Amos 6:4–7 (ESV)

            “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
                        and stretch themselves out on their couches,
            and eat lambs from the flock
                        and calves from the midst of the stall,
            who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
                        and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
            who drink wine in bowls
                        and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
                        but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
            Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
                        and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”

This passage can be summarized in one sentence. “The rich will be the first to go into exile.” In other words, the most confident should be the least confident.

Amos spells out the decadence of the rich, just as he did in chapters four and five. This time, Amos notes that they dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall—young, tender animals that would feed many more people if allowed to mature.

But one new element is especially bad—they are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! The Hebrew literally says, “They are not sick over the brokenness of Joseph.” They shouldn’t just be grieved over how bad things have gotten; they should be sickened by it.

(Note: Joseph is a reference to the half-tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh—Joseph’s descendants. While the northern kingdom of Israel included other tribes, these two dominate. Thus, Joseph is a synecdoche for all of the northern kingdom.)

Their lack of concern over the ruin of the whole nation means that their decadence has rotted their soul.

They only care about themselves.

Are you sickened by the rot all around us (not just annoyed or saddened—sickened)?

This is the heart Amos had. It’s the heart God has. It’s the heart we should have. But how? Is there a way to change our hearts?

Part of being sickened by the rot all around us is being informed about it. Christian publications like breakpoint serve this purpose well.

https://www.breakpoint.org/

But better information only takes us so far. Deep change is the work of the Holy Spirit. Pray.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.