The temptation of wealth and how to fight it
Amos 6:1-14
John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist and philanthropist in the 19th century and arguably the richest American in history, was once asked how much money was enough. He famously replied, ‘Just a little bit more’. His observation brilliantly captures the hold that money can have over us, that feeling of fulfilment just out of reach that pushes us on. Although our wealth may be nowhere near Rockefeller’s, the urge for more is always there no matter where we are on the riches scale. The temptation to be sucked into this never-ending cycle of wanting more is particularly great in our Western cultures where advertising cleverly exploits our desires and links their fulfilment to buying yet another product.
The adverse effects of wealth
The picture we gain from Amos highlights the issue of wealth in the prophet’s day and holds up a mirror to our own attitudes. Riches were seen by Israel as God’s blessing, and this lulled people into a false sense of security that the Lord was on their side. The sarcastic description of ‘the distinguished men of the foremost of nations’ (Amos 6:1) reflect the wealthy’s conviction of being special. Thus, the rhetorical question implying that God’s people are not superior to the city states (Amos 6:2) under their influence or control is a slap in the face.[1] Living at ease makes it hard to face uncomfortable realities and Israel dismisses the coming disaster (Amos 6:3). Paradoxically, their resistance to face the truth will bring ‘the seat of violence’ (i.e. a reign of terror, v.3) closer. The destruction they pushed aside will catch up with them. Finally, luxury and excess (lavish furniture and food, leisure time for composing music, an excess of wine drunk from huge basins and expensive oils to moisturise dry skin) makes the wealthy ignore ‘the ruin’ of the needy in the country (Amos 6:4-6).[2]
The judgment to come
There is poetic justice then in the fate of the wealthy in that the foremost in Israel will go into exile first (Amos 6:7). It will destroy their arrogance and their self-confidence in their strength and military prowess (Amos 6:8, 13). The devastation is exemplified with the vignette of ten men in a house (Amos 6:9). In a city, a minimum of ten men was needed for an assembly, but even if that many will survive the onslaught and huddle together in one house, they will still be ultimately destroyed. The devastation will make communities unviable. The second vignette highlights again the fear of those who survive with one person hiding in the safest part of the house not even daring to come out when another enters to have a relative or loved one buried (Amos 6:10).[3] The Lord can no longer be called on for help (hence His name should not be mentioned, v.10) because He is set on destruction (Amos 6:11). It may seem absurd for Israelites in the peaceful geopolitical climate of Amos’ day that their country could be annihilated, but it is no more absurd than horses running on rock or oxen ploughing the same – or the twisting of justice into poison (Amos 6:12).
How to live with wealth well
It is not hard to recognise in Amos’ description something of our own Western context, the comforts we enjoy, the leisure time, the pampering of our bodies, the self-absorbed lifestyles. The issue, however, is spiritual. Reliance on self and one’s own achievements are drummed into us from an early age and it is easy to attribute what we have to our efforts. It helps to remind ourselves that it is the Lord who gave us the abilities, the opportunities, the strength to get to where we are today. Being used to ease of living that most cultures in time and space have not experienced also makes it hard for us to face disaster. In the run-up to the Covid-19 pandemic when news began to filter through of this mysterious disease, I well remember hoping that the problem would just go away so we could all go back to being comfortable. Even as Christians, it is hard to shake off the impact of our culture. Yet, the issue is not wealth itself but our attitude to it. When we are possessed by money or comforts, our decisions will be dictated by those considerations and we will be slaves to them. As in Jesus’ parable of the servants (Matt 25:14-30), we are given different gifts, abilities, wealth, but these are entrusted to us for use so that we are stewards, not owners. Not allowing money to own us and knowing that we are not the owners of our money are two aspects that can help us to handle wealth with integrity. Finally, it is good to live with an attitude of thankfulness, to learn to live with plenty or with want in contentment (Phil 4:11-12).
[1] Calneh and Hamath were city states in eastern Syria and under Israelite influence, while the Philistine city of Gath was under Judah’s control at this time. Douglas Stuart, Hosea-Jonah, WBC 31 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1987), 359. The first ‘they’ in Amos 6:2 is often amended to read ‘you’, but even if the personal pronoun is confusing, the overall issue is not in doubt. Israel/Judah had greater territory and they thought they were better, but the rhetorical questions expect a negative answer. They should have been better as God’s people but they were not.
[2] NASB’s ‘sacrificial bowls’ (Amos 6:6) would be better translated as ‘basins’. The issue is not sacrilege (as in the famous story of Dan 5:3) but size. Normally people drank wine from cups. The reference to Joseph (v.6) is used by the prophets to speak of Israel (the northern kingdom). This is because Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim became the two biggest tribes in Israel who occupied the central part of the country.
[3] The Hebrew dod can mean ‘uncle’ or ‘beloved’.
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