Amos 3:3-7
3 You push away every thought of coming disaster,
but your actions only bring the day of judgment closer.
4 How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds
and lounge on your couches,
eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock
and of choice calves fattened in the stall.
5 You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp
and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful
and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions.
You care nothing about the ruin of your nation (b: of Joseph)
7 Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives.
Suddenly, all your parties will end.

* * *

Here the prophet criticises Israelites who pursued pleasures in
the dawn of adversity.

Indeed, what was the ruin of Joseph?

Remember pharaoh's dream that Joseph interpreted?

There were seven fat cows and seven skinny cows. The seven
fat ears and seven skinny ears. Each meant seven plentiful years,
and seven years of famine.

So, the plan of Joseph was to store excess wheat from the years
of plenty, and distribute it to the hungry in the years of famine.
However, there was a catch: in the years of plenty, thee wheat
was taken almost freely, as a surplus, as a tax.

In the years of famine, the people had to sell their land, their homes,
and in the end their very bodies and freedom just to eat, gratefully
or naively thinking how the pharaoh saved them. Thus all Egypt
became a land of slavery to the pharaoh as the only master of life and death, only to survive the famine.

That was great Joseph's plan. However, Israelites did not escape the
destiny of Egypt. After Joseph's death, the next generation forgot
about Joseph's wisdom and his salvation of Egypt, and Hebrews became
slaves too.

Word for the wise - the pharaoh though did not tax the priests
and the temples, so the priesthood retained possession of the land.

However, Hebrews remained slaves for 450 years, even their great great-grandchildren were paying the price of their meals they took
only to survive the famine, for they did not store themselves the surplus
in the times of plenty (but today it would have probably been devoured by inflation and eaten by moths and rats).

It is not clear why the LORD God Creator decided to put all Hebrews
into slavery in a foreign land and to serve foreign gods.

Certain things remain a mystery.

However, Amos points to the importance of spirituality and return
to God in times of adversity. Or great-grandchildren might still pay
the price.

in the Lord
Amen

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