Amos 6:4
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; 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;
Amos pictures the leading men of the northern kingdom in its prosperity before the Assyrian captivity, living in great luxury on ivory beds and couches and feasting on choice lambs and calves amid wine, music and perfumes. That indulgence was gained by violence, robbery and oppression, while they put the evil day far away and were not grieved for the affliction of others. Their pride, debauchery and use of wine helped bring about the kingdom's downfall, so those who stretched themselves in banqueting would go first into captivity and lose their banquet. The verse condemns idle, selfish lives given to luxury, rich food and self-gratification instead of humble faith and obedience. It rebukes professed Christians and teachers who live in luxurious ease and self-indulgence and deny the truth by their works instead of faithfully doing their duty.
Israel's Luxurious Corruption
Amos 6:4 describes the state of society in the northern kingdom in the reign of Jeroboam II just after his great successes, in the last half century before the Assyrian captivity, when prosperity brought grave evils in its train. Those who might have stood as spiritual leaders among the nations had set aside the statutes of God and fallen prey to evil passions. The rich lived in great luxury in houses built of hewn stone and paneled with ivory, where they drank and feasted to excess amid delicate perfumes and soft strains of varied music. They lay upon beds of ivory and stretched themselves upon couches, eating choice lambs out of the flock and calves out of the stall, with riotous feasting and drunkenness. That indulgence included drinking wine in bowls, chanting to the sound of the viol and inventing instruments of music like David, and anointing themselves with the chief ointments.
Reclining on cushioned couches at meals reflects the spread into Palestine of a foreign custom, already present in the days of Amos and later common in Christ's time. All this luxury was obtained through violence and robbery. It belonged with putting far away the evil day and causing the seat of violence to come near. It belonged with oppression and gross injustice, licentiousness and debauchery, and hardness of heart that was not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
The ease and indulgence in costly food of Israel's leading men reflected the pride and debauchery that helped bring about the kingdom's downfall. The use of wine among the Israelites was one of the causes that finally resulted in their captivity. So those thus stretched in banqueting would go captive with the first that go captive, and their banquet would be removed.
Rebuke and Present Application
The verse condemns the luxurious, self-indulgent lives of the idle and selfish, with their comfort on ivory beds and their feasting on choice lambs and calves. It portrays indulgence in luxury and rich food and living for self-gratification rather than humble faith and obedience. Such worldly luxury and refined self-indulgence stand under the opposition of the prophets. Its woe rests on those who feed themselves from the flock while putting the evil day far away and delighting in chanting to the viol and inventing instruments of music like David. That woe applies where error prospers and is esteemed above God's saving truth while truth is trampled underfoot, among prophets who prophesy falsely and priests who rule by their means and a people who love to have it so.
It describes professed teachers and professed Christians, corrupt religious professors who deny the truth by their works. They lie in luxurious ease and self-indulgence on beds of ivory and couches and feast richly on choice animals from flock and stall instead of faithfully doing their duty. The whole chapter stands as a prophecy for the present time of pride and ease and indifference to suffering. Its phrases about being at ease in Zion and putting the evil day far away and failing to grieve for the affliction of Joseph carry that present warning, though this verse itself is not separately explained apart from them.
Lying on couches in Zion pictures a false ease. The greater rest is found in bearing Christ's burdens rather than in that ease. Being at ease in Zion also warns of lounging indifferently while children drift toward destruction. Such ease and neglect are culpable when the young are left without spiritual care, and the duty pressed is that of supporting church-school work.