Read Amos 6:8–14
Questions from the Scripture text: Who has sworn by Whom (Amos 6:8)? What does He abhor? And hate? What will He do? What will happen to a house of ten (Amos 6:9)? How many living will the relatives find, who come to bury the dead (Amos 6:10)? What will this leave no room for doing? What image is used for YHWH’s commanded destruction in Amos 6:11? What is the implied answer to the two questions in Amos 6:12? What have they done that was just as foolish? With what results? Over what two victories are they boasting? But Who is raising up what (Amos 6:14)? To do what, with what effect?
How much does God hate pride? Amos 6:8–14 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God hates pride with a just, wrathful, almighty hatred.
Pride makes an enemy of God. The introduction of the oath in Amos 6:8 establishes the greatness of what is about to be announced. How much God hates pride! Avoid it with all that you are, dear reader, before you find yourself with God as your sworn enemy.
Pride brings total death. The scene in Amos 6:9-10 is irretrievably sad. Even a family of ten is not big enough to have a survivor. The person outside with the ten bodies calls to the one in the house, but no one is found alive. There is no use in calling upon YHWH now, for all are dead; and, Amos 6:10 might also be saying that the complete mortality is an indicator that YHWH’s judgment against them is beyond turning back.
Pride brings total destruction. The image changes in Amos 6:11, but the result is the same. The destruction comes at YHWH’s command, and however great the house was before, what remains afterward is jus tiny little bits.
Pride is self-deceived (Amos 6:12). Some things just seem like common sense. You don’t run the Kentucky Derby over boulders. You don’t plow a field with oxen, while it’s still full of boulders. And you don’t overturn justice in your land. The Lord will most certainly respond to such a people with bitter, poisonous death.
Pride is delusional. The boasting in Amos 6:13 is ridiculous. “Lo Debar” means “not a thing,” and Karnaim was a tiny little city exactly in Aram, the opposite of its name (“horns,” i.e., strength). The “by our own strength” has the effect of being self-mocking because of how unimpressive the victories actually are.
Pride will be devastated. YHWH, God of armies, now responds to the boasting in Amos 6:13. What will happen when He brings a real army of a real nation against them? Israel will be afflicted from their extreme north (“entrance of Hamath”) to their extreme south (“valley of the Arabah”).
In several passages, these last few weeks, the Spirit has confronted us with the danger of pride, to which God is opposed with all that He is. Let us reject pride as most delusional and most dangerous. Dear reader, shall we not be brought low before Him? Let us adore. Let us depend. Let us submit. Let us exalt ourselves over no one.
In what ways or situations have you been impressed with yourself or felt good about yourself? Why is this so dangerous? How are you cultivating humility? What would it look like to be more humble?
Sample prayer: Lord, thank You for holding up to us the mirror of Your Word, so that we can see how dangerous and delusional our pride is. We confess that we have felt good about ourselves for things that we have done, when what we have done is not so impressive, and even our doing it has only been by Your grace. So, our pride has been ridiculous and foolish, and provoked Your enmity. But You have shown Your great love in Christ dying for His enemies. In that love, forgive us our pride, and remove it from us. Grant that, by Your Spirit, we would have the humility to adore You and depend upon You and submit to You, we ask through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested Songs: ARP98 “O Sing a New Song to the LORD” or TPH440 “Come , Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched”
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