THE COMING FAMINE

Amos 8:11, 12: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: ^12: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

                                                                                                                                                                              

About 750 B.C., a farmer and shepherd, was called by God to be a prophet. The man's name was Amos and His mission:  to warn Israel of God's coming judgment if they did not repent! Sadly, the nation did not heed the call to repent. As a result, they were led into Assyrian captivity. Part of Amos' prophecy that was fulfilled concerned an unusual famine that would come upon the people was:  A FAMINE FOR THE WORD OF GOD!

Today, there is also famine for the Word of God which is different in some ways, yet similar in other ways, and producing similar results as in Amos time!

The Scriptures (Bible) tell man where he came from and where he is going. The Scriptures tell man how to live, how to prevent heartache from coming into his life. The Scriptures tell man of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind, and how to have his sins removed so that he can live in heaven eternally.

But, what if the Bible were taken away? What if the government were to come into our homes and take out Bibles? We would not know how to live or how to prevent heartache from coming into our lives - we would remember basic morality, but we would begin to forget all that God wanted. We would begin to forget all the stories of Jesus and how he aided those around him. We would have no basis for sharing our faith with others, for there would be no authority to which we could point.

Those in Amos' day were faced with that reality- the removal of the Word of God

THE PRESENT DAY FAMINE

The present famine for the Word of God was not sent by God. On the contrary, it is evident God has provided for a "feast", not a "famine"! We enjoy an abundance of Bibles. Never before in the history of mankind has the world enjoyed such free access to God's Word. Indeed, today's famine for the Word of God is SELF-IMPOSED! Despite such access to the Bible, the study of the bible and the hearing of the true word of God is eluding the world today.

Although God withdrew his word from the Jews, we have withdrawn ourselves from the Word of God and created a famine. There is a severe famine of God's Word in our modern culture. We live in a time when many do not know right from wrong because they fail to study the Bible. We live in a time when those who stand for biblical morals are mocked, because the ones doing the mocking don't know what the Bible calls for morally.

There is a severe famine of God's Word in the modern church. Many congregations have embraced practices contrary to the Word of God, and live contrary to Scripture because they don't know the Bible well enough. Many Christians fail to live as they ought, because they don't study the Bible to know what God wants and doesn't want.

                  

CAUSES OF FAMINE

The present famine is the result of similar causes in Amos time:

1)    Material luxury

In Amos' day, this became the cause of pride which God hated (Amos 6:1-8). Their luxury prompted them to "put far off the day of doom" in their minds (i.e. they did not want to think about the future). God had warned Israel that it might cause some to forget God (Deut. 8:11-14, 17). Likewise, Jesus warned that riches could choke those who had received the Word (Lk. 8:14). Today, many in their search for wealth forget about God. Others have so filled their time enjoying their luxuries that, they have no time for the Word of God.

2)    Moral corruption

Consider how corrupt the people had become in the days of Amos (Amos 2:6-7). Who can deny that immorality is having its effect on the church today? The world's standards often become the standards of those in the church. When this happens, people will not want to feed upon the Word of God. If they did, it would make them very uncomfortable because of its ability to reveal our true selves (Heb. 4:12-13)

3)    Religious corruption

The people of Israel couldn't wait for religious days to be over (Amos 8:4-10). Today, many people use or hide behind religion to amass wealth, cheat, deceive and manipulate rather than obey God sincerely (Jam. 1:27). If they are unwilling to spend time in sincere worship, it is easy to see why they won't take time to feed daily on God's word!

     

EFFECTS OF FAMINE

The present famine also produces similar results as in Amos time. Amos described a sad picture in Amos 8:13-14: Young people fainting from "thirst" whiles others are falling and not rising again. Doesn't this describe the daily lives of many Christians today? By suffering from a lack of "spiritual food", we are easily overcome by temptation! Even the common trials of life overwhelm them! This may help us understand why some new Christians fall away and young people often lose interest due to the behavior of some elders, preachers, and teachers.

THE FAMINE WILL BRING DISASTER, (Amos 8:12-14). They will wander from sea to sea and from north to east, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it (v. 12). The people wander from sea to sea and from north to east, seeking the word of the Lord. Thus, the people are going everywhere - east and west, north and south - seeking for a prophet but none would be found. Although the people would desire desperately to hear from God, he would not answer them.

In the day of the famine, the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst (v. 13). The fair virgins and strong young men refer to those who would best be able to endure a famine, but the famine is taking a toll on them and they are beginning to fall under the severity of the famine. This shows just how terrible this famine is. It is so severe that those who are best able to endure it cannot endure. This famine would come upon those who gave themselves to idolatry (v. 14).

                  

HOW CAN WE END THE FAMINE

The condition of many churches today is one of "spiritual malnutrition"!  Influenced by materialism, immorality, and a lack of true spirituality, by CHOICE many have imposed a famine upon themselves for the Word of God! This helps to explain the discouragement and defeat in the lives of so many Christians today!  What can be done about it?  How can we end this self-imposed famine for the Word of God?

We need to be determined not to allow ourselves to be caught up in this famine – We need to feast upon the Word of God. We ourselves need to study diligently from Scripture. We need to teach our children Scripture so that they are not caught up in this famine (Deut. 6:7). If we do not teach our children, who will? How can we overcome this famine?

1)    We must appreciate the "power" of God's word. It possesses the power of CREATION (Heb.11:3; Gen 1:3); It produces true regeneration (Jn. 6:63, 1 Pet. 1:23, Jam. 1:18); It possesses the power of SANCTIFICATION (Ps. 19:7-11, Jn. 17:17); It possesses the power of PRESERVATION (Ps. 119:9, Acts. 20:28-32, Hos 4:6); It possesses the power of SALVATION and CONDEMNATION (Jam. 1:21, Jn 12:48). Should this not motivate us to study the Word of God?  Would it not be unwise to neglect such power in our lives?

 2) We must "feed" upon it. Like newborn babies longing for their mothers' milk, so we need to long for the word of God! (1 Pet. 2:2); we should contend for nothing less than daily reading of God's Word. A simple practice of DAILY BIBLE READING will go a long way to ending this famine for the Word of God. A reasonable goal at first is to read a chapter a day. I’ll humbly recommend reading through the New Testament (NT) first. At the rate of one chapter a day, one will easily read the NT in a year. Once the habit of daily Bible reading has been established,  reading three chapters a day will enable one to read through the entire Bible once a year. That is really not much, yet many Christians have never read the Bible through once although it takes the average reader only 20-30 minutes a day. The use of some Bible reading chart or checklist may be helpful and as you read, make it a time to meditate upon the word and pray for wisdom and help to obey God’s word (Ps 1:1-3, Ps. 119:18,33-37)

CONCLUSION

Brethren, the time of famine of the word of God is with us now. I challenge you to make the commitment not to neglect the all-powerful Word of God and to feast daily upon that Word which can save your souls!

As Paul told the Ephesian elders when he bid them farewell:

   "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts. 20:32). Amen!