Beds of Ivory
Scripture Reading: Amos 6:4-7
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!
In Proverbs 30, Agur wisely prayed, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
Here in Amos 6, Amos pronounced a “woe” on a certain class of people. “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,” he wrote in verse one. Even though the signs of God’s judgment were all around, and even though the prophets were warning them of impending disaster, there was a class of people who felt themselves immune to the danger.
We might call these people “the elite class.” They weren’t living paycheck to paycheck. They had a diversified portfolio of assets and lived in comfortable homes in gated communities. The country might go through some hard times but they could ride out the storm with little disruption to their comfortable lifestyle. Or so they thought.
Wealth in itself was not the problem. Being wealthy is not a sin, but it carries with it some inherent and dangerous temptations. One of those temptations is to make one’s wealth one’s god. It, rather than the Lord, becomes one’s source of security. The person who falls prey to that temptation will then lose any love they might have had for their neighbor.
The people Amos is speaking against weren’t concerned about the spiritual demise of their nation and the suffering that was created among the common people because they were comfortable, eating well, and enjoying life. They were “not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!”
While it isn’t a given, personal wealth can cause a person to lose interest and concern for the glory and kingdom of God. We would be wise to heed Jesus’ admonition to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” It would also be wise to remind ourselves that our wealth is no reliable source of security.
Let us flee from the sins of Belshazzar, partying and praising “the gods of silver and gold…which do not see or hear or know…” while the enemy is at the gate. Instead, may our faith and trust, our security and safety be in the Lord our God.
