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first in exile

Amos 6:1-14 (JDV)

Amos 6:1 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria – the notable people in this first1 of the nations, those the house of Israel comes to.
Amos 6:2 Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?
Amos 6:3 You dismiss any thought of the evil day and bring in a reign of violence.
Amos 6:4 They lie on beds of ivory, sprawled out on their couches, and dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.
Amos 6:5 They improvise songs to the sound of the harp and invent their own musical instruments like David.
Amos 6:6 They drink wine by the bowlful and anoint themselves with the first oils but do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
Amos 6:7 Therefore, they will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and the feasting of those who sprawl out will come to an end.
Amos 6:8 The Lord Yahveh has sworn with his throat – this is the declaration of Yahveh, the God of Armies: I loathe Jacob’s pride and hate his fortified buildings, so I will hand over the city and everything in it.
Amos 6:9 And if there are ten men left in one house, they will die.
Amos 6:10 A close relative and next of kin will remove his corpse from the house. He will call to someone in the inner recesses of the house, “Any more with you?” That person will reply, “None.” Then he will say, “Silence, because Yahveh’s name must not be invoked.”
Amos 6:11 Notice, because Yahveh commands: The large house will be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.
Amos 6:12 Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does anyone plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood —
Amos 6:13 you who rejoice over Lo-debar and say, “Didn’t we capture Karnaim for ourselves by our own strength?”
Amos 6:14 But notice, I am raising up a nation against you, house of Israel — this is the declaration of Yahveh, the God of Armies– and they will oppress you from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.

first in exile

Amos spoke out against the elite of his people. They considered themselves the best people of the first nation. They spent their time in idle pursuits and luxurious living. Their pride kept them from even mentioning the name of the LORD. Their land had become a place of rocks, where the horses could not run, and the oxen could not plow – yet they refused to soften their hearts toward the LORD. They would be the first nation to go into exile.

LORD, forgive us for our pride. Draw us to yourself in humility because our lives depend on it.