7 of 8 I will not relent

“The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Judah for three crimes, even four, because they have rejected the instruction of the Lord and have not kept His statutes. The lies that their ancestors followed have led them astray. Therefore, I will send fire against Judah, and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”

‭‭Amos‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/amo.2.4-5.HCSB

God is done with his judgments against the nations surrounding Judah and Israel so in the next two “I will not relent” He will judge His people. 

The nation of the southern tribe of Israel is next. Unlike the previous nations, this judgment is not against how they treated people outside their nation, but how they treated God! We saw nations burdened, exiled, pursued, ripped open, and burned. But now Judah’s crime is rejection of God’s instruction and disobedience to His statutes. They have neglected the moral laws of the commandments written on stone! The first four are how to love God and the last six are how to love people. When a nation as a whole rejects these commands they are disobedient to His statutes. When a nation stops teaching them they are rejecting His instruction. What a sad shape the nations of this world are in today! Are there any nations that still hold on to these commands today?

Now Like the previous six nations, God is sending fire to judge the nation of Judah. And once again His fire is sent to consume their citadels! He is not going to burn their walls or their rulers, only their citadels. 

What is the difference between a citadel, temple, synagogue, and church? Well upon investigation I was wrong in “3 of 8 I will not relent” a citadel is Not a place of worship, but a military strong holin the city, like a castle inside a smaller community. A place where the community could hold out during an attack. Think military base and the city sounding it. So why is God destroying military strongholds in every capital? 

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and who depend on horses! They trust in the abundance of chariots and in the large number of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel and they do not seek the Lord’s help.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭31:1‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/isa.31.1.HCSB

“you are to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people. However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭17:15-16‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/72/deu.17.15-16.HCSB

God wants to be the military help that the nation depends on directing them when to war and ultimately when not to war at all. Then He is wanting all of us to allow Him to be our Commander and Lord.