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"Who lie on beds of ivory"

Text: Amos 6:4

THE DECADENT LIFESTYLE OF THE POWERFUL AND RICH

Amos listed the lifestyle of the powerful and rich. He was not against wealth, but against those who did not care at all for the down-trodden and the poor!

“Who lie on beds of ivory,
Stretch out on your couches,
Eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall;
Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments,
And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David;
Who drink wine from bowls,
And anoint yourselves with the best ointments,
But are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.”
Amos 6:4-6

1. Description of the lifestyle of the rich and powerful wicked

a) Very costly home furnishings

i) Beds of ivory.

ii) “Couches”- another word for “beds”.

iii) The wealth was ill-gotten!

b) Extravagant meals

i) Lambs from the flock (especially bred for consumption).

ii) Calves from the midst of stall (similar idea as the above).

iii) Many did not have enough; but little compassion was shown to the poor.

c) Selfish entertainment

i) Idling away their time singing popular music

Inventing musical instruments like David (costly pursuit of hobbies at the expense of not caring for the down-trodden and poor).

ii) One huge difference was that David upheld justice as best he could.

d) Drinking from bowls

i) To indicate heavy consumption of wine.

ii) To drink good wine from bowls was not within the reach of those who could barely afford to keep soul and body together.

e) Anointing with the best of ointments

The rich and powerful focused on preening themselves without a thought of the poor!

2. “Are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph”

a) This harks back to the time when the siblings of Joseph mercilessly sold him as a slave.

b) Joseph suffered much because of the wicked callousness of his brothers who did not grieve at all!