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Thoughts on Amos 4:11 Elder Philip N. Conley

This term "firebrand plucked out of the burning" could be adequately stated "poker
pulled from the embers and coals." God describes Israel's deplorable condition as a
poker engulfed in flame with no hope of being rescued from the fire, save by the arm

of God to pull them from that state. What is the condition of an object engulfed in
flame? The heat, temperature, and other immediate circumstances are the same for
the object as everything else in the flame. In other words, the brand in the fire shares
the same identical circumstances as all other things in the fire. We, by nature, share

the same identical condition and circumstance as a child of wrath. (Ephesians 2:3)
Thankfully, we, like the analogy of Israel of old, were plucked from that state by
God. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Notice that the condition of
the brand in the fire fits the analogy of a man being known by his company. By

nature, we shared the company of all wretched, dire sinners, for we share that com-
pany and relation in Adam with everyone else. By simply being the offspring of
Adam, we are known by that company and relationship to be sinners - both by inher-
ent nature and eventually by observed practice. However, what happens when a fire-

brand is plucked out of the burning? It no longer shares the same heat, temperature,
and other circumstances as the rest of the fire. Parts of the brand that were red-hot
moments before begin to cool and take on the immediate properties of its new sur-
roundings. So, when God plucked us out of the burning, we ceased to have the condi-

tion and circumstance of damnable depravity, but rather, we took on the properties of
the new surroundings of God's rich grace. By taking away the burning of death and
depravity, God wrote upon our hearts the burning of His laws and precepts.
(Jeremiah 31, Hebrews 8)

Notice from our last sentence that we employed the word "burning" to show our new
state by God's grace. Scripturally, I believe it fitting to employ the thought that what
God has done for us by His grace equates to a state known by circumstances though

vastly different circumstances than our previous state. Paul employed the terms "cap-
tivity" and "captive" when describing God rescuing us. (Ephesians 4:8) We were
once held in the captivity and burning of sin. God led us from that captivity, and
holds us captive in the burning of His love. Whereas captive, overwhelmed, and

engulfed, the fire of sin and death, now we are captive, overwhelmed, and engulfed
in the fire of God's love. How long will something in the fire keep the heat of the fire?
The amount of time that the heat and other fire-driven properties remains on the
object is dependent on the amount of time it remains in the fire.

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