Amos 6:8 says, The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.  When we take an oath, it  normally ends with so help me God.  We swear by God's name that we are going to tell the truth.  If a person doesn't really believe in God, then this really has no meaning.  Here, God says that He swears by Himself, and what He says is thereby true.  It doesn't matter if we believe in God or not.  What God says will always be the truth.  God said He abhorred the way those who were His people were living.  They thought it was in excellency, but God hated the way they were living.  We need to ask how God views our worship today as followers of Christ.  Verse nine says, And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.  Those who had escaped the war would find no safety in their homes.  They would die also.  We may think that having survived some great catastrophe that we are safe, but if we do not have Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we will still die spiritually lost.  We cannot escape God's judgment, even if we hide in His sanctuary.  Verse ten says, And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD.  Those who came to bury the dead would find none left alive.  The whole family name would be cut off.  They were proud of their heritage, but forgot God Who gave them that heritage.  Those who were there would say that they could not even speak God's name, possibly for fear that God would strike them down as well.  When we find ourselves in trouble, then that is when we most need to call on God.  God will always welcome repentant sinners with open arms.  Verse eleven says, For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.  I believe that this was just a warning that God's judgment would encompass everything.  When God does come in judgment of sin, His judgment is all encompassing.  Verse twelve states, Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:  I believe that this was a warning that the ground would become like rock to them, useless for growing crops.  This was to be a direct result of their poisonous attitude toward justice and righteousness.  When we begin to pervert justice, we should not be surprised if God brings His judgment on us.  Verse thirteen states, Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?  The people of Israel had become vain about their own abilities.  They were no longer giving God the credit for their success.  If we begin to feel, especially we who are followers of Christ, that all our success in the world is due totally to our own ability, then we are setting ourselves up for a fall.  We must always acknowledge that God is the source of all good in life.  Verse fourteen says, But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.  Israel felt that they were secure in their success, but God said, "But behold."  It was time for Israel to look to God again, and they would not like what He was showing them.  There was coming a great defeat.  When we get away from God's guidance in our lives, we can listen for this same warning.  We need to look to God again, and if we have been far from His will, we may not like what He is showing us.  If so, then we must repent and return to following God's leadership.