The Pulpit Commentary — Amos — Section 117

IL THE SECURITY OF THE GREAT. 11 Woe to the secure I" Conscious strength makes men and nations feel secure. As to Israel : 1. They were secure in religious privilege. "In Zion." They presumed on their covenant relation. They ignored its sanctions, disregarded its responsibilities, and took it as a guarantee of immunity, even in sin. Religion is only good as a whole. To have its privileges without its spiritual character leads through carnal security to carnal indulgence, and so to a condition worse than to be destitute of both. 2. They were secure in strategi'.c strength. "And to the careless upon the mountain of Samaria." Samaria was a strong place, a mountain- fortress, situated in a rich valley. It held out against Benhadad, King of Syria, defying assault, and escaping reduction even by famine ~2 Kings vii.). To Shalmaneser; long afterwards, it only yielded after a three yoors siege (2 Kings xvii. 6, 6). Man naturally looks for victory to "the big battalion." This is reasonable in the case of a human enemy, but mere fatuity if the enemy be God. 3. They were secure in aelf-cle«ptwn. "Put far away the evil day." Security, beaten out of one retreat~ betakes itself to another. Trust in our earthly resources will ultimately fail. Security in external religious advantages will some day be broken also by a rude awaking. But the Fabian policy still prevails, and proves an almost impregnable last resort~ ., It cannot be for a long while yet" is an argumentative device that seldom fails te reassure. III. THE w ANTONNESS OF THB SECURE. The idea of immunity is an encoura1rement to sin. Among Israel's sins were: 1. Indolence. 11 Stretch themselves upo; their couches." This is the :first temptation of wealth, Work has ceased to be necessary.. and the easily acquired habit of idleness very soon develops indolence of disposition. Having nothing to do leads to doing nothing, and when a man does nothing for a while he wants to go on with it. 2. L'IJ/XIJ,ry, "Lie upon beds of ivory;" "Eat lambs," etc. Luxury is a direct result of indolence. Having nothing else to occupy their attention, men concentrate it on themselves. They make it the business of theic life to coddle themselves, with the inevitable result of becoming harder to please. A&- the appetite is pampered it becomes more dainty, and must be tempted with luxury after luxury, if any measure of relish would be retained. 3. Effeminacy. "Who trill to the sound of the barp" (ver. 5). The tendency of luxury is to unman. On the discontinuance of manly exercises follows closely the loss of manly qualities, Pamper- ing the body weakens body and mind both, and prepares the way for occupations that. will be in character. Effeminacy grows fastest when nursed in the lap of luxury; The Israel that was too fastidious to lie on anything but an ivory couch, or too dainty to touch coarser fare than" the fatted calf," was too enervated in a little while for an1 manlier pastime than trilling to a harp. 4. Profanity. "Drink wine out of sacn- ficial bowls." "The pleasures of sin" are only "for a season." They quickly wear out. Zest and relish fail, and satiety and disgust follow. Hence the tendency of indulgence to become more and more extravagant and eccentric. It is an attempt to stimulate failing powers of enjoyment by presenting new sensations. Then the natural heart is essential enmity against God. Accordi □ gly, in the case of a thoroughly perverted nature, when a sinful indulgence has ceaijed to give pleasure as indulgence~ it will continue to do so as sin. Israel had now fallen so low as this. Sensual indul- gence began to pall, and it took a fresh lease of enjoyableness by becoming sacrilegious-. 5. He,artless egotism. "And do not grieve for the hurt of Joseph." Sin is essentially selfish, and the sin of self-indulgence supremely so. The happiness, and even th«t lives, of others are as nothing in tbe balance against lust. Let who may suffer, let. what may happen, the sensualist will indulge. To euch a person philanthropy and- patriotism are alike impossible. He will "not grieve for the hurt of Joseph" even, wl,en be is himself responsible for it. He could play comfortably "while Rome bums.'.. 6. Increasing vic,lence. "And bring near the seat of violence." As destruction becomes more imminent, the violence that provokes it bt'comcs more extreme. This is sometimes due to the blindness that will not see ; sometimes to the recklessness that does not care; sometimes to the mali~ity that, forecasting overthrow, wo11ld do alt the evil possible before it comes. In any case it is aggravated and judgment- hastening sin. IV. THE nooM OF THI!: WANTON. Here, as elsewhere, punishment answers to crime., both as to degree and kind. 1. Cherished indulgence s!inuld be interrupted. "Tha, OH, VI, 1-14.] THE BOOK OF A.MOS. 117