I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies lead them astray, which their fathers followed: But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem (Amo 2:4-5)

Amos is sent to a prosperous Israel. It was a time of national optimism. Business is booming and their boundaries had never been more enlarged. Yet all that shone was not gold. The hearts of the people were far from God and they followed the traditions of their fathers. No matter what God had sent upon these people, famine, drought and plagues, nothing could shake them from a security they had based upon the traditions of their fathers. Yet, despite their traditions, they “despised the law of God.” They were not keeping His commandments. The word despised in the Greek means to reject, to cast away, to refuse. They refused to follow what the Lord had laid down, rather they followed the traditions of their fathers.

Before we judge Israelite to harshly, do we follow the commands of the Lord? And if not, then do we not also despise the Word of God? We refuse to follow the instructions laid down on how we should worship, rather we worship in the manner of our fathers. Why are we different than the audience that Amos was sent to? Why should the Lord our God not send a fire among us? Amos drew no punches when it came to sin. He spoke to a people who were very proud of themselves, after all, were they not prosperous? They were indeed, rich in the things of the world, rich in tradition, but desperately poor in the things of the Lord. Poor in relationship, poor in love and mercy and justice.

What kind of fire should the Lord send among us brothers and sisters? Should not the dross be burned up? What has the spirit to fear from the fire of the Lord? Only the flesh burns in the fire. Only material things burn in the fire. Our ambitions and our traditions would be burned up in the fire. Our positions and our standing in the communities at large will be burned up in the fire. The fire of persecution is coming towards us like some monster hurricane. God’s remnant people will not be harmed by the fire, they may be killed by it but they shall not be harmed by it. Like the Hebrew children in the midst of the flames, there we shall stand with Jesus beside us. The world will see this. The religious world will see this. It will make them hate us all the more but we shall shine like the finest gold as we render not evil for evil. By the light of this fire the enemy will be illuminated. Our love will expose their hatred and the father of hatred and lies. Listen, can you hear the Lion roar?