of the nations happens to be.
Application: Just as the complacent wealthy were removed from the land first and the poor were left to work the land, so will be the end-time situation expressed by Jesus as the separation of the wheat from the tares. The tares or unrighteous are gathered first and burned in the fire of God’s judgement and the wheat or righteous are left to shine and to enter into eternity in Heaven.
Verses 8-10 The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein. 9 And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die. 10 And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD.
When God swears by Himself, it is sure to come to pass. Since there is none greater than God, He therefore swears by Himself. The Hebrew word translated as “sworn” is “shaba” and it means to take an oath, to adjure, or to curse. The Hebrew word translated as “excellency” is “gaown” and it means exaltation, pride and arrogance. The Hebrew word translated as “abhor” is “taab” and it means to loathe. And the Hebrew word translated as “hate” is “sane” and it means to hate. So through the prophet Amos, God is expressing some very strong emotions so that no one living in Israel or Judah could claim that this prophecy was vague. The picture being presented in the verses above is that the judgement of God and the resulting punishment would be so great that there would be much death and destruction so that the dead bodies could not all be buried and would therefore have to be burned en masse. The remnant of people left alive would be afraid to even speak the name of the LORD. They would have no excuse and would be in fear of the awesomeness of the LORD.
Verses 11-14 For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts. 12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock: 13 Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? 14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness. (Amos 6)
It would not matter whether the people were rich and living in great houses or poor and living in shacks, the results would be the same: destruction. The nations of Israel and Judah had perverted judgment and had forsaken their God. They were taking credit for their nation as if they had been the ones to defeat enemies and take the promised land without the assistance of the LORD. Therefore they would be destroyed by another nation entirely. This prophecy was fulfilled in stages. Israel was captured and exiled by Assyria, Judah was captured and exiled by Babylon, and the remnant that returned to the land in the days of the prophets Ezra and Nehemiah were destroyed and/or exiled by the Romans. Gall is venom or something bitter and poisonous. Hemlock is often called wormwood and it is metaphor for bitterness.