“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it. In that day the fair virgins And strong young men Shall faint from thirst.” (Amos 8:11-13)
Most folks living in America today have no personal concept of what a famine is. All of their lives they have had the necessities of life. Yes, there are those who are in poverty, but not such poverty those have had who have lived in lands that have experienced famine. The word famine is defined as “an extreme scarcity of food” (Webster). It does not mean that it is just that one does not have the money to buy the needed food, but it means that there just is not any food available.
Think of the awfulness of the reality of what Amos prophesied. There would be a famine, but it would not be of bread or of water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. Let me illustrate. An enemy comes into our land and is victorious in his attempt to defeat us. He is a hater of God and His Word. He gives his soldiers the order to destroy every Bible and every document wherein is found any passage from God’s Word. All those who are known to have a knowledge of that Word are put to death. The land is now without God’s comforting Word. No biblical words of comfort or encouragement when one is sick, none when a loved one dies. How each of us would long for just a page from the Word of God, but there is none. Continuing our illustration, what if perchance someone in the community where we lived discovered a box containing a hundred Bibles that the enemy had overlooked? How much would you be willing to pay just to have a copy? If you were one of the fortunate ones to obtain a copy, would you do with it just as you presently do with the copy you now have? Would you relish the time that you were able to spend reading it, or would you just stuff some old photos or crushed flowers in it and use it for an ornament on a table somewhere?
It might be good to look at a few instances recorded in the Bible where men were bereft of any knowledge of it, or at least, had no desire to have that knowledge.
- “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).
- “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
- “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:28-32).
- “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” “…that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:1-3, 12).
In each of these passages, we are compelled to ask the question, “Why? Why were these people in such a famine of the Word of God in their wicked and unrighteous lives?” We believe that the apostle Paul answers this question in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. Here he stated, “…and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Though we may not consider ourselves to be in the same immoral category as some in these passages, if we are not increasing our knowledge of God’s Word, wherein is the difference?
Knowledge – Knowledge – Knowledge! Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Peter stated, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue…” (2 Peter 1:2-3).
All things are ready… Come to the feast! There is no reason why any of us should be famishing for a lack of God’s Word. Are you experiencing a famine or a feast?
