Some interpret the examples given to illustrate that just as each event has a cause that must precede it, so no calamity occurs in a city without the Lord’s consent. One interpretation suggests that two cannot walk together unless there is a shared understanding of the Creator, who reconciles differences and forges unity (Eph. 2), binding them together in love. Thus, when they are united, they can ask the Father and receive what they request. These two branches are connected as described in Ezekiel, as God told Elijah, "I have left unto Myself seven thousand men who shall not bow the knee before Baal" (Rom. 2:4; 1 Kings 19:18). God also says, "I was manifested to those who did not seek Me; I was found by those who did not inquire of Me" (Isa. 65). When two become one, they unite with the Lord and share one spirit, for "he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). Therefore, if two individuals are aligned and walk together in Christ’s path, they need not fear any adversaries. However, if division occurs due to discord, they become vulnerable to attack from a roaring lion, as the Apostle Peter warns: "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). This roaring lion does not lurk in cultivated fields, vineyards, or among fruitful trees but roams in wild, untamed territories where beasts dwell.
Not only will they be susceptible to the lion's attack, but they may also fall prey to the lion cub, being dragged into darkness and avoiding the light. For every sinner dislikes the light and prefers the shadows (John 3). The Psalmist notes, "Thou hast set darkness, and there was night: in it shall pass away all the beasts of the oak" (Psalm 103:20-21). The lion cub seeks not only its own prey but also attempts to steal from the Church of Christ, which Habakkuk describes as "the food of his elect" (Hab. 1:16). The third punishment addresses those divided by strife, losing the wings that once allowed them to soar, which causes them to fall and become ensnared by the fowler, who is better termed ἰξευτής, due to their entrapment by sin.
It is stated in Proverbs, "For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird" (Proverbs 1:17). For the downfall of sinners is just, who with the wings of a dove are weighed down by their sins, falling to the ground and sticking to the trap. The Apostle warns, "He who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her" (1 Cor. 6:16). The fourth punishment concerns those who dwell in discord, who find themselves ensnared by a trap not set in heaven but on earth. Those who are freed from it are glorified, exclaiming, "Our soul is like a bird escaped from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped" (Psalms 123:7). This broken snare is echoed in the Apostle's assurance that "God will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20).
David illustrates, "In the way of your commandments have I lifted up my whole heart" (Psalm 139:6). The enemies' only method of leading astray the simple-hearted believers is by masquerading as Christ, drifting toward Antichrist. The fifth punishment concerns those who have abandoned the world, which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4), and which the Lord, upon His ascension, provided for the apostles, saying, "My peace I give unto you; my peace I leave unto you" (John 14:27). Those within the Lord's city should heed the trumpet's call, which in Scripture is a warning, its sound piercing the hearts of the faithful. If we are righteous, Christ's trumpet announces joy; if we sin, it foretells the suffering that awaits us. The evil the Lord permits in the city is not contrary to good but represents sorrow and difficulty, as seen in "the evil of the day" (Matthew 6:34).
The prophet states, "I am God, who creates light and darkness, who brings peace and creates evil" (Is. 45:6, 7). As darkness contrasts with light, so too does peace contrast with war—not as contrary to good, but rather perceivable as evil by those who endure it. To confirm that evil in Scripture signifies not only the opposite of good but also tribulation and calamity, consider the example of Nineveh: "And God saw their works, that they turned from their wicked ways; and God repented of the evil which He had said He would do to them" (Jonah 3:10). The "evil" here refers to impending destruction, representing God's warning against sin, not a contradiction to good.
This affirms, "The Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants, the prophets," indicating that God does not unveil everything regarding His heavenly acts or what has transpired before; instead, He communicates what He plans to execute on earth. He disclosed to Noah His intention to flood the earth (Gen. 6) and warned Abraham and Lot of the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18). To Joseph, he revealed the meaning of the dream depicting Egypt's famine (Gen. 41), and to Jonah, God forewarned about Nineveh's downfall (Jonah 3), so that the hearers might repent and avert judgment, or face just punishment for neglect.
God now communicates through the prophet Amos about the fate of the ten tribes, urging repentance and a turn from idolatry to escape the danger ahead. It is essential to note that the compassionate God always provides for understanding what is to come, preventing unnecessary punishment. While heretics portray the Creator as severe and unyielding, we recognize that it is an act of great mercy that He does not execute punishment without prior warning. He asks, "When the lion roars, who will not fear?" and similarly, "Who will not prophesy?" In this context, “who” signifies rarity rather than impossibility. The one who does not fear or prophesy demonstrates a hard heart and unwillingness to heed the Lord. The implication is clear: if all creatures tremble at the roar of a lion, and every living being succumbs to fear, how much more should we obey when commanded by God to proclaim to others the forthcoming judgments? An interpreter has noted that the roaring lion symbolizes the devil, who threatens those destined for destruction, while the voice of God through His prophets represents the Saviour; those caught in despair heed the lion's roar, leading to death, whereas the saints attune to the Divine commands and find salvation.
THEOSIS