Not Grieving Over Joseph’s Ruin | Amos
By Rev. Jeremiah Cheung
From Amos 6:1-7
6:1 Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! 2 Go to Kalneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours? 3 You put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of terror. 4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. 5 You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. 6 You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.
Today let us focus on this exception – “you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph”. What does this phrase mean? First, through the prophet, the Lord told the Israelites that they were blessed by God and that they were more blessed than the other nations. In Amos 6:1-2, they are described as the foremost of nations. The Lord asked them to go look at Kalneh, the great city of Hamath, and Gath of Philistia and see if these had received more grace than Israel? We can see from other Scriptural passages that Israel had been blessed in ways that the other nations have not been, such as having the Law of God. No other nation has the great and wise Laws of God, and most significant of all, the one true God is the God of Israel. These are blessings that the other nations did not have!
However, the Lord rebuked them because they were ungrateful and the nation was full of sin. And in this passage, v.3-6, the people the Lord was rebuking were their leaders. The Lord rebuked them for their: 1. rule of terror 2. lounging in beds of ivory 3. dining on choice lambs and fattened calves 4. strumming away on their harps 5. improvising on their musical instruments 6. drinking wine by the bowlful 7. Using the finest lotions.
What are these? These statements describe a life of indulgence. It is not that the Lord does not want us to enjoy His blessings, but as leaders, we must not live in ease and affluence while being oblivious to the suffering of others. For this reason, the Lord rebuked them for not grieving over the ruin of Joseph. Joseph’s story is recorded in Genesis chapters 37-50 – how he was sold and betrayed, how he was framed and how he suffered. The Israelites understood this clearly. Joseph had two sons – Manasseh and Ephraim. Ephraim became the representative of the northern kingdom. To say that they did not grieve over the ruin of Joseph means that they did not care about the sufferings of Israel while they themselves had lives of indulgence and ease.
As leaders, we must have a sense of concern, we must watch over God’s church and the flock. Are our fellow believers growing in their love for the Lord or are they being drawn away by the world? Are they bound by sin? What are their needs? These are the things that leaders are to focus on, rather than the pleasures of life.
Amos 6:7 “Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.” The Lord issues a grave and serious warning here: He says that judgment will begin with the house of God and the judgment of God’s house will begin with its leaders. We must watch out!
Previous Post: Is the Day of the Lord a Day of Joy or Sorrow? | Next Post: Living in a Drunken Stupor
不為約瑟的苦難擔憂 | 阿摩司書
張國強牧師
阿摩司書 6:1-7
6:1 國為列國之首, 人最著名, 且為以色列家所歸向, 在錫安和撒瑪利亞山安逸無慮的, 有禍了。2 你們要過到甲尼察看, 從那裡往大城哈馬去, 又下到非利士人的迦特, 看那些國比你們的國還強麼? 境界比你們的境界還寬麼? 3 你們以為降禍的日子還遠, 坐在位上盡行強暴。4 你們躺臥在象牙床上, 舒身在榻上, 喫群中的羊羔, 棚裡的牛犢, 5 彈琴鼓瑟唱消閑的歌曲, 為自己製造樂器, 如同大衛所造的, 6 以大碗喝酒, 用上等的油抹身, 卻不為約瑟的苦難擔憂。7 所以這些人必在被擄的人中首先被擄, 舒身的人荒宴之樂必消滅了。
今天我要跟你們思想一句很特別的話, 「不為約瑟的苦難擔憂」這句話是什麼意思呢？神首先藉著先知告訴以色列人, 他們蒙神的祝福, 他們比列國蒙恩。6:1-2他們為列國之首。神施給他們的恩比列國更多, 神讓他們去看看甲尼, 大城哈馬去, 非利士人的迦特, 他們所蒙的恩豈比以色列多嗎？如果我們再參考其他的經文, 以色列還有其他的恩典是列國沒有的, 好像神的律法。列國那有神偉大而且充滿智慧的律法, 更重要是的神是獨一的真神, 竟然成為以色列的神, 這些都是列國沒有的恩典啊!
但是神要責備他們, 因為他們沒有感恩而且全國充滿了罪惡, 但這段文, 從3-6節主要責備的對像是那些作領袖, 神責備他們1.坐在位上盡行強暴。2.躺臥在象牙床上 3.喫群中的羊羔與牛犢4.彈琴鼓瑟唱消閑的歌曲 5.為自己製造樂器 6.以大碗喝酒 7.用上等的油抹身。
這些是什麼? 安逸的生活, 神不是不准許我們享受神的祝福, 但作為領袖的不能是活在安逸中, 完全沒有患難意識。所以神責備他們, 不為約瑟的苦難擔憂, 約瑟的故事記載在創世記 37-50章, 他怎樣被賣? 怎樣被陷害, 怎樣受苦, 以色列人非常了解, 約瑟有二個兒子, 瑪拿西與以法蓮, 後來以法蓮更成為北國的代表, 所以不為約瑟的苦難擔憂
就是不為以色列現在面對的患難擔憂, 只沈迷在享樂之中。
作為領袖, 我們要有一種憂患的識意, 為教會, 為羊群守望, 他們愛主或是愛世界, 他們在罪中被捆綁嗎? 他們在那方面有真實的需要嗎？這些都是領袖們要注意的事, 而不是只注重每天的享樂。
6:7 所以這些人必在被擄的人中首先被擄, 舒身的人荒宴之樂必消滅了。神提出一個嚴重的警告, 審判從神家開始, 神家的審判從領袖開始, 我們要儆醒啊!