Houses of Ivory

“I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end,” Says the LORD” (Amos 3:15).

ho could honestly deny that living in America is a special blessing? In fact, compared to many nations in the world, we are extremely rich. Even though it is still true today as Jesus said, “For the poor you have with you always” (John 12:8), as a general rule, we are still rich. Therefore, because of this, we often face a greater temptation of being caught up in sinful pride.

This certainly happened to Israel, God’s chosen people in Old Testament times. When God showered them with an abundance of blessings, they often turned from Him to worldliness and idolatry. Amos, the great prophet of God, warned Israel against their leaving God for the idols and comforts of this life. He began his message, “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, and trust in Mount Samaria” (Amos 6:1). These people of God had become like the nations around them.

Amos continued his prophecy against them with the following words: “Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, who cause the seat of violence to come near; who lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches, eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall” (Amos 6:3-4).

It seems that God’s Israel had more concern for their summer and winter houses, and their houses of ivory (Amos 3:15), than they did for God. Therefore, God was going to bring them down from their prideful ways, and deliver to them severe punishment. Again, in the words of Amos, “The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness: ‘Behold, the days shall come upon you when He will take you away with fishhooks, and your posterity with fishhooks’” (Amos 4:2).

There was certainly nothing wrong with them living in fine houses, in and of itself. However, they had obtained their wealth through sin, and had surrounded themselves with sinful pride to the point of forgetting God.

Today, we can be just as guilty! If we think more of THINGS than we do of GOD, we are sinful. If we seek the many physical things FIRST, and the ”kingdom of God and His righteousness” LAST, we have failed also to please God (Matthew 6:33). If we live by sinful pride instead of gratitude and humility, we have turned away from God.

Another prophet named Jeremiah, gave some beautiful and powerful words when he wrote, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight’ says the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

How do we live in this beautiful and wonderful America without becoming guilty of sinful pride? Here is the way I like to express it:

“I love America, but I love the God who made America best of all!”

—BBBristow