Day 179: Blinded by Comfort (2024)

This episode explores the themes of justice, comfort, and societal obligations through biblical texts, emphasizing the dangers of complacency in spiritual and societal duties.

1. The dangers of complacency and self-indulgence, and their impact on societal and spiritual decay.
2. The importance of active faith that engages with the world and addresses injustices.
3. The role of leaders in guiding according to God's will and the consequences when they fail to do so.
4. The prophetic role of scripture in speaking truth to the current day.
5. The need for personal reflection on how one's comfort might blind them to the suffering of others.

1: Introduction

Father Mike Schmitz introduces the biblical readings and the podcast's purpose, setting the tone for a reflective session on spirituality and responsibility. Father Mike Schmitz: "Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a year podcast where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture."

2: Ataliah's Reign

Discussion on Ataliah's destructive reign over Judah, highlighting the scriptural narrative of power and divine justice. Father Mike Schmitz: "Now, when Ataliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family."

3: Joash's Ascendancy

Exploration of Joash's rise to power under the guidance of Jehoiada, and the revival of proper worship practices in Judah. Father Mike Schmitz: "And the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house."

4: Amos's Prophecies

Father Schmitz delves into the book of Amos, using its messages to challenge modern-day listeners on issues of justice and complacency. Father Mike Schmitz: "For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness and treads on the heights of the earth."

5: Closing Reflections

Summarizes the episode's lessons and prays for the courage to live out God's will in everyday life. Father Mike Schmitz: "We ask you to please help us to always value your presence. Help us to always seek out your face and help us to always do your will in everything."

1. Reflect on personal comforts that may distract from larger societal issues.
2. Engage in community service to better understand and address the needs of the less fortunate.
3. Study scripture or other spiritual texts to find guidance on living a just life.
4. Practice mindfulness in daily life to be aware of the impacts of one's actions on others.
5. Initiate conversations within your community about justice, service, and responsibility.

Fr. Mike points out how Amos' warning against being overly preoccupied with comfort and thus blinded to the needs of others can be especially relevant to us today. The readings are 2 Kings 11-12, Amos 4-6, and Psalm 122.

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Father Mike Schmitz
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a year podcast where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in Ear podcast is brought to you by ascension using the great adventure Bible timeline. We'll read all the way from Genesis to revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story. Today. It is day 179.

We're creeping up on that halfway mark, which is phenomenal, you guys. Congratulations. We're reading today from two kings, chapters eleven and twelve. From Amos, chapters four, five, and six, and we are praying psalm 122. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the revised standard version, the second catholic edition.

I'm using the great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com bibleina year. And if you want to subscribe to this podcast, you can just click subscribe. If you don't, no problem. Live and let live.

That's the motto for today. Unless you're one of these bad people in like Adaliah in two kings eleven. In that case, we're not going to live and let live, I guess. But that's what we're reading today. Day 179, 2nd kings eleven and twelve, Amos four, five, and six, and psalm 122, the second book of kings, chapter eleven Ataliah reigns over Judah.

Now, when Ataliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family. But Jehoshapha, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be slain. And she put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. Thus she hid him from Ataliah so that he was not slain, and he remained with her six years hid in the house of the lord while Ataliah reigned over the land. Jehoiada anoints the child Joash.

But in the 7th year, Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of the Karaites and of the guards, and had them come to him in the house of the lord. And he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the lord. And he showed them the king's son, and he commanded them, this is the thing that you shall do. One third of you, those who come off duty on the Sabbath and guard the king's house, another third being at the gate sewer and a third at the gate behind. The guards shall guard the palace.

And the two divisions of you which come on duty in force on the Sabbath and guard the house of the lord shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand, and whoever approaches the ranks is to be slain. Be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in. The captains did according to all that Jehoiada, the priest commanded. And each brought his men who were to go off duty on the Sabbath with those who were to come on duty on the sabbath. And came to Jehoiada, the priest and the priest delivered to the captains the spears and shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the lord.

And the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house. Then he brought out the king's son and put the crown upon him and gave him the covenant. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him. And they clapped their hands and said, long live the king. Death of Ataliah.

When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she went into the house of the lord to the people. And when she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king and all the people of the land, rejoicing and blowing trumpets. And Ataliah tore her clothes and cried, treason. Treason. Then Jehoiada, the priest commanded the captains who were set over the army, bring her out between the ranks and slay with the sword anyone who follows her.

For the priest said, let her not be slain in the house of the lord. So they laid hands on her, and she went through the horse's entrance to the king's house. And there she was slain. And Jehoiada made a covenant between the lord and the king and the people, that they should be the lord's people, and also between the king and the people. Then all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down, his altars and his images.

They broke in pieces. And they slew Matan, the priest of Baal, before the altars. And the priest posted watchmen over the house of the lord. And he took the captains, the Karaites, the guards, and all the people of the land. And they brought the king down from the house of the lord, marching through the gate of the guards to the king's house.

And he took his seat on the throne of the kings. So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. After Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the king's house. Reign of Jehoash and the repair of the temple Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign. Chapter twelve in the 7th year of Jehu, Jehuash began to reign, and he reigned 40 years in Jerusalem.

His mothers name was Zibiah of Beersheba, and Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada, the priest instructed him. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people continued to sacrifice and burn incense on the high places. Jehoash said to the priests all the money of the holy things which is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is assessed, the money from the assessment of persons, and the money which a man's heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord. Let the priests take each from his acquaintance and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.

But by the 23rd year of King Jehoash, the priests had made no repairs on the house. Therefore King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada, the priest and the other priests and said to them, why are you not repairing the house? Now therefore take no more money from your acquaintances, but hand it over for the repair of the house. So the priests agreed that they should take no more money from the people and that they should not repair the house. Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it and set it beside the altar on the right side.

As one entered the house of the Lord, and the priest who guarded the threshold, put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. And whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest came up and they counted and tied up in bags the money that they found in the house of the Lord. Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workmen, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord. And they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked upon the house of the lord, and to the masons and the stone cutters, as well as to buy timber and quarried stone for making repairs on the house of the Lord, and for any outlay upon the repairs of the house. But there were not made for the house of the lord.

Basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels of gold or of silver from the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. For that was given to the workmen who were repairing the house of the Lord with it. And they did not ask an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly the money from the guilt offerings. And the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord. It belonged to the priests.

Hazael of Syria threatens Jerusalem at that time, Hazael, king of Syria, went up and fought against Gath and took it. But when Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem, Jehoash, king of Judah, took all the votive gifts that Jehoshaphat and Joram and Ahaziah, his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own votive gifts and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the lord and of the king's house, and sent these to Hazael, king of Syria. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem, death of Joash. Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? His servants arose and made a conspiracy and slew Joash in the house of Milo.

On the way that goes down to it was Jazakar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, who struck him down so that he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

The book of Amos, chapter four. Punishments of Israel hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, bring that we may drink. The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hookseven the last of you with fishhooks, and you shall go out through the breaches, every one straight before her, and you shall be cast forth into harmon, says the Lord. Come to Bethel and transgress, come to Gilgal and multiply transgression. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim free will offerings.

Publish them, for so you love to do. O people of Israel, says the Lord God, I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. And also I withheld the rain from you. When there were yet three months to the harvest. I would send rain upon one city and send no rain upon another city.

One field would be rained upon, and the field on which it did not rain withered. So two or three cities wandered to one city to drink water and were not satisfied. Yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. I struck you with blight and mildew. I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured.

Yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt. I slew your young men with the sword. I carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils. Yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.

I overthrew some of you as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning. Yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. Therefore thus I will do to you, o, because I will do this to you. Prepare to meet your God, O Israel. For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness and treads on the heights of the earth.

The Lord, the God of hosts, is his name. Chapter five a lamentation for Israel's sins hear this word which I take up over you in lamentation. O house of Israel, fallen no more to rise is the virgin Israel forsaken on her land with none to raise her up? For thus says the Lord, the city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel. For thus says the Lord, to the house of Israel, seek me and live, but do not seek Bethel and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba.

For Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing. Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph and devour it with none to quench it for Bethel. O you who turn justice to Wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth, he who made the pleiades and Orion and turns deep darkness into morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth, the lord is his name, who makes destruction flash forth against the strong so that destruction comes upon the fortress. They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore, because you trample upon the poor and take from him exactions of wheat, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them.

You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine, for I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins. You who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good and not evil, that you may live. And so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said, hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate.

It may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord in all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, alas, alas. They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing. Those who are skilled in lamentation and in all the vineyards there shall be wailing. For I will pass through the midst of you, says the Lord.

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord. Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness and not light. As if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned with his hand upon the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness and not light and gloom, with no brightness in it?

I hate. I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them. And the peace offering of your fatted beasts I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs to the melody of your harps.

I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings the 40 years in the wilderness? O house of Israel, you shall take up Sakuth, your king, and Kaiwan your star God, your images which you have made for yourselves. Therefore I will take you into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

Chapter six. Punishment of complacency and pride. Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come pass over to Calneh and see, and from there go to Hamath the great, then go down to gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than your territory? O you who put far away the evil day and bring near the seat of violence.

Woe to those who lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David, invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore they shall now be the first of those to go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves shall pass away. The Lord God has sworn by himself, says the Lord, the God of hosts. I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds. I will deliver up the city and all that is in it, oppression and devastation to come.

And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. And when a man's kinsman, he who burns him shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, is there still anyone with you? He shall say, no. And he shall say, hush. We must not mention the name of the Lord.

For behold, the lord commands, and the great house shall be struck down into fragments, and the little house into bits. Do horses run upon rocks? Does one plough the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into Wormwood. You who rejoice in low Debar, who say, have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?

For behold, I will raise up against you a nation. O house of Israel, says the Lord, the God of hosts, and they shall oppress you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.

Psalm 122 song of praise and a prayer for Jerusalem, a song of ascents of David. I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem built as a city which is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord, there thrones for judgment were set. The thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls and security within your towers. For my brethren and companions. Sake, I will say, peace be with you.

For the sake of the house of the Lord, our God, I will seek your good father in heaven. Thank you. Thank you so much for. Thank you for your word. Thank you for revealing your heart to us.

And please receive our praise. And this, as we pray. Psalm 122. We ask that you please receive this song of praise that we are glad when they said to us, let's go to the house of the Lord. And yes, of course, we know that the temple, the house of the Lord in Jerusalem no longer stands.

And yet, Lord God, you have made all those who are baptized temples of your holy spirit. You have given us these churches you've given. You continue to abide and dwell in tabernacles throughout the world. We ask you to please help us to always value your presence. Help us to always seek out your face and help us to always do your will in everything.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and Holy Spirit, amen. So today was a little bit of review. In two kings, chapter 1112, we have the story of Ataliah again.

Wow. We cannot get rid of that gal. Actually, now we have. We've gotten rid of it. We're not going to hear from her anymore.

We heard about her, of course, in two chronicles. And now we are in second kings. We have Ataliah reigning over Judah. She kills all of the descendants of Ahaziah, and except for Jehoash. Now, interesting, you might say, wait, who's Jehoash?

Because I'm not familiar with who Jehoash is. I'm familiar with a guy named Joash. And I would say, good call, you guys, because that's the same person. Jehoash in two kings is the same person as Joash in two chronicles, and so same story. You probably picked up on that and maybe just thought I was reading it wrong.

But in second kings, he is referred to as Jehoash, which is awesome. He was king when he was seven years old, since he was seven years old, and he was a decent king. Remember when he was guided by Jehoiada, that priest? He was on point and he was doing good things. And yet, when Jehoiada died, Jehoash did not continue the work that Jehoiada had started him on.

Now, Jehoash did some great things right. The king of Judah recognized that the temple of the lord, the place of worship, was falling into disrepair. There were supposed to be tithes that would come to the priests, and the priests, like, put that into action to specifically repair the temple. That was how things were set up, and yet it was not how things were working out. They got the money, but they didn't do anything with the money.

So Jehoash, wisely, he made this whole system where people were giving this thing is the money was there, like, gifts were there, people were still giving, but that money was not being used wisely, those gifts were not being used as they were intended. And so Jehoash saw that and made sure, absolutely, this is going to end. We're going to actually rebuild the temple, repair the temple, wherever we need to do this. And so he did that. But where Jehoash stopped is he didn't tear down the high places, right?

He didn't tear down those false places of worship. And because of that, he ends poorly. Remember this, so many of God's people start well, and so many end poorly. And Jehoash is one of those. Recognize that this could be any one of us.

And so we just continue to pray and ask the Lord for his grace. Because here in the book of the prophet Amos, he is calling people higher. I mean, this is, this is the role of the prophet, right? Prophets don't tell the future. Although here, Amos in chapter six, seven, eight, in chapter eight, he is telling the future.

He's saying, this is what's going to happen. But what he's ultimately saying is, here's what's happening, and this is what prophets do. They tell the truth of God to a people that need to hear the truth. And so what's one of the things that we hear in both four, five and six? I get so ahead of myself.

I get so excited. You guys can't even imagine. But in, even in chapter four, Amos starts out, hear this, you cows of Bashan. Which is not a very nice thing to call the ladies of Bashan, because that's who he's talking to. He says, these women here who oppress the poor, they crush the needy.

They say to their husbands, bring that we may drink. And there's this conviction that Amos has, basically saying, okay, God has blessed you so much, and all you're doing with that blessing is you are using it to serve yourselves. All you're doing with the blessings of God's gifts. Again, remember, going back to God's gifts. All you're doing with the blessings of God's gifts is kind of like those, those priests during the time of Jehoash where you're not using it to build the temple, you're not using it to worship, you're not using it to help the poor.

You're using it just to simply serve yourself. In fact, in the next chapter, chapter five, Amos points out, he says, I hate. In chapter five, verse 21, says, I hate. I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them.

Why? Because you're not being just. You're not taking care of righteousness. You're not taking care of the poor. And this is something so powerful, and this is true for every one of us, is that, oh, gosh, you know, we can see now, keep in mind, in Israel, they were not worshiping God the way they were called to.

And even then, God was saying, essentially, maybe even then, if you're not even worshiping the way you're called to, but your hearts are in the right place and you're taking care of the people around you, then maybe then I would still accept them. But you're not even doing that. You're not even doing that. In fact, in chapter six, it just goes on and says, woe to those who are at ease in Zion, to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria. And here's this next description.

I read it. You heard it. Maybe you read along with me. In chapter six, beginning with verse four, it says, woe to you, those who lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches, eat lambs from the flock, calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and, like David, invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils. But, you know, get to the button.

Just a second. In this description, lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches. Here is a people of comfort, right? To just whatever. You know, here.

Here are many of us who live in, like, the temperature controlled world, where it's a little too cool, I'll turn the heat up. It's a little too hot, I'll turn the cool on that. If my bed's a little lumpy, then we get a new one. Eat lambs from the flock, calves from the midst of the stall. Not just food.

I'm digging the best food, right? Who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp. Like, not even intentional, just kind of like constantly being entertained. Again, does this sound like anybody who drink wine in bowls? And that's the image that always strikes me whenever we read this en masse.

And we read this Amos, chapter six, en masse. On a regular basis, a couple times every couple years, who drink wine in bowls. This line always sticks out. Like, you're not even drinking wine out of glasses. You're drinking wine out of bowls right now.

This is. This is kind of the indulgence and the comfort and the extravagance that we're living amidst. And this is like, right. This is kind of modern, 21st century western life. Now, it might not be all of us listening, because we're everyone listening here, you guys.

We're in so many different socioeconomic strata, different countries, different places in the world. This might not be your experience, and yet it is the experience of a lot of the cultures who are participating in this Bible in a year. And so this is the conviction of Amos, who needs to convict our hearts. And you might say, oh, no, no, no, that's not me. That's not me.

Fine, maybe it's not. But if it might be, it's worth bringing to that prayer, it might be me. Maybe I'm inclined to comfort more than I am inclined to justice. Maybe I'm more inclined to distracting myself more than I am to righteousness. Because here's the but, right.

You drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest of oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. So we have all these comforts, but we're not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. What's that mean? Remember, the northern kingdom of nation of Israel is also called Ephraim. And so those relatives of Joseph and these people of Israel not grieved over the ruin of those around us, not grieved over the fact that they've turned away from the Lord, not grieved over the fact that the poor go unfed and the those who are wrongfully convicted go without justice.

And here we are in comfort. And so all of us are called, obviously, by the prophets to go higher. We're called by the prophets to be convicted by the Lord's voice in whatever way he's calling us to be convicted today. Because, again, you might not be someone who drinks wine out of bowls. You might not be someone who stretches out on beds of ivory.

You might not be someone who distracts themselves or overly comforted. But there's something in all of our lives that leads us to ignore the plight of those around us. And so every one of us needs a prophet, right? And right now, the prophet that God has given us is the prophet Amos to say, okay, where God? Where are you calling me?

To open my eyes. To not be blind to the needs of those around me. To not be deaf to the cries of those around me, but to see you in them. And to serve you as well as worship you. But to serve you in those who are poor.

To serve you among those who need me. Need us. Because that's it. Saint Mother Teresa, at one point she said, the reason we have so much, we have no peace is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. I think it's not the first time I've shared this quote, but it's worth being reminded of.

The reason we have no peace is because we've forgotten we belong to each other. We have no justice, because we've forgotten we belong to each other. And yet God keeps sending his prophets, there's prophets into our lives to say, okay, are you going to turn now? Are you going to come back to me now? Because time is short and eternity is long.

So let's turn back to the Lord while there's still time. I'm praying for you. Please, please, please pray for me. Because I need this as well. Right?

I need the prophet. I need the prophet to speak to my heart and change my heart. Need the Lord's God, his grace, to purify my heart so that he doesn't look at me and say, hey, I despise your feast. I despise the way you're worshiping me. Ah.

I want to give him my whole heart. And I want you to give him your whole heart. So I'm praying for you. As I just said. Please pray for me.

My name is Frank. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.