There exists in every area of life the ever present danger of growing pacified with how things are rather than pursuing the way things could and maybe should be. Often in our careers, marriages, and friendships we find ourselves in a rut, satisfied and without desire to work to strengthen, grow, and build ourselves up to the potential that we possess. A prime example of such revealed in scripture is found in a statement of condemnation Amos presented in his prophetic book: “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!” (Amos 6:1). As Homer Hailey stated, this “…second ‘woe’ is pronounced upon the revelers who felt secure in their mountain-surrounded city and in their perverted idea of God and their relation to Him. The prophet includes those ‘at ease in Zion,’ Jerusalem, as well as those ‘secure in…Samaria.’ The rulers of both cities were guilty of a false sense of ease and security. Neither realized the imminence of danger.” Knowing everything revealed in scripture about the history of Israel and the candidness with which they looked at sin and their participation in it, our minds immediately ask how could they possibly have felt satisfied in their state of depravity? But is it not true that often times we take our ease in whatever state of spirituality we find ourselves, not concerned about growth, but more satisfied with maintaining the status quo?
Have we taken our ease in Bible knowledge? The root of Israel’s problem was indicated by Hosea when he revealed that his brethren were destroyed for a “lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). At some point in their history, generations ignored their responsibility to instruct the coming generations, resulting in the vast majority of the people through the vast majority of the nation’s history being ignorant of their Divine expectations. And as if that was not bad enough, the people lived in their ignorance so long that they became satisfied in that ignorance and did not seek to search out the truth of God’s word. As God’s people, we do not need to fall into the same dangerous trap as did God’s people of the past. Some Christians of Hebrew descent did, and were reproved as follows: “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat” (Hebrews 5:12). The only combative method to this problem is to do as Paul instructed Timothy: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). We must be careful to not take our ease in Bible knowledge, but continue to study and “grow in the grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
Have we taken our ease in Bible teaching? Too often the attitude of many with regard to teaching the Bible to others follows a straying line of thought. The young are satisfied to wait until they are older to teach and ignore the responsibilities and opportunities they have now. The older are satisfied with the efforts of their past and shift responsibility to those younger in years. The result of this is that nobody teaches anybody and the world continues to die lost in its sins. Husbands have the responsibility to instruct unbelieving wives; wives have the responsibility to teach unbelieving husbands; parents must instruct their children; Christians must instruct the lost. The church of the first century went abroad preaching and proclaiming the word of God to all those with whom they came in contact. Do we find the necessity of the same in our present era? Christ warned against taking our ease in Bible teaching when He said, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). Today is the appointed time to teach and reach the lost, but have we taken our ease in Bible teaching?
Have we taken our ease in Bible obedience? No effort of godliness put forth is ever done in vain. The perpetual plea of the apostle Paul was stated to the Corinthians: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The continual need within the lives of all is to dedicate ourselves to stedfast and strict submission to the commands and expectations of Almighty God, knowing of the good guaranteed thereby. Too many, though, are satisfied with their past or current efforts and have no foresight to better themselves in service. Such simply should not be so, because that is what it means to take ease in Bible obedience.
Woe is unto those who have taken their ease in spiritual Zion, the church. We should never be satisfied with the efforts of our past or present, but we should always look toward the future with the anticipation of greater opportunities in Bible knowledge, Bible teaching, and Bible obedience. Have we taken our ease?