Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Judah, and for four,
Amos 2:4-5
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they have despised the law of the Lord,
And have not kept His commandments.
Their lies lead them astray,
Lies which their fathers followed.
5 But I will send a fire upon Judah,
And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Judah. These verses repeat the statement “for three transgressions, and for the fourth” repeatedly. What this means is not an exact number of sins, but a limit was hit. Three was the limit before judgment would be delivered by God. The fourth was the tipping point where it could not be allowed to continue.
Judah despised the law, and failed to keep His commandments. They were led astray by their own lies. For this God vowed to send a fire that would devour the palaces of Jerusalem. God would again turn worldly wealth to ash.