God Abhors Selfishness
or
Rebuked for Selfishness
Amos 6:4-8, 11-14
June 21, 2015
Commentary
by
Jed Greenough
Last week I asked the question, “Have you ever lived in a situation or in a place for so long that you became accustomed to it even when it wasn’t good?” Here we see exactly what we were talking about in the not included verse 6:1a, “Woe to you who are complacent.”
How serious is the woe? In verse 8 He says, He “will deliver up the city and everything in it.” I take that to be all of the cities but it could just as easily be Jerusalem as she often represents them all.
It goes on to say that He “will smash the great house into pieces and the small house into bits.” Meaning no one is spared both great and small.
Do you ever think of yourself as a small cog in a big gear and not all that significant? To me that is similar to complacency. Take a look at a picture of a cog and you will see removing one doesn’t leave a very effective gear. In fact the Merriam Webster definition for cog says in part that a cog is a subordinate but integral person or part!
Since we have been looking at Amos we have talked about how we have to look within to avoid what we are reading about. So let’s say that we have done that either for quite some time or recently. Let’s also say that we notice a problem because our discernment shows that things in our church do not measure up, now what?
Amos was one of the Shepherds of Tekoa not a priest like Jeremiah or Ezekiel but that did not stop him from performing the role of a prophet because of the vision he was given.
We are given God’s word and we are given discernment and can see when things are wrong, will we perform as that cog who “is a subordinate but integral person or part”?
I don’t want to see complacency in part because it doesn’t bring God the glory He deserves. I don’t want to see smugness because I have been there and fear that becoming complacent will return me there.
I know that you have seen a lowering of standards either in your own church or the church in general. Think about how things are changing as if God who is timeless changes. We all must fight this change no matter how trivial some of it may seem because these changes snowball and get ever bigger.
Litmus tests some times get a bad rap in discussions but I think in the case of measuring the glory to God there need be no concern. Measure each issue and ask if what is going on is consistent with the word of God and/or if it does more or less to glorify Him. If the result is negative you have been given an integral role to perform just like that shepherd from Tekoa.
For Discussion:
Discuss complacency in the church.
Discuss what can be done about complacency.
How can you as a class do something about complacency even outside of just your church?
Rather than just your church, look at your country as it relates to this scripture in Amos.
Discuss the not included verse 10 especially with regard to your country.
Upcoming Lessons
6-28-15 God Will Never Forget Amos 8:1-6, 9-10
7-5-15 No Rest for the Wicked Micah 2:4-11
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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