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"Woe to you who are at ease in Zion"

Text: Amos 6:1

THE REIGNS OF UZZIAH AND JEROBOAM II

Amos ministered in the reigns of Uzziah and Jeroboam (Amos 1:1). In their reign, both countries enjoyed much prosperity. But wealth and affluence did not curb the many sin problems that arose.

“Woe to you who are at ease in Zion,
And trust in Mount Samaria,
Notable persons in the chief nation,
To whom the house of Israel comes!”
Amos 6:1

1. Pronouncements of “Woe”

a) The first was mentioned in Amos 5:18.

i) There was a false sense of hope in the day of the Lord.

ii) Many took for granted that the Lord would deliver His people, regardless of their sinfulness.

iii) This wrong attitude was reproved.

b) The second is found here in Amos 6:1.

i) The word “Woe” is associated with judgment and doom.

ii) The judgment of the Lord would fall on the nations that had rejected the Lord and chose idolatry instead.

iii) Idolatrous worship introduced many wicked activities to the erstwhile righteous nation.

2. “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion”

a) This is a reference to the nation of Judah.

b) Under King Uzziah, Judah enjoyed great wealth (2 Chronicles 26).

c) But with wealth came the problem of complacency and ease.

d) The desire to seek the Lord was no longer fervent.

3. “And trust in Mount Samaria”

a) This was a reference to Israel.

b) Under King Jeroboam II, the nation experienced affluence (2 Kings 14).

c) Their trust was in the nation itself rather than the Lord God.

4. “Notable persons in the chief nation, to whom the house of Israel comes”

a) Israel saw itself as “the chief nation”.

b) The “notable persons” may be understood as the cream of society.

c) People fawned on these “notable person” instead of seeking God faithfully.

The shift of focus was obvious; Amos had to address the problem with the pronouncement of “woe!”