John Calvin Commentary Amos 6:13

"ye that rejoice in a thing of nought, that say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?" — Amos 6:13 (ASV)

This verse will seem better connected with the last, if we bear in mind the view to which I have referred, for the Prophet inveighs again against the careless contempt with which the Israelites were filled. Ye rejoice, he says, in a thing of nought. He calls those fallacies, by which they were accustomed to deceive not only others but also themselves, a thing of nought.

For hypocrites not only falsely use the name of God but also deceive themselves by self-flatteries, when they arrogate to themselves the name of Church, and the empty title of adoption and other things.

We see this to be the case today with the Papists, who are puffed up with nothing. They not only, with sacrilegious audacity, twist the Word of God against us so that they may appear to be the true Church, but also harden themselves. And though they are ill at ease with themselves, they yet lull themselves asleep by such deceptions as these: “God could not have allowed His Church to err; we have indeed succeeded the apostles; and though there are many vices and corruptions among us, yet God abides with us; and all who do not think with us are schismatic; indeed, though we may be supported by no reasons, their defection is not to be tolerated. Let us then continue in our own state, for the Lord approves of our hierarchy.”

Thus the Papists not only deal in trifles to deceive the ignorant but also harden themselves against God. Such was the blindness of the people of Israel.

Hence the Prophet here reproves them because they rejoiced in nothing: ‘In no word,’ he says (for that is the literal meaning), but it means that they rejoiced in nothing, for they involved themselves in mere fallacies and thus set up their empty delusions in opposition to God and His judgments.

Who say, have we not in our own strength raised up for ourselves horns? Horns, we know, are taken in Hebrew for eminence, for strength, for elevation, or for any sort of defense. Hence the expression means the same as if they had said, “Are we not more than sufficiently fortified by our own strength?” However, it is certain that they did not say this openly; but as the Prophet possessed the discernment of the Holy Spirit, he penetrated into their hearts and brought out what was hidden within.

We indeed know this to be the power of the word, as the apostle teaches in the fourth chapter of Hebrews: for the word partakes of the nature of God Himself, from whom it has proceeded; and as God is a searcher of hearts, so also the word penetrates to the marrow, to the innermost thoughts of men, and distinguishes between the feelings and the imaginations.

This spiritual jurisdiction should therefore be noticed when the Prophets allege against the ungodly such gross blasphemies. For it is certain that they had not actually pronounced the words used by the Prophet; yet their pride had no other meaning than that they had raised horns to themselves by their own strength.

They were indeed separated from the Lord; in the meantime, they wished to remain safe through their own power. What did they mean? They had become alienated from God, and yet they sought to be in a state of safety and thought themselves to be beyond any danger.

From where did this privilege come? For they certainly should have sheltered themselves under God's shadow if they wished to be safe.

But as they renounced God and despised all His instructions, indeed, as they were manifestly His enemies, from where was this safety to come, which they promised to themselves, unless they sought to derive their strength from themselves?

We now perceive the Prophet’s design: He reproves the Israelites for being content with a false and empty title, for heedlessly despising God, and for only feigning a form of religion instead of its reality. It was this gross vice that he condemned in them; and he shows at the same time that they put on horns by which they assailed God, for while they were separated from Him, they promised themselves a secure and happy state.