Amos 6 -- Woes On Four Kinds Of Attitudes

From 5:18 to 6:14, Amos pronounces “woes” on four kinds of people in the kingdom:  the ignorant, the indifferent, the indulgent, and the impudent, my commentary says.

“The circumstances are different, but we have these same people in the professing church today,” it continued.

The ignorant kept thinking the day of the Lord would be great, and they couldn’t wait for it to happen.  They completely missed the fact that it will be a day of despair, mourning, darkness, and doom for them.  They were totally unprepared for it because of “their hypocritical worship … their unconcern for others” and the way they’d let their relationship with Jehovah fall apart.

The indifferent “enjoyed an unwarranted false confidence” and complacency, thinking their geography, prosperity, government, and military strength would take care of things for them.  “Complacency is an insidious sin, because it’s based on lies, motivated by pride, and leads to trusting something other than God … When the Lord sees His people becoming complacent and self-satisfied, He sometimes sends trials to wake them up.”

The indulgent had modified their way of life to leave “no place for the disciplines of the spiritual life.  They were living for pleasure, not for the glory of God … The sin in Amos’ day was that these luxuries distracted the people from the real problems of the nation … When nations get pleasure-mad, it’s a sign that the end is near … It’s difficult today to find people who are truly burdened about the sins of the nations and the sins of the church … Too many Christians are laughing when they should be weeping and tolerating sin when they should be opposing it.”

The impudent “boasted of their fortresses, their mansions, and their elegant way of life, all of which God abhorred and would one day destroy … Humble dependence on God is the only guarantee of His help and blessing.” 

Father, show me what I don’t see, so that I will not be ignorant of what You despise.  Help me not to be complacent about it.  Don’t let me become distracted by blessings and fail to see when I should be at work with You, and keep me humble so that I will not let pride cloud my judgment or my relationship with You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford