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All Pleasure, No Grief - Amos 6:1-7
All Pleasure, No Grief - Amos 6:1-7 [1] Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
[2] Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
[3] Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
[4] That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;
[5] That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;
[6] That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
[7] Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.
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INTRODUCTION
Men seek pleasures for various reasons, but often the foundational hope is to be able to escape sorrows and grief. In the days of Amos, the people were at ease in their "beds of ivory," feasted upon "the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall," listened with anticipation to their new "instruments of musick," overindulged by drinking "wine in bowls," and pampered their flesh "with the chief ointments." In the midst of all these pleasures, the people of God had no heart to grieve for others. As it was with Israel, the church spends so much of its time seeking out pleasure that it has little to no time to grieve.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
- (For smaller children) It is natural for us to want someone to care when we need help. But when things are going well, how are we at caring for others (Luke 6:31And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
See All...)? God was not pleased with how the pastors were treating His people who needed help (Ezekiel 34:1-4 [1] And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? [3] Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. [4] The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
See All...). - What forms of pleasure do men seek out today that are comparable to those sought out in the days of Amos? Do any of these pleasures bring lasting joys?
- What do you do in order to forget your sorrows? How does this keep you from being able to grieve for others and for yourself? What benefits could be found in being able to grieve?
PRAYER NEEDS
- Ask the Lord to help you see when pleasures are hurting you.
- Ask God to show you why you cannot grieve for others.
HYMN
He Was Not Willing
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Proverbs 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.