Exposition of Amos 4-9, Part 2 · Section 6
VERSE 6.
Seek the Lord and yee shall live, lest be break forth like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.
GOod things are hardly beleeved, and slowly practised, and therefore the Prophet here renewes his Exhortation of seeking God by true Repentance, and that he might the better prevail with them, he useth a double Motive.
The first is drawn from the danger which would ensue if they refused; the Wrath of God would break forth upon them like a consuming fire, so that all their superstitious Sacrifices at Bethel should not be able to quench it.
The second is drawn from the glorious and tremendous Majesty of God, with whom they had to doe; and this is accurately set forth, vers. 8, 9.
In this Verse we have a Repetition of the fore-going Exhortation to seek the Lord, that they might live, q. d. If ever you desire to be truly happy, you must forsake your Idols, and false-worship, devoting your selves wholly unto God.
2 Here is a Reason to inforce the duty, Lest the Wrath of the Lord break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour, it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.
Here the Holy Ghost seems to prevent an evasion, the Israelites might say, If the Lord be thus angry with us, we will goe to our Gods at Bethel, and they shall succour and shelter us. Nay, saith the Lord, you doe but make lyes your refuge when you goe thither for ayd, for none of your Idols shall be able to quench the fire of my wrath, no not in Bethel.
By Fire here is meant the VVrath of God,Ignis, i. e. sae…vissima Dei manus. Mercer. which should break forth like fire, in sudden, terrible, and irresistible Judgments, devouring all before it, so that none should be able to quench it;Tsalach, perrumpere, pervadere, feliciter Pertransire superatis omnibus impedimentis. Rivet in Isa. 53.10. so much the word in the Original imports. It is used for the carrying on of a thing against all difficulty, or a successful breaking through in despight of all opposition. All the world compared with God is but as so much dry stubble, or a few dry thorns before a consuming fire, Exod. 15.7. Isa. 27.4. & 47.14.
Fire is taken two wayes in Scripture,
1 Literally, and strictly, for the Element of Fire, or for ordinary fire.
2. Figuratively, and Metaphorically, for the VVrath of God, or any effects of his wrath any Judgement which hee sends upon the wicked, be it Sword, Plague, Famine, or whatever distress; yea the very Floud which drowned the world may in this sense be called Fire. Thus it is usually put in Scripture of all manner of dreadful Judgements; as Psal. 18.7, 8. Isa. 66.15. Ier. 49.27. Amos 1.4. from this fire of Gods wrath comes fire from Heaven and consumes the wicked, Gen. 19.24. Exod. 9.24. Levit. 10.2. Numb. 11.2. 1 King. 1.10. and at last they must lye in unquenchable fire, Isa. 30.33. Mat. 3.12. & 25.41.
In the house of Ioseph; that is, amongst the Israelites, or ten Tribes, who are oft called Iacob, Ioseph, Ephraim, Samaria. By Ioseph here is meant Ephraim, for Ioseph is oft put for Ephraim his Son, Amos 6.6. Revel. 7.8. and Ephraim is oft put for the ten Tribes, because Ieroboam the first King of Israel (after the division of the ten Tribes) was of the Tribe of Ephraim, 1 King. 11.6.
OBSERVATIONS.
1 So great is the patience and clemency of the Lord, that he is very loath to destroy men.
See M. Burgess spi. Refining, 1 P. Serm. 66. p. 403.Hence it is that he sends his Ministers, rising early, and coming late unto them, exhorting them again and again to seek him, and turn to him, that they may live and not dye. See vers. 4, 5, 6, 14, 15.Greenhils Ser. on Rev. 22.17. p. 145.
2 Obs. The Wrath of the Lord is exceeding terrible.
Hence it is compared to fire, which is the most terrible, tormenting, and affrighting Element.Reyners Precepts for Practice, p. 41, 42.
Quest. But how is anger said to be in God, when he is impossible?
Ans. Anger and VVrath are ascribed to God improperly, and Metaphorically, by an Anthropopathy; not as a perturbation, and trouble of mind, as it is in us; but as an act of revenging Justice, which Justice as it simply burns against sin, is called anger, but when it doth more fiercely wax hot against sin, and Sinners, it is called Wrath and Indignation, Isa. 64.5.
This Wrath of God is,
1 Formidable.
2 Durable.
3 Inevitable.
4 Irresistible.
5 Unexpressible.
1 It is formidable and terrible; Fire of all Creatures is the most dreadful. Hence the doleful Torments of Hell are set forth by fire, Mat. 3.12. and Gods Wrath is called, a consuming fire, Deut. 4.24. which burns up all that stands in its way. This made him cast out Angels, hurl out Adam, drown the old world, fire Sodome, root out the Canaanites, Lev. 18.25. and destroy Ierusalem. As all in God is infinite, his Mercy, Justice,See D. Preston on Rom. 1.18. p. 114, &c. &c. so is his Wrath, which makes it so exceeding terrible and intolerable. Should all the Creatures set to their help, yet they were not able to uphold a man under the burden of Gods wrath.
Hence the dearest of Gods Servants (though they have had Gods Spirit to uphold them) yet have cryed out of this, as a burden too heavie for them to bear; and have chosen rather to endure any tortures, than to lye under the wrath of an angry God. They fear not him who can but kill the body, but they say with the Prophet, Psal. 76.7. Thou, even thou art to be feared, and who may stand before thee when thou art angry? Gods wrath is like a great Bell, it is long in raising, but when it is up, it makes a hideous noyse. Or like Lead, which as cold of it self, but when once melted, nothing scalds more terribly. What calmer and smoother than the Sea, yet when stirred what more tempestuous?
2 It is Durable. It is not for a day or two, but it is an abiding wrath, Joh. 3.36. it is a fire that never goes out, but shall abide on the bodies and souls of the Reprobates to all eternity, Matth. 18.8. and 25.41.
3 It is inevitable, there is no flying from it, Amos 9.1, 2. if a King bee angry with us, we may flye out of his Dominion▪ but if the King of Kings bee against us there is no flying out of his Territories.
4 It is irresistible, it is like a violent wind, or a mighty flood, which carrieth down all before it, Psal. 90.7, 8, 9. Should all the world rise in opposition against God, they would bee no more before the fire of his wrath, than a little dry stubble, or a few crackling thorns. Wood is longer in burning, and leaves some coals behinde, but stubble and thorns are suddenly and utterly consumed, and scarce any ashes left, Exod. 15.7. Isa. 5.24. and 9.18. and 47.14. Fire and water have no mercy, there is no intreating them; such is Gods wrath in reference to the wicked, as good speak to the fire not to burn, or the water not to drown, as to the wrath of God not to consume wicked men, it must and will burn them, and none shall quench it, Deut. 29.20. Though Moses and Samuel stood before the Lord to intreat, yet the sentence cannot be reversed, wrath must devour and consume the wicked, Ier. 15.1. Though prayer hath in many cases quenched wrath, yet sometimes the wrath of God cannot bee quenched by prayer, nor intreated down, there is no speaking to it.
5 It is unexpressible. It is infinite, and so beyond the tongues expression,See more in Mr. Leighs Body of Divinity, l. 2. c. 9. and Mr. Ienkin on Iude V. 7. Obs. 5.6. or the hearts imagination. Hence Moses asks, who knows the power of they wrath? Psal. 90.11. It surpasseth our knowledge, Wee may over-fear the wrath of men, but wee cannot have too dreadful apprehensions of the wrath of God. All other fire is but like painted or imaginary fire compared with this. Hence the Holy Ghost is fain to use metaphors and allusions to set it forth to us. Sometimes comparing it to fire which is a most furious element, laying all waste before it, Nahum 1.5, 6. Sometimes to water, and to a mighty flood which swiftly and irresistibly carries down all before it, Iob 22.16. Isa. 8.7. and 59.19.
Sometimes to a Moth, which secretly and insensibly eats thread by thread till the whole peece bee consumed, Iob 13. ult. Psal. 39.12. Hos. 5.12. Sometimes to the Wrath of a King, and if that bee as the Messenger of death, Oh what is the wrath of the King of Kings? Prov. 16.14.
1 Then take heed of provoking him to anger, better have all the world inraged against us, then God against us. Their wrath is but finite and limited, both in respect of time and place, but Gods wrath is infinite without either bank or bottome.
Take heed of all sin, especially of those God-provoking sins, as
1 Idolatry, Deut. 4.23, 24. and 32.21, 22. 1 Cor. 10.5, 7. and following Antichrist, Rev. 14.9, 10. and 19.20.
2 Prophanation of holy things, Lev. 10.2. Numb. 16.35.
3 Neglecting to reform the things amiss in Gods worship, Ezra 7.23.
4 Fornication and Sodomitical sins, Gen. 19.24. 1 Cor. 10.5, 8.
5 Murmuring at Gods dispensations, 1 Cor. 10.5, 10.
6 Apostacy and back sliding, Heb. 10.38▪
2 When ever we perceive the fire of Gods wrath to break out in Sword, Plague, &c. by our prayers and tears we should labour suddenly to quench it, Numb. 16.46. A fire the longer it burns, the more dreadful it is, and the harder it is to quench it.
3 In all our approaches to this great and mighty God, whether in Prayer, Sabbaths, Sacraments, &c. come with the greatest fear and reverence,Tantâ reverentiâ aliquid petit ut cum Deo; tantâ fiduciâ ac speut cum pat…e & amico se loqui sentiat. Mel. Adams in vita Luth. for hee is a consuming fire, Heb. 12.28. This holy fear must bee an ingredient into all our services, Psal. 2.11. It is said of Luther that hee prayed with such fear and reverence, as remembring hee had to do with God, and yet with such affiance and confidence, as with a Friend, and Father.
4 Bee thankful for Christ, who hath delivered us from wrath to come. The Angels fell and lye under this wrath, but Christ was cursed that wee might bee blessed, and hath undergone Gods wrath for us, that wee might bee freed from it, In time of tentation, set this as a skreen between the fire of Gods wrath, and thy soul. Hide thy self in the clefts of this Rock, and get thy soul covered with thy Saviours Righteousness, and then thou mayest stand with comfort and confidence before this consuming fire.