Verse 15
God also promised to destroy the Israelites’ winter and summer homes. The fact that many Israelite families could afford two houses and yet were oppressing their poorer brethren proved that they lived in selfish luxury. They had embellished their great houses with expensive ivory decorations (cf. 1 Kings 21:1; 1 Kings 21:18; 1 Kings 22:39; Psalms 45:8). The two great sins of the Israelites, false religion (Amos 3:14) and misuse of wealth and power (Amos 3:15), would be the objects of God’s judgment. Even some ancient kings did not possess two houses. [Note: Pritchard, p. 655.]
"The enduring principle here is that God will destroy elaborate altars, expensive houses, and other accoutrements of an extravagant lifestyle when these items are acquired through oppression, fraud, and strong-arm tactics. The idolatry of the people led to their opulent lifestyles. Life apart from God may yield temporary material gain, but it will surely result in eternal loss." [Note: Smith, p. 83.]
The eternal loss for a Christian will not be loss of salvation but loss of reward at the judgment seat of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:15).
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